There are 6 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2004 BMW 5 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WIRE INSULATION DETERIORATION CAUSING SHORT, POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD, 5 SEPARATE LIGHTING COMPONENTS ALL WIRING INSULATION SEVERELY DETERIORATED CAUSING SHORT CIRCUITING AND INOPERABLE HEADLIGHTS. BARE COPPER WIRES MAKING CONTACT I HAVE AN EXTENSIVE HISTORY IN ELECTRONICS AND FIREFIGHTING. THIS ISSUE WAS FOUND WHILE CHANGING A BULB. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR USING INFERIOR MATERIALS THAT COULD CAUSE A FIRE (HTTPS://WWW.BIMMERFORUMS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?2132684-HEADLIGHT-WIRE-JACKETS-JUST-FLAKE-OFF)
VERY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE WITH THE DECISIONS OF BMW UPON THIS CAR AND ITS HEADLIGHTS. ANY CAR OF THIS CHASSIS E60 FROM THE DATES 2004-2010 HAVE ROTTING PROBLEMS WITH THE WIRING ON THE INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHTS. ASKING AROUND DID NOT HELP MY SITUATION ONE BIT AT ALL. ALL THE WIRES ON THE INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT HAVE BEEN STRIPPED SINCE THE INSULATION SURROUNDING THEM HAVE BEEN DEGRADED DOWN. CAUSING SHORTS, MASSIVE PROBLEMS WITH ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS, ETC. GOOGLING THIS FOUND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS FRUSTRATED ALL ACROSS ONLINE FORUM DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS, YOU CANNOT DRIVE ON THESE FOR TOO LONG. MY ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS FAILING PUT MY SECURITY AT RISK WHEN I RELIED ON THEM TO HELP ME WHILE DRIVING. *TR
I HAD A BULB FAILURE WARNING ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH. I BOUGHT THE PARKING LIGHT BULB, WENT TO REPLACE IT, AND FOUND ALL OF THE WIRING INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING CRUMBLING TO BITS. THERE WERE LITERALLY BARE WIRES CROSSING ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER, WHICH IS CLEARLY A FIRE HAZARD. WHEN I ASKED MY BMW DEALER ABOUT THIS, THEY SAID IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM, IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, AND I HAVE TO BUY NEW HEADLIGHTS. I HAD NEVER HEARD OF INTERNAL HEADLIGHT WIRING BEING CONSIDERED A WEAR ITEM, BUT BMW SAYS OTHERWISE. I HAVE A 30 YEAR OLD CAR WITH ALL OF ITS WIRING INTACT; THIS BMW HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE IT HAD HIT 10 YEARS OLD. I SPENT APPROXIMATELY $2000 FOR NEW HEADLIGHTS. CLEARLY THIS IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, AS IT PRESENTS A CLEAR FIRE HAZARD. I DO KNOW OF ONE PERSON WHO EXPERIENCED A VEHICLE FIRE DUE TO THIS DEFECT IN A '05 525I. *TR
THE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ARE ON IN CAR, BASED ON MY RESEARCH, I'VE FOUND THAT THIS IS MANUFACTURE FAULT, WHEN I CALLED BMW DEALER THEY TOLD ME THAT MY CAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR THE SAME MANUFACTURE FAULT. I THINK BMW MANUFACTURER IS AT LIBEL AT PRESENT, LET'S JUST HOPE NOTHING HAPPENED TO MYSELF AND FAMILY WHILE OPERATING THIS VEHICLE. I WANT BMW TO ADD MY CAR TO THE RECALL CAMPAIGN BECAUSE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS AND HAZARD LIGHTS BEGAN FLASHING AND TURN SIGNALS DID NOT WORK. SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES WITH SAME EFFECT. DROVE CAR TO BMW DEALER. DEALER TECHNICIAN SAW SAME RESULTS. HE DISCONNECTED BATTERY, RESTARTED CAR, REBOOTING THE I-DRIVE COMPUTER, AND COULD NOT RECREATE PROBLEM. *AK
I WANT YOU TO KNOW I STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE NEW HIGH INTENSITY HEADLIGHTS AND TO VEHICLES WITH FOUR HEADLIGHTS. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO DRIVE AT NIGHT WITHOUT ALL THE ADDITIONAL LIGHT POLUTION! *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026