2008 BMW 5 Series Electrical System Problems

Vehicle abruptly shut off while reversing out of my driveway. Vehicle restarted after a long crank and appeared to enter a reduced power mode/limp mode with a transmission fault that locked the transmission in 4th gear. Reading OBD2 codes revealed a code for the crankshaft position sensor. Inspection of the 3 terminal sensor revealed 2 of the terminal contacts on the sensor to be shorted out with melted plastic on both the sensor and the wiring connector plug. Shorted wire could be a result of a leaking coolant passage at rear of engine within bellhousing where sensor is located. Coolant intrusion into sensor connector resulted in electrical short and melted connections.

I bought a 2008 528i July 2024. Got Emissions & Tag at the end of August. Oct 5 2024. My car was on Fire. Drove the car 11 mins got out for a few mins got bk in crunk the car and a flame shot out of what I'm assuming is a fuse box on the driver side. The car had flames coming from under the steering wheel area in the dash. When we crunk the car we could smell wire burning at first. Then flames..The vehicle has an active recall that clearly says A Pcv heater valve will cause the vehicle to over heat and short circuit causing a fire. Wiring harness needs to be replaced by adding a fuse to keep this from happening. The car was having issues passing the emissions. It was throwing a code something to do with the crankcase positioner something to do with Emissions. The car started running rough and idling rough before the fire happened.I sent bmw pics and the fire report. The fire report states it was an electrical fire. I never looked under my hood bc I was afraid I'd get burned. Not sure if anything else was damaged under the hood.Bc my vehicle is 16years old Bmw will not even send an inspector out to the garage where the vehicle sits just a month after getting it on the road..They first said it had aftermarket lights on the right side of the car by looking at pics I sent. That is false it's not even a light bmw placed a reflector sticker cc when they made the vehicle it peeled off after the first wash. This same technician that doesn't know a light from a reflector then claimed my wiring harness is aftermarket bc he says he can't see bmw sticker. It was a fire the car is damaged the sticker prolly melted along with the fuse box..I ask that bmw respect my vehicle that I just saved my $ to purchase 107,000 miles on it should hv never caught on fire..I need an inspector to go out and check my vehicle in person..Not guess and claim aftermarket parts. I'm not the only person this has happened to. Someone is gonna get killed bc of BMWs manufacturing company. This is serious.

After purchasing this vehicle from my aunt and uncle my one headlight when bad after purchasing the headlights I replaced both the right and left one while removing the old headlights the insulation from the wires just crumbles off casuing a short bc the wires are zip tied several times together and causes my lights to flicker or not work at all while the the car keeps notifying me that there is an issue never couple seconds

I was driving and came to a stop and noticed smoke and an odd smell coming from under the hood. The heater control valve and the wire connector started to smolder and melt the plastic. If it wasn’t for me disconnecting the connector wire to the heater control valve, it would have definitely would have caught on fire.There was no warning other than the smoke and smell coming from the car. I am in the process of the car getting inspected from a bmw service center

Station wagon lift gate has severe wiring failures between the lift gate and body. This problem is well known throught the blog community. Broken wires cause failures, and electrical danger, to the rear lighting system that includes brake, running, back up, and turn signals. Also effected is the rear wiper, defroster, and operation access to open and close the lift gate. Tailgate failure would prohibit emergency opening and access to spare tire and fuses. I have already spent $3,000 on one harness replacement (dealer) and am looking at another $3,000 to repair (dealer) more wiring that will restore the brake/running lights on one side (failed state inpection). The internal lighting diagnostics did NOT indicate any lighting problems or warning. Broken wires could also cause failures to some or all of the entire electrical system. Very dangerous.

Been smelling burning plastic/or oil thru air vents. as if the pvc valve was melting per recall description on probles, it fits the description, the only thing that happened to the car recently is one of the windows regulator anti trap functions it says antitrap function window disabled, then slowly started noticing burning smell for the first 10 minutes of everyday drive, my safety and many others could be very compromised , as I live on a mobile home community, and these properties have a high risk of fire hazard, and the fumes I am smelling, also I dont wanna get caught in a vehicle fire anywhere, much less on traffic, freeway or cause an accidents because of disabled vehicle, - the list goes on . thanks For allowing me to make a complaint and bring awareness for many other owners

Headlight internal wiring insulation completely degraded, exposing wires and causing electrical shorts/arcing. Unchecked this will certainly cause a fire.

The vehicle's engine caught fire approximately 13 1/2 hours after last having been driven. I parked it in my driveway at 9pm on April 15, 2022. I was alerted to a fire in the engine by my neighbor at 10:30am on April 16, 2022. The entire engine was engulfed in flames, melting all of the plastic components. It burned through my hood and affected every part of the engine. We were able to get the fire out with a garden hose before it spread to the house and my parents' two other vehicles parked next to it. No one was burned while putting out the fire, but several neighbors and family members did breathe in the toxic smoke. 911 was called and the fire department confirmed the fire was out. The driveway under the vehicle has burn damage, but we haven't moved the vehicle yet to see the extent of it. The check engine light had been on since purchase. The vehicle had been maintained by a mechanic specializing in import motors. He was unable to determine the cause of the check engine alert, and said it was a problem that BMW has with several of their models of this era. The vehicle was only covered under liability insurance, so our insurance company has not required an inspection. It has not yet been inspected by a mechanic or any other entity. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested.

The wiring in my headlight assembly is crumbling and the headlight is shorting out. The coating on the wiring is trash. I own a 08 Bmw550i. BMW should be ashamed. Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

VEHICLE PARKED FOR DAYS, NOTICED SMOKE FROM PASSENGER SIDE ENGINE BAY, INSPECTION FOUND POSSIBLE FAULTY ELECTRICAL WIRING OR OIL LEAK ONTO ELECTRICAL WIRING CAUSING SMALL FIRE ON ENGINE FLOOR. DISCONNECTED NEGATIVE TERMINAL TO BATTERY.

FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES ON AND IT PULLS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE IT FEELS LIKE THE WHEEL IS GOING TO COME OFF AND THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT IS LOCKED WHERE IT WON'T EXTENDED OUT TO BUCKLE AND THE CAR DOG WALKS BACK AND FORTH WHILE DRIVING

DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, SO I AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMED THAT THE BULL WAS BLOWN. WENT AND BOUGHT $100 BULL THAT CONTROLS THE HIGH BEAM AND THE LOW BEAMS, REPLACE THE BULB, AND THE HEADLIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. TOOK THE BALL BACK AND GOT ANOTHER BULB, AND THE HEADLIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. AS I WAS REPLACING THE BULB I NOTICED BARE WIRES SHOWING, ON MULTIPLE WIRES, AS FAR AS I COULD SEE. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE , AS IT COULD CAUSE MY CAR TO CATCH FIRE.

ALL OF THE INTERNAL HEADLIGHT WIRING INSULATION ON BOTH HEADLIGHTS IS CRUMBLING OFF WHICH IS EXPOSING THE COPPER WIRE, CAUSING SPARKS AND SHORTING OUT. I HAVE PERFORMED MUCH ONLINE RESEARCH AND APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW. CURRENTLY IT'S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S UNPREDICTABLE WHEN HEADLIGHTS WILL SHORT OUT WHILE DRIVING, LOSING SIGHT OF THE ROAD AND POSSIBLY INCREASING RISK OF ACCIDENT.

KNOWN SAFETY CONCERN DUE TO BROKEN WIRING IN E61 WAGON HATCH WIRING. SEE THIS THREAD: HTTPS://5SERIES.NET/FORUMS/E61-TOURING-DISCUSSION-4/TAILGATE-WIRING-HARNESS-REPLACEMENT-72751/

WEDNESDAY JULY 25TH, 2018, AS I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE WORK, I STARTED MY CAR WHICH WAS PARKED IN MY COMPANY'S UNDERGROUND GARAGE AND THE INTERIOR BECAME ENGULFED WITH SMOKE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND GOT OUT TO CHECK THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO SMOKE COMING FROM THE UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I GOT BACK INTO THE CAR AND STARTED IT AGAIN AND MORE SMOKE ENTERED INTO THE CAR. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WENT BACK TO MY OFFICE TO CALL AAA. APPROXIMATELY 20-30 MINUTES LATER I WENT BACK TO THE CAR AND IMMEDIATELY SMELLED SMOKE IN THE GARAGE. AS I APPROACHED THE CAR IT WAS COMPLETELY FILLED WITH SMOKE BUT I COULD TELL THAT THE BOTH THE BACK AND FRONT WINDOW SHIELDS AND THE SUNROOF WERE SCORCHED. MY KEY FOB DID NOT WORK SO I HAD TO OPEN THE CAR WITH THE KEY. WITH THE DOOR OPEN THE THICK SMOKE ESCAPED AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR AS A RESULT OF A FIRE. I HAVE ATTACHED SOME PICTURES SO YOU CAN SEE. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER BMW OWNERS IN THE PAST AND THAT THIS WAS A COURSE OF ACTION TO TAKE IN LETTING YOU KNOW.

HEADLIGHT WIRING INSIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY IS DETERIORATING BADLY. THE PROTECTIVE COATING IS CRACKING AND FLAKING OFF LEAVING THE EXPOSED COPPER CORE WHICH IN TURN SHORTS OUT THE LIGHTS. POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD AS WELL.

INSULATION ON WIRING INSIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAS FALLEN OFF EXPOSING BARE WIRES. THIS WAS DISCOVERED WHEN REPLACING BULBS. DISCUSSION BOARDS ON WEB HAVE MANY OWNERS REPORTING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. BMW DOES NOT

I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH BMW OF NORTH AMERICA FOR 8 WEEKS. MY 2008 BMW 550I CAUGHT FIRE WHILE STATIONARY AT A GAS STATION AT THE GAS PUMP. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED OUT TO CONTAIN THE FIRE. THE FIRE INSPECTOR AND THE FIRE CHIEF BOTH STATED THAT IT WAS A WIRING ISSUE. I HAVE THE FIRE REPORT. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET BMW OF NORTH AMERICA TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE ON FEB. 5, 2018 AND WAS TOLD THERE 'LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN'WORK DONE TO THE WIRING OF THE CAR. I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE SINCE APRIL 2017 (7 MONTHS) AND HAVE NOT DONE ANY WORK TO THE WIRING. I ALSO PULLED A CARFAX REPORT BEFORE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. IT SHOWED 0 ACCIDENTS AND 0 MAJOR MECHANICAL WORKING. I ASKED BMW FOR A COPY OF THE INSPECTOR'S REPORT AND WAS DENIED. THAT REALLY MADE ME SUSPECT SOMETHING FOUL FROM BMW.

THE WIRING HARNESSES IN THE TAILGATE HAVE BEEN BOTH SEVERED AND OTHERWISE DAMAGED BY THE NORMAL OPERATION OF THE TAILGATE AND LIFTGLASS. THE HINGES AND WIRING TRAYS HAVE SHARP EDGES AND THE WIRE INSULATION MATERIAL SEEMS TO BE OF A PVC MATERIAL. IT APPEARS THAT THIS MATERIAL IS VULNERABLE TO FAILURE WITH ONLY REGULAR OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER, THE SHARP EDGES OF THE HARNESS TRAY IN THE TAILGATE HINGES ACT AS SHEARS THAT HAVE SEVERED THE WIRES. THIS PRESENTS SEVERAL SAFETY ISSUES INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL OF FIRES FROM ELECTRICAL SHORTS, MALFUNCTIONING AND DAMAGE OF CONTROL MODULES DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHORTS, INOPERABLE REAR-DEFOGGER SYSTEM, INOPERABLE KEYFOB REMOTES FOR ENTRY AND LOCKING, LOSS OF RADIO SYSTEM INCLUDING WEATHER BAND FOR SAFETY UPDATES, ETC. THIS APPEARS TO BE NOT ONLY A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT EVERY VEHICLE IN THIS DESIGNATION HAS EITHER SUFFERED FROM THESE PROBLEMS OR IS SUSCEPTIBLE. AS NOTED IN SEVERAL BLOGSITES WHERE OWNERS AND REPAIR SPECIALISTS HAVE COMMENTED, THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY BOTH NHTSA AND THE MANUFACTURER. CLEARLY A RECALL AND MANUFACTURER-PAID REPAIR SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED.

CAR POWER SUDDENLY STOPS WITHOUT WARNING. USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN I'M EITHER DRIVING OR WHEN I AM IDLE; WHEN DRIVING IT JUST STOPS, AND WHEN I AM IN IDLE, IT VIBRATES VIGOROUSLY AND THEN STOPS.