Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 120802 | 10/01/2002 | 10000372 | Engine wiring harness section replacement for ignition coils. *tt | 02/25/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 02/02/2013 | 103000 | 1 | |
| My vehicle has the same incident about a dozen of times in the last 4-5 years. the vehicle suddenly had check engine light, abs light, traction control light, and brake light on, engineer started to knocking, speed forced down to less than 30 mph within in seconds. it was quite scaring when the vehicle was on the highway with speed at ~50-70 mpg. my dealer has made several repairs, changing everything in this speed controlling system multiple times according to the book, including throttle body twice, electric harness three times, and control computer unit once, but the problem recurs. occasionally, resetting the system and/or restarting the car, and sometimes reconnecting every parts of the system can avoid the problem for a while (from a days to 1-2 years). although it is unpredictable in when, it would come back. the problem seems to come more often when the weather become more wet. this mimics the behavior of the poor electric connections controlling the tails and turning lights of the same model, which was recalled by bmw a couple of years ago. it seems that the same electric connectors are used in this speed controlling system. obviously, this problem is more dangerous than the signaling light issue since it is more likely to lead to severe accidents/crashes in the highway; i might be dead or severely injured if i did not responded quickly enough when was in i-95 for example. *tr | |||
| 02/02/2013 | 103000 | ||
| My vehicle has the same incident about a dozen of times in the last 4-5 years. the vehicle suddenly had check engine light, abs light, traction control light, and brake light on, engineer started to knocking, speed forced down to less than 30 mph within in seconds. it was quite scaring when the vehicle was on the highway with speed at ~50-70 mpg. my dealer has made several repairs, changing everything in this speed controlling system multiple times according to the book, including throttle body twice, electric harness three times, and control computer unit once, but the problem reoccurs. occasionally, resetting the system and/or restarting the car, and sometimes reconnecting every parts of the system can avoid the problem for a while (from a days to 1-2 years). although it is unpredictable in when, it would come back. the problem seems to come more often when the weather become more wet. this mimics the behavior of the poor electric connections controlling the tails and turning lights of the same model, which was recalled by bmw a couple of years ago. it seems that the same electric connectors are used in this speed controlling system. obviously, this problem is more dangerous than the signaling light issue since it is more likely to lead to severe accidents/crashes in the highway; i might be dead or severely injured if i did not responded quickly enough when was in i-95 for example. | |||
| 06/12/2012 | 122426 | ||
| The warning light for my passenger side tail light has been going on and off for months as if there is a short in it. it stayed on permanently this month, showing a dimmer light than the working side tail light, so i had it checked when i had the oil changed at my bmw mechanic. he informed me there was a recall for tail light assemblies for my vehicle and told me to call the dealer to check the vin number. i called the dealer last friday, june 22, 2012 and was informed that my vehicle was part of the recall and that someone would call to make an appointment for the work. no one called, so i called again today and they said the vin was not part of the open recall. the tail light is acting like the other tail lights that were recalled so i do not understand how it cannot be part of the recall. | |||
| 06/14/2012 | 104000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325i. while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted numerous times to access the exterior front driver's side door with the remote key fob and also manually however, the lock mechanism would not open. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who informed the contact that the door lock, remote key fob and power door actuator would need to be replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 104,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 06/14/2012 | 104000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325i. while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted numerous times to access the exterior front driver's side door with the remote key fob and also manually; however the lock mechanism would not release open. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who informed the door lock, remote key fob and power door actuator would need to be replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 104,000. the vin was unavailable. js | |||
| 03/02/2010 | 101000 | ||
| Multiple intermittent problems with door locks failing to open either by key fob, depressing button inside car, or by pulling inside door handle. to exit car, must lower windows and insert key into outside keyhole. this is a serious hazard! problem arises with no apparent cause, then will disappear a few days later with for no apparent reason. bmw replaced actuator (?) and the problem appears to have disappeared, but it cost me $1400. other electrical problem is with air bag warning light coming on after car sits undriven for more than a couple of days. was told that air bags will not work with light on. no reason found. battery checks out fully charged. | |||
| 11/26/2010 | 59000 | ||
| Doors will not open because door locks will not unlock. key fob button will not unlock any doors 90% of the time. most of the time i can only get in car on drivers side with manual operation of driver's side door lock (sticking key in lock and turning). once in car, 90% of time i still cannot unlock any other doors, even by pulling on door handle (which would ordinarily unlock the door). the interior button to unlock the doors will not work. on friday, 12/9/11, i could not even get out of the driver's side door when i arrived at my destination. (car is set to automatically engage all locks once i start driving) i had to roll window down and reach out and unlock door with key. when my son and daughter drive with me, they have to get in and out of car either by crawling across driver's seat or go through a window opening. my wife cannot ride in this car now because she may not be able to get out. due to this defect, passengers are trapped in car. also, entry into vehicle is delayed (because fob will not unlock doors) which also poses safety risks when parked at night in downtown parking garages. there are five other complaints on nhsta website on this exact same issue. recall should be initiated. | |||
| 07/03/2010 | 75172 | ||
| Right taillamp failure and left taillamp intermittent operation. electrical system repair: right rear taillamp connector and bulb carrier corroded. dealer replaced pigtail harness and bulb carrier with updated design: socket housing, terminal, contact, cable connector, hose, insulation housing, flat contact, cable socket and bulb socket. | |||
| 11/15/2006 | 49000 | ||
| Xenon lights went out shortly after the 50,000 mark. shortly after car kept going into fail safe mode, kept getting low voltage readings on diagnostics. one bmw dealers kept telling me i needed to rebuild transmission. all they would do is plug the car into the computer and see the tranny reading on the scanner. the reason there was a tranny reading was because the car was in fail safe mode. i eventually had the tranny rebuilt and i still had the same issue. i would cycle the ignition and restart the car and car would drive fine. it keeps going into fail safe mode everytime i start the car. its harder to get it out of fail safe mode in the winter with colder starts | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 118000 | ||
| Ground wire on rear light wiring harness has burnt through damaging plug and socket. potential for fire. | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 15000 | ||
| I bought my 2003 bmw 325i new. shortly after the sale i noticed the front drivers xenon light would go out. the only way to get the light back on, is to turn off the car and restart the engine. this works about 80 percent of the time. another issue i have been experiencing is a false indication that my taillights are out. this is very sporratic and annoying. a third issue i am experiencing is very dangerous relating to my drivers seatbelt. the seatbelt may seam locked, but if you pull with a bit of force, the seatbelt will come out of the locked position. | |||
| 12/30/2010 | 115232 | ||
| Got a warning from police about drivers side brake light being out. took it to repair shop to be repaired. bulb replaced. in less than 12 hours the lights were out again. took it back to repair shop they pulled the light panel out lights came on. i drove off and the inside warning light came on again. i was told by the repair shop that if the light went out again it was an electrical problem and the panel would have to be replaced. | |||
| 08/07/2010 | 33500 | ||
| Our 2003 bmw 325i has had repeated stalling events occurring at increasing frequency. while idling at stop lights or at highway speed warning lights on the dashboard (eml, hazard and brake) light and the engine loses power, and rpm's drop. after the first occurrence, the bmw was taken to advantage midtown bmw in houston, tx for diagnosis/repair. bmw replaced the throttle controller which they said was defective. 1-2 months later the problem began occurring again with increasing frequency. the car stalled at a traffic light with the same warning lights/symptoms. the car was returned to advantage bmw and left for several days. initially the service staff at advantage bmw told us that the computer had failed and needed to be replaced and was under waranty. however, after discussions with the bmw corporate office, advantage bmw did not replace the computer instead stating the that the problem may be due to low voltage in the system. i asked them what would cause this since i did not want to drive the car when it intermittently could stall. advantage kept the car a few more days and then returned it to us with the explanation that the low voltage was due to insufficient charge on the battery. i was advised to purchase a float charger. since then the car has been kept fully charged via a ctek float charger. however last weekend the engine stalled repeatedly while my family and i were driving on interstate 10 at freeway speeds. this forced me to pull to the shoulder of the highway and drive with reduced power. after stopping the car and restarting, the engine reset and functioned again for a while. since this time the problem has repeated itself 5 times in 1 week. i feel that bmw returning the car to me in the condition where intermittent stalling is occurring is unsafe - i stated this to advantage bmw when i had it in for service during the second instance of these problems. i have service scheduled again at advantage bmw for august 14, 2010. | |||
| 05/17/2010 | 99000 | ||
| Faulty pin connectors in rear brakelight assemblies, causing premature failure of brake lighting harness, very dangerous | |||
| 03/22/2010 | 136000 | ||
| 3/26/2010 - olney, md - 2003 325xi right and left rear light assembly system failing at times, (turn signal and brake light works intermittenly). bmw acknowledged ground problem in assemly in tbs:630306, february 1 2007 local dealer in silver spring md, tisher bmw correct the problem only on the right side and completely ignore multipple office visit for the same issue on both sides and refuse to correct problem on the left assembly. at the same time bmw corporate office customer suport refused to offer out of warranty free repair or to initiate recall on previosly acknowledged ground problem. i belive this issue is the safty hazard because the ground red wire is burning in the connector of tail light assembly. also people and other drivers can't see when you braking | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 74000 | 1 | |
| Gm5 locking module for 2003 bmw e46. all four lock would not unlock or lock on the remote or switch inside the car. i had to either wait in the heat or cold outside while waiting for the locking system to respond. if there are children in the car and you cannot get to in time because of the lock/unlock issue, it can be fatal for others. *tr | |||
| 12/23/2009 | 61000 | 1 | |
| Bmw 325i rear blinkers shorted out causing electrical wires to burn. while driving my bmw a warning light on my console turned on indicating the left rear brake/blinker light(s) went out while at the same time i smelled wiring burning. i stopped the car and all my lights seemed ok, so i presumed it was a faulty sensor. a short while later while driving down the freeway i pulled into the left lane and really pissed the driver off behind me and nearly caused an accident. at this moment i noticed my left blinker was making a fast noise as though the left blinker bulb(s) was out. i pulled over a second time to check my blinkers, fearing i would cause an accident, and all my flashers, brake lights and blinkers were working fine. the warning lights on the console went on and off intermittently. i purchased a new bulb hoping this would solve the problem, but everything seemed ok and functional. when i returned from my trip, i was told by two european auto shops and the service manager of a bmw dealership that bmw is aware of a ground problem with the rear light cluster. when i unsnapped the plastic connection from the rear light cluster, the metal prongs and plastic were melted away. the heat apparently was so hot, the solid metal prongs 1/4 long completely melted including the plastic casing. a bmw dealership employee told me that this issue is common when driving in the city when one is using the brakes and blinkers incessantly, particularly in heavy traffic. the grounding wire isn't heavy enough to withstand the demand for electricity required by the brake and blinker lights simultaneously. this is a known bmw defect and this can easily cause an accident, as in my case, not to mention a lot of drivers really pissed off when i cut in front of them thinking my blinkers are working. this is an issue bmw should repair! *tr | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 700000 | 1 | |
| Rear lighting system, to include turn signal and brake light, on my 2003 bmw 325i works intermittently. bmw acknowledged defect in system in si b 63 03 06, dated february 2007 but to date has refused to initiate a recall to fix this safety defect. the nature of the defect causes the lamp housing terminals to burn and burns the surrounding plastic housing. this can be a fire hazard particularly of there is flammable material in the trunk. obviously the brake lights working intermittently is an obvious hazard. the repair costs approx $600 for both sides. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Right rear lighting system, to include turn signal and brake light, on my 2003 bmw 325i works intermittently. bmw acknowledged defect in system in si b 63 03 06, dated february 2007 but to date has refused to initiate a recall to fix this safety defect. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 71000 | 1 | |
| My dashboard panel showed a warning light indicating that the tail light was having an issue. i was told by a service center that the tail light assembly may get hot enough to melt the plastic in the housing and it will have to be replaced. upon inspection i found that the wire harness had melted and the power supply wire for one of the lights had melted the plastic and the wire had come free. once free, it arced to the connector pin on the bulb holder assembly and degraded that pin until the connection was lost. all plastic pieces in contact with the parts are melted and burned. i contacted the bmw service center and was told that this is not a recall issue and i was responsible for replacing these parts. pictures are available of the parts. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| Brake light malfunction due to corrosion of wires within the housing of the brake light. bmw corporate is aware of the problem, but has yet to recall it. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Ltr fm (ma) concerned about the stalling tendences in model years 2001-2004 bmw 325i and 323i passenger cars. *ts the stalling problem was eleminated by installing an update released about july 2004 by bmw ag headquarters in munich. an independent repair facility downloaded the update from the bmw-siemens website in the u.k. and installed it in the consumer's bmw. since the software has been updated the vehicle has only stalled twice since updated, once when in the wrong gear, and once when the emergency brake was set. *nm | |||
| 09/08/2003 | 1 | 09/08/2003 | |
| 2003 bmw 325i stalls frequently because of instability. *kb the vehicle stalled about seven times after being driven off the lot on the date if purchase. from dec 2003 to june 2005 the vehicle had only been drive 11,000 because the dealer was unable to alleviate the stalling condition. the dealer believed the stalling was due to driver error. the consumer believes the stalling is due to instability and that this problem could be easy fixed by updating software. an independent repair facility downloaded the update from the bmw-siemens website in the u.k. and installed it. since the software has been updated the vehicle has only stalled twice since updated, once when in the wrong gear, and once when the emergency brake was set. *nm | |||
| 12/01/2005 | 13000 | 15 | 08/17/2003 |
| The engine has been stalling intermittently while driving since 11/2004, and has had 6 documented services. after last service on 11/18/05, it stalled again on 12/01/05 when driving on freeway. i had not driven it since then and had it towed and returned to the dealer on 12/10/05. *jb | |||
| 06/04/2003 | 11 | 04/27/2003 | |
| Bmw 325i purchased new in april 2003. after a couple of weeks i started to experience problems. my car would jerk very hard when approaching to a stop. my car started to stall out while driving or sometimes it did not even start. in june 2003 a little over a month after i initially purchase it, i took it to the dealer. they could not duplicate the same problem and it did not register any faults in the computer. a month later took it back for the same problem and they could not duplicate problem. another month passd took it back for the same problem and this time they were able to find out what caused the jerking problem. bmw tech said that they needed to upgrade the computer software which they did and the jerking stopped. but the most important problem that has not been fixed is my car stalling. since purchased date my car has been in the shop several times now and my car continues to die out on me. sometimes the car would not even start, i had to tow it back to the dealer once. summarize current problems: randomly does not want to start and sometimes my doors does not unlock when using the key remote. *ak | |||
| 03/14/2004 | 7900 | 1 | 11/30/2002 |
| I have a bmw 325i which i purchased brand new in nov. '02. in march '03, while driving on the njtpk at 60-65mph in the left lane, the car suddenly lost its acceleration. the clocks also went off and then reset itself to 12:00. being that i was driving in the left lane of the nj turnpike, i consider myself very lucky that i was able to cross four lanes of traffic and come to the right shoulder (there was no left shoulder). i waited for a while, restarted the car, reset the clock and hit the road again. shortly after that the electrical system in the car starting acting up... at one occasion, i was not able to unlock the car using the remote. at another, the windows would not roll up upon pulling on the knob. the light below the rear view mirror would not come on. most of these problems would go away after i would shut down the car and restart it. i took the car into princeton bmw where i had purchased it. they had never heard of this issue before. they kept the car for a full day and did extensive testing on it. at the end of the day they were not able to find anything wrong with the car. for the next few months i did not have any problems with the acceleration although the light behind the rear view mirror still does not work fine. if i turn the right light on, nothing happens for about 5-10 minutes. then all of a sudden the light comes on. well, this past weakened (march 14th '04) i had an another experience, on rt. 1, where the car totally lost its acceleration again. i am going to schedule an appointment with princeton bmw again. i also called bmw of na and informed them of the issue. *nm | |||
| 02/04/2004 | 4 | ||
| When driving at an undetermined speed trunk would open without warning. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection, and mechanic determined that vehicle had an electrical problem. *ak | |||
| 06/13/2003 | 1143 | 2 | 05/23/2003 |
| The computer first failed on my 2003 bmw 325i on june 15, 2003, (three weeks after i picked it up from the dealership, bmw of manhattan), causing me to lose acceleration without warning. i was travelling at 60-65 miles per hour in the far left lane of the garden state parkway. i was barely able to manuever the car to the shoulder of the road and i was lucky that there happened to be a very small shoulder on the left side of the road, as i would have never been able to make it to the shoulder on the right hand side of the road and traffic was very heavy. this sudden loss of acceleration could have easily caused a fatal accident; particularly, because the cars behind me had no way to detect that my car was only coasting. the nj state troopers had to shut down northbound traffic in all 4 lanes of the garden state parkway in order to remove my car from the parkway. the car was towed to the dealership.the dealership was unable to successfully reprogram the computer, so they sent it to montvale, nj to be reprogrammed. the dealership returned the car to me on june 20, 2003. on june 25, 2003, the computer failed again, causing the car to lose acceleration without warning. this time, i was exiting a parking garage and another car nearly slammed into me on the exit ramp. when i restarted the car, i was able to reach the top of the ramp and pull to the side of the road, (not an easy task during rush hour in midtown manhattan!), but the car lurched repeatedly and was unable to go more than 5 mph. the car was towed to the dealership.bmw of manhattan has been unresponsive to my telephone calls. the car clearly has a very serious defect, which could easily cause fatalities.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 09/10/2007 | 37763 | 1 | 10/31/2003 |
| Four times since i buy a 2003 bmw 325i , i have to get the auto to guarantee service for replacement of the struct front bushing, now , after replace them at 32,000 miles about four month ago, my car at 37,000 miles request a new bushings. they said me that bmw was no longer replace them by guarantee because of the road conditions in puerto rico. when i buy the car i paid for a guarantee and i think that is impossible that a car like this , the ultimate drive machine require every four month to replace that parts. they should install a good reinforced genuine parts and not a remanufactured. i always try to avoid the holes, but i ask when it's raining it start a red light that indicated please avoid this hole . *tr the dealer stated replaced lens and cover disc for both headlights, noises coming from both rear shock absorbers, replacing alternator drive belt tensioner, tensioner and pulleys, and removing and installing left or right rubber strip. updated 10/24/07 *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 02/23/2004 | 1 | 10/30/2003 | |
| 2003 bmw 325i 4 door owned by me for 3 1/2 months destroyed in fire. bmw had sent letter to me regarding manufacturing problem & to bring into dealership for correction. prior to problem, i did have have slow starting/cranking problems. car brought into dealership on 2/21/04. on 2/23/04, driving fire started in right rear area of my trunk, near battery. car totalled by insurance company.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 04/03/2006 | 1 | 01/14/2005 | |
| I was driving through an intersection at approximately 15 mph when i was struck in the driver and passenger doors by a vehicle who was running a red light. the other driver did not see me and struck me at full speed, probably around 45 mph. my vehicle was hit so hard that it spun around and slid about half a block. none of the airbags, including the side impact airbags, deployed, and the engine did not shut off. the car was deemed a total loss by my insurance company. *jb | |||
| 02/21/2005 | 30000 | 3 | 01/26/2003 |
| I've had this car for only 2 years and the ignition coils have been replaced three times now. the events include the service engine soon light coming on and the car vibrating and idling rough. the car eventually stalls and cannot be driven and must be towed. bmw is aware of this problem with the ignition coils because they have an internal service bulletin on the problem. even after replacing all 6 coils the second time, the problem has happened again for the third time. there is a definite design issue with this car that bmw has refused to address.*ak | |||
| 02/04/2004 | 3000 | 6 | 10/24/2002 |
| Intermittent severe engine miss. engine hesitation/failure to accelerate. engine surges and has very rough idle. transmission failure to up shift (maximum speed is approximately 50 mph). service engine soon light illuminates, but not always (intermittent). with less than 9,000 miles this car has been towed in three times for this and other failures which have left the car undriveable. bmw dealership service personnel have replaced many parts, without success, as far as we know (more later). these engine events can occur spontaneously, and are not always indicated by a service engine soon light illumination. the most dangerous situations are when it occurs as one comes to a stop before entering high speed traffic or when making a left turn. because the problem can occur spontaneously, if the engine were to stall or begin to run on less than its full complement of cylinders, it could leave one exposed to oncoming traffic with no way to accelerate. very dangerous. internet seaching after the latest repair attempt has exposed a secret bmw bulletin regarding bremi ignition coils. (apparently, this is the same coil brand used in the vw/audi cars with similar problems two years ago.) all six ignition coils, spark plugs, and a host of other parts have been replaced thus far. unknown if these attempts were successful as this car is no longer being driven--it's fate awaits a possible law suit against bmw. i strongly urge the nhtsa to recall every bmw with these coils, in addition to addressing bmw's efforts to not publicize this information more readily. please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions. mark peters pylt@comcast.net | |||
| 12/01/2003 | 8000 | 1 | 05/31/2003 |
| I purchased a new 2003 bmw 325 in july, 2003 from performance bmw in chapel hill, nc. the ignition coil had to be replaced today on the #2 cylinder. the vehicle currently has 8,000 miles on it. i was told by mel, the service tech at performance bmw in chapel hill, nc, that bmw has had problems with the ignition coils on the 2003 and 2004 models and that because of these problems bmw has switched vendors for these ignition coils and no longer uses the vendor that supplied the parts for my car. since there a 6 ignition coils in my car, that means that at any point in time any one of the other 5 ignition coils could fail and leave me stranded as happened today. i asked the dealer to replace all the igniton coils in my car that were supplied by this vendor seeing as i am a female who travels frequenctly for business through rural areas where it would be easy for me to be stranded. the dealer refused saying that the other coils have not yet failed so they cannot replace them. it appears to me that this is a known quality and safety issue with this product, for which bmw is unwilling to stand behind it's product.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 06/26/2007 | 57200 | 1 | 02/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325i. the contact stated that the wiring harness for both tail lights have shortened out and melted. she is concerned that this failure could cause her vehicle to catch fire. the dealer stated that this is a common failure among the 2001-2003 models. the current and failure mileages were 57,200. | |||