Electrical System Problems of BMW 5 Series - part 1

While driving with ac on smoke started coming heavily for the interior ac vents. A very toxic smoke, with electrical smell. I noticed the BMW 3 series has a recall on electrical blower problem. I think my car has the same issue.

See all problems of the 2011 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

My ac fan motor has started to make a weird noise when you lift the foot from the accelerator. This happens even when the car is stationary.

About 3 weeks ago we noticed in the front passenger seat "a mark" that looks like a burnt - we thought that it was just a mark or somebody put a hot bottle o cup on the seat - but this morning we turn the heating in both seat to warm up a little bit then smell and smoke start to come out the burnt mark. We turned it off both sides and open the window - now our conclusion is the heating element caused that burn in the seat.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

I was driving and bumped up against a sidewalk curve and my airbags deployed as well as my car shut off. It will not start another more and the hood underneath was on fire. (smoke was present).

See all problems of the 2008 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

Head lights angle lights wires getting very dry from the heat of the light and the insulation coming off the optical wires, lights go out, possible shorting and become very unsafe.

See all problems of the 2006 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

There are 3 recalls reported for my year make and model of a car I just purchased that at giving me problems and I'm receiving warning messages on my navigation but my VIN is not registering with dealership for being eligible for resolution please reply back with steps to repair.

See all problems of the 2005 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

Wire rot deterioration at the headlight assembly. Concern electrical fire due to bare exposed wires. Notified the dealer and manufacture without resolution. Personally had to pay over $500 to he dealership just to wrapped with electrical tape. After 3 months, currently experiencing high beam failure (hid adoptive passenger side) which the dealer to replacement cost of $2599.

While driving for 15 minutes with seat warmers on my husband (driver) turned it off. We were travelling on suburban roads around 40 mph. Then at a stop light he noticed a burning smell. We continued driving when light turned green. Then I noticed the smell a few seconds later, so I opened a window expecting to find smell a fire nearby or hear sirens. At that point we saw a ploom of smoke come from under his seat towards the passenger side open window. He immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and turned everything off. The smoke took some time to clear but did stop. Several minutes later we drove 1 mile to the BMW dealership. We were told its not under warranty, and would cost $1,700 to fix. I declined to pay $1,700 to fix and requested they disconnect seat heater. BMW personnel informed me it could not disconnect power to seat heater without disconnecting the entire ac/heat system. This is a personal safety issue, not a warranty issue. For a seat heater to cause smoke it caused a fire and this is a defect. The car will catch on fire if the seat warmer is activated. I asked dealership what if I loan my car to someone who does not know about the defect, they suggested putting tape over the button. This is not acceptable safety measure to prevent burns, fire, or even death. Consider for a moment people have small children that ride in this vehicle. On a cold morning I could have buckled kids in, turned on car, seat heater, and talk to a neighbor for 2 minutes, or teacher at the carpool line. . . . What would have happened to the children? there is no visible damage to vehicle but BMW personnel did agree there was smoke smell in vehicle caused by seat warmer.

Navigation display reboots constantly. Works periodically. This display gives me access to all of the cars features including warnings and malfunctions with the vehicle. If the display works when the car is on it may not work if you turn off the card and turn it back on.

BMW I-drive cuts out while driving, and blinks or reboots. While driving home it cut out, and would not stop blinking. This distraction and malfunction is dangerous.

My problem started 2 years ago. After two days of very heavy rain I started my vehicle and my navigation screen started to flicker then eventually burned out over a two week time also my radio stopped working at the same time. I didn't have the 2,000 dollars to get it fixed. A few months later after several days of heavy rain I've noticed the drivers floor soaked then the car was hesitant to start. The car over another few months my wipers would cut on by themselves and I couldn't cut them off. It got to the point that I turned the car off and the wipers were still working with no key in the car. . . The car had to be towed to the mechanics. . Now my window work intermittently sometimes they work and sometimes they don't . . . At this time I also smell the odor of a burning electrical from time to time.

See all problems of the 2007 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

Air conditioning stop work causing motor to heat.

Steering wheel malfunction locks preventing the vehicle to start steering wheel locks while driving.

Our 2007 BMW 530xi developed a steering wheel lock malfunction warning. A red steering wheel with a padlock appears on the dash screen with a warning on the computer. The steering wheel locks and unlocks perfectly every time. The car is drivable. The dealer says the steering lock module must be replaced for $600. I found that this is a rampant problem on Bmws and that BMW corporation is aware of the problem. There should be a recall for this problem.

Involved in an accident. Other vehicle going southbound crossed over median strip of highway, hit three cars going northbound, mine was third car to be struck. Offending car did a 360 in front of me, I slowed to about 25 and he moved into me. I struck his rear passenger side corner. I had front end damage over $5k. No airbag, but default messages and an airbag icon came on the video screen and the front instrument panel. It states "driver and passenger airbag or restraint system malfunction. ".

All 6 fuel injectors failed. Car lost power while driving on 3 separate occasions.

Malfunction of left headlight. Dealer inspection revealed"headlight wires leading to bulb socket have corrosion on them and casing around the wires is coming off". There was a recent vehicle safety recall for this model car for similar issues with rear lamp bulb carrier: recall campaign no. 13v-407 potentially serious safety issue with malfunction of headlights leading to dangerous driving conditions or crash can occur especially at night or in bad/inclement weather.

The grounding wire in the connector to the tail light bulb holder melted and melted parts of the connector. This resulted in no signal, brake and running rear lights. A recall has been called for BMW e46 3 series for this exact problem (see below). The recall should be expanded to cover the 5 Series as well.

See all problems of the 2009 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

BMW recalled 2004 BMW 525i and others for the seat mat sensor. I had called them (2012-13) and they told me that my vehicle (based on VIN) wasnt part of the recall. I informed them that my vehicle's mat sensor was also defective and should be replaced by them. They, BMW USA told me that mine was not defective. I still cant understand if the rest are defective, how come mine is considered not defective when its inoperative and same problem as thousands of other 2004 525i.

One day while driving, my car had an alert come on the I drive saying the passenger restraint system was malfunctioning. It stayed on a few months and then went away for a few months. Now the problem is occurring again.

The grounding wire in the connector to the tail light bulb holder melted and melted parts of the connector. This resulted in no signal, brake and running rear lights. A recall has been called for BMW e46 3 series for this exact problem. The recall should be expanded to cover the 5 Series as well.

Just parked the vehicle, turned off the vehicle and smelled something burning. Exited the vehicle, observed smoke from under the hood, opened the hood and observed flames from the left side of the engine, mostly on the top left of the engine now. Called the fire department who extinguished the flames, and had the car towed to the dealer. The vehicle is now in their lot waiting for their investigators to look at the vehicle. The first comment out of the dealership, maybe an animal built a nest in the engine area. This vehicle only had 3000 miles on it, purchased in June of 2011, and is garage kept.

Car shut down while driving appx 35mph without warning, nearly crash due to loss of steering assist and instrument. Dealer replaced both dme and battery which was suspicious since two unrelated component failed at same time? extremely dangerous when it happened in traffic, endangering both my passengers and other drivers nearby. Recall to the dme and battery should be issued. Repair cost $2500.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

My 2003 BMW 530i sedan caught fire due to an electrical fault while parked in new haven, connecticut. The fire department and police were called. Case #[xxx] was assigned by officer [xxx] of the new haven pd. The car, too badly damaged to repair, was hauled away for eventual scrapping. I was close to the car when the fire started. Flames were erupting from the dash, where the climate control switches are located. I tried smothering the flames with a sweater. This did not interrupt the progress of the fire. There was no personal injury or property damage other than to the car and its contents. Items situated in the front seat area were not recovered, due to the intensity of the fire. The apparent cause of the fire was an electrical fault. In 2010 new country BMW in hartford twice replaced the climate control fan final stage resistor, once in April and again in October, at no charge for the second replacement. In the days before the fire the climate control was again acting erratically, and the evidence indicates the final stage resistor was failing once again. BMW north America inspected the car and confirmed that the fire was caused by an electrical fault in the area behind the dash where the final stage resistor is located. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle is 2008 528i sedan. The tire monitor pressure indicator was displayed. I took the car to a BMW dealership to check the tire pressure. They said the tire pressure was ok on all 4 tires. However, it continued to display the tmp indicator. Then for the next couple of days, when the vehicle was started, various alert indicators would display briefly and the date and time were not set. I took the car back to the dealership and they determined fluid (referred to by BMW as ¿an outside influence¿) leaked from inside the trunk of vehicle into the rdc (communication) module, which is located under the trunk. The service advisor stated the submerged fluid shorted out the module and melted the harness. The rdc module and the harness were replaced. The trunk was not wet so I did not realize anything had leaked nor was I aware there were critical electrical components located directly under the trunk, which were not properly protected. To place the rdc module in an area where liquids can penetrate (I. E. Open drunk while raining, groceries spilling¿), is extremely poor vehicle design. Since the problem was a result of ¿an outside influence¿ it was not covered under warranty and it cost almost $1000 to fix.

Ground wire for passenger side tail light burned up. Ground wire, both sides of electrical connector, and tail light bulb holder all burned up. Passenger side brake light, tail light, turn signal and back up light do not function at all. Improperly rated fuse did not blow before circuit burned up and melted. This circuit is not designed correctly. This is a safety hazard to myself and anyone driving behind me. Car model is a 2008 528xi.

On Feb. 21, 2011 the electrical system showed a massive malfunction warning on my 2006 BMW 530xi. The car computer instructed me to discontinue driving immediately and bring my car to the closest dealer. I brought the car to the dealer. It was determined the sunroof cassette was faulty and water from recent rains leaked through the sunroof (in closed position) ran down drain lines into my battery compartment. Water caused major damage of electrical system, modules, battery etc. BMW told me the repairs, including a needed sunroof cassette would total $23000. 00. BMW admitted the sunroof cassette was faulty, but said I was out of warranty and it would be my responsibility to repair. I did research and found 3 internal service bulletins from BMW, si b 61 13 06, si b 54 02 08 and si b54 04 09 which addressed this issue while my car was under warranty- these service bulletins were not performed on my car. I also have seen many, many of this same issue on BMW message boards. This could have been a very dangerous situation, and I feel BMW should be responsible for this repair. Please help.

Vehicle is 2008 BMW 535xi wagon. Blocked sunroof drains meant that water drained into the vehicle, gathering in the trunk where the electronics sit. Car had multiple engine failures and warnings of transmission failure, electrical failure, sunroof error and tpm failure. Cause per BMW was blockage of rear sunroof drain. This is a common fault caused by poor design of the sunroof drains (too narrow and prone to blocking). A recall on the sedan 5 Series moves the electronics to a higher position in the vehicle to prevent the electronics damage but BMW state there is no similar move possible for the wagon. , also it impossible to diagnose the problem before it occurs and BMW has no suggested service steps t p[revent occurrence. When this happens its very dangerous and v expensive to remediate. BMW occasionally covers a goodwill repair but won't cover under warranty. Advice from BMW is not park the vehicle under trees! dealer indicates when this re-occurs BMW will not cover the cost again.

While driving in heavy rain, the vehicle's electronic control system issued a frenzy of alerts, and interrupted function of several subsystems including the windshield wipers. The system issued a message "continued driving not possible" and then further alerts. The BMW center examined the car and stated that water had entered the car through the sunroof drainage system and flooded the compartment housing the control systems, causing the sudden malfunction. Despite the fact that there is no maintenance protocol established by BMW for the drainage system, I had the sunroof drains checked on October 2009 and was assured by the BMW center that it was working to specification at that time. Nevertheless, BMW's center attributed the failure to the drainage system being partially blocked. (n. B. The system had not been checked for the first three years of use, so why would it fail 1 year and 1 month after inspection?) the drain system is concealed within the roof and is not accessible to car owner. The combination of the defective drainage system and the placement of the electronic control systems at the point of water collection presents a safety hazard when driving in inclement weather. Searching on the internet turns up similar complaints on other BMW models equipped with panoramic sunroofs such as the x3, x5, and 535xi and 325.

Our 2008 BMW 528i has an electrical problem in which the vehicle does not have the capability of charging the battery if the vehicle is driven short distances or multiple stops. This causes the battery to run down and the vehicle to become inoperative. The vehicle will stop and not start. After four (4) trips to the dealer (trucked twice) the dealer has determined that it is an operator problem and the vehicle should be plugged into and electrical battery charger when not in use. Additionally, they indicated the vehicle should be taken daily for drives of more than 20 miles to hopefully charge the battery. The issue has us in fear of the vehicle stalling in traffic and creating a serious safety issue.

The contact would like to use his submitted email as the actual complaint. Our 2004 BMW 530i had the driver's heated seat catch fire. I am not getting much help from BMW on this matter. To me, this is one helluva of an easy way to cause a major accident. Only because of my partner's quick thinking and turning off the heater was she able to stop the fire. It was hot enough that it melted the foam (toxic I am sure) in the seat. Something like this happening while you are going down the road is right up there with Toyota and their acceleration problems. Either way a major accident can happen. Not to mention that a person could be severely burned. While the car is out of warranty this seat has never been abused. The driver of the car weighs in at about 120 pounds. From checking the internet there seems to be a quite a number of such instances. Thank you scott the failure mileage was 60,000.

04 BMW 545 electrical failure mpm.

Air bag warning light illuminates with adult passenger firmly belted into passenger seat. Light remains illuminated for periods which vary from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. There is no way to tell if this is a defective light only or if the air bag is inoperative. An additional safety concern is that BMW diagnostic techniques are not able to detect this failure. BMW refuses to correct the defect.

See all problems of the 2010 BMW 5 Series 🔎.

I purchased 2011 model BMW 535i in August 2010. There are 3 cigarette lighter power outlets inside the car and electricity is supplying all the time regardless of whether vehicle is being locked or not. If I use accessories like gps, charger, coffer warmer etc. And left in the locked vehicle under summer sun could really be a fire hazard. I have contacted to BMW customer relations and local service asking to rewire to stop power supply while engine is stopped or/and vehicle is locked but they refused to fix the problem. I have another complaint regarding the steering like other owners which is that vehicle is pulling to the right all the time at all speed. I'd like to request NHTSA to order BMW to fix those problems ASAP as a recall!.

Have had 3 separate instances in the past 9 months where my car stalled or sputtered with loss of power , and once I had no steering or braking ability. Dangerous situation in freeway traffic.