Table 1 shows one common exterior lighting related problems of the 2020 BMW X3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems |
Vehicle began intermittently turning lights on and off while parked and driving. Upon dealer inspection, sunroof frame failed causing water to leak and corrode the vdp module which controls items like the headlights and suspension. Dealer did confirm, vehicle is being repaired at this moment. There were no warning lights about the headlight malfunction, noticed it while driving and while parked. There was a warning light regarding the suspension however it turned off next start and only came back on once more, again disappearing next start. Upon completion of repair, can provide parts inspection, receipts and video of the lighting issue while parked.
I have records of over 900 other consumers including myself that have been asking BMW to fix a potential deadly lighting malfunction that leaves you with no dash lighting or a whiteout. This problem effects all the dash and hvac controls where you can't see any the dash and safety components. I've reached out to BMW and they refuse to acknowledge the problem and have asked me to stop.
This issue affects nearly all modern vehicles that support only dark mode for backlit/light-imitting dashboard/infotainment screens. Back-lit, white text on a black background is very difficult to read for some people with certain medical conditions. For example, my wife has an intraocular lens implant. She can read road signs and physical 'white on black' text fine, but the led backlit screen white text on a black screen causes the white lettering to glare and be blurry, making it difficult to read. I see this as a safety issue as she has to spend more time trying to read the dashboard and ac/radio controls. Simple fix - require all auto manufacturers to include both a dark mode and a light mode for electronic displays. Currently the only ones I'm aware of who have a light mode display are Tesla and Hyundai.
When driving the car during the day the infortainment digital display and dash board dims to almost black intermittently making it dangerous and distracting to operate the vehicle if trying to use the radio, the phone, or driving miles mph and milage gauges. The screens brighten up if the driver window is opened up. But, it is impossible to do this when driving at freeway speeds. The problem has been complained about within two months of driving it off the showroom floor in Dec 2019. I have been told 10 times so far, that there is no fix for this problem.