26 of the
198 complaints filed about the BMW 545I
are about the electrical system —
13% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2005.
The wiring inside of the headlights has dried up and fallen off, leaving bare electrical wire. The resulting was both of the headlights became non operational at night. To replace the headlights in the car with all the factory features is about 3200.00 for parts alone. I know of others who have had this happen, and everyone i know who owns one, has the same exact problem. The vehicle in question barely has 125,000 miles on it. I feel the manufacturer should repair these vehicles at no cost to the owners.
NHTSA complaint #11442056 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At approxamitately 1:20pm on July 13, after being parked for a little over an hour I was told that my car was burning. 911 was called immediately and the owner of the establishment went outside and called to the firemen at the station on the other side of the street. Their response was immediate. Response was so quick that damage was limited to the right rear. Which seems that the fire started in the area directly foreward and above the battery
NHTSA complaint #11424889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING TO WORK DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR IN A BUSY HIGHWAY THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING. NO ODD SOUNDS NO SHUTTING NO CLUNKING. IT WAS LIKE SOME JUST TURNED THE KEY OFF. I MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND HAD TO WAIT TWO HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK TO SHOW UP. MOST OF THE WEEK PREVIOUS TO THIS MY CAR WOULD NOT START AT RANDOM TIMES EVEN THOUGH MY BATTERY WAS GOOD AND I HAD GAS. THE PROBLEM WAS THE DME HAD WATER INGRESS FROM A POOR LOCATION WHERE THE DME AND METRONIC COMPUTER AND THE INTERGRADED POWER MODULE ARE LOCATED AND STORED. THEY ARE IN A SEALED PLASTIC BOX UNDER THE CABIN FRESH AIR INLETS AND CABIN FILTERS AND THE FRONT HOOD COWL. I'M THE BOX THERE IS A FAN AT THE BOTTOM TO EXPELL MOISTER. IF THE INTERGTATED POWER MODULE STARTS TO GO THEN THE FAN STOPS WORKING OR THE FAN IT SELF GOES BAD. AT THAT POINT THERE IS ALMOST ALWAYS WATER INGRESS INTO THE DME AND OR THE METRONIC COMPUTER CAUSING THE CAR TO NOT TO RUN OR EVEN CRANK AND WITH WATER CORROSION ON THE THE DME IT CAUSES PHANTOM PROBLEMS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CAR. THE DME IS ALSO NOT EASILY REPLACED. THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE TO ORDER A NEW DME AND ALIGN IT WITH THE BE CAS MODULE FOR THE IMMOBILIZER TO WORK CORRECTLY AND FOR YOUR CAR TO START. THIS USALLY COST IN EXCESS OF $2,000 JUST FOR THE NEW DME. THE WORST PART OF THIS WHOLE THING IS I LOST MY JOB BECAUSE I WAS 4 HOURS LATE TO WORK AFTER WAITING FOR THE TOW AND GETTING A RIDE TO WORK
NHTSA complaint #11354824 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL WIRING IN HEADLIGHTS ARE DISINTEGRATING. THE SHIELDING IS DRY ROTTING AND FLAKING OFF NEARLY EVERY WIRE IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS CAUSING THEM TO MALFUNCTION DURING DRIVING. LIGHTS WILL CUT OFF RANDOMLY. I'D IMAGINE THE WIRES ARE SHORTING OUT.
NHTSA complaint #11282786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BARE WIRES INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING, THESE ARE HID LIGHTS MADE BY HELLA FOR BMW THEY ARE OEM. WHEN CONTACTING BMWNA THEY SAY THAT'S NOT HOW THEY MAKE THERE LIGHTS AND BLAME HEAT AND THE CAR NOT BEING MAINTAINED AT A BMW DEALERSHIP, WELL THE REST OF THE WIRING ON THE CAR IS JUST FINE EVEN THE WIRES THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH A HIGH HEAT PRODUCING ENGINE... IT'S THE SAME EXACT ISSUE MERCEDES BENZ HAD ON THE W202 CHASSIS, WIRES THAT WOULD DEGRADE AT AN EXTREMELY FAST RATE. BUT FOR HEADLIGHTS THAT COST WELL OVER $1000 EACH. BUT MY QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FAMILY IS OUT AT NIGHT AND THERE HEADLIGHTS MALFUNCTION BECAUSE OF SOMETHING BMW KNOWS ABOUT BUT REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND SAID FAMILY HAS A WRECK AND KILLS MULTIPLE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF A KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS IS MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT GETTING SOMETHING DONE THE FIRST WAS CONTACTING BMWNA WHICH EQUALED TO INSULTING SOMEONE'S KNOWLEDGE OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. ALSO THE HEADLIGHTS NO LONGER ADJUST, THE ANGEL EYES NO LONGER WORK BULBS BLOW AS SOON AS THEY ARE REPLACED AND CONSTANT WARNINGS THAT PARKING LIGHTS HAVE A MALFUNCTION. TELLING SOMEONE HEAT IS THE CAUSE MAKES AN AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY KINDA LOOK IGNORANT ESPECIALLY WHEN WIRES TOUCHING AN ENGINE ARE NOT EFFECTED BY HEAT AT ALL AND ARE STILL 100% FLEXIBLE AND HAVE NOT LOST ANY OF THE INSULATION. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE WIRES HAVE LIQUID ELECTRICAL TAPE USED, SHOULD ANY VEHICLE WITH 119XXX MILES HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE?
NHTSA complaint #11174913 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
GOOD EVENING ALL, SINCE 2011 I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE I DRIVE SYSTEM. JUST RECENTLY, THE SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH BMW OF ONTARIO, THEY DECLINED TO COVER THE VEHICLE'S I DRIVE COMPUTER MODULE. FINALLY, THE COMPUTER STOPPED WORKING AND I COULD NOT SEE MY COMPUTER DISPLAY OR LISTEN TO MUSIC. I COULD NOT RE-SET THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE TIRES. I DROVE THE VEHICLE THAT WAY FOR MONTHS. FINALLY, I WENT TO THE JUNK YARD AND FOUND A VEHICLE SIMILAR TO MINE AND REPLACED IT. EVEN THOUGH I REPLACED THE COMPUTER, I WAS NOT ABLE TO GAIN CERTAIN FUNCTIONS ON MY VEHICLE THAT CAME STANDARD WITH THAT PARTICULAR VEHICLE SUCH AS THE SATELLITE RADIO OR SPEAK TO CALL FUNCTION. I'M PRETTY SURE MANY VEHICLE OWNERS CAN RELATE TO THIS ISSUE AND THE DIFFICULTY IT HAS CREATED TO TRY AND MITIGATE WITH THE DEALER. TAKE CARE,
NHTSA complaint #11115784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
GOOD EVENING SIR, I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE MY VEHICLE HAD BARE WIRES ON THE HEADLIGHT. THE HOT WIRE AND GROUND WIRES WERE TOUCHING. I DID NOT HAVE THE HEADLIGHT WORKING. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRES OF THE VEHICLE PEELING OFF AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME.
NHTSA complaint #11115782 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY I DRIVE OR CCC HAS MALFUNCTIONED. AT FIRST THE SCREEN WOULD TURN ON AND OFF OR FREEZE UP. FINALLY THE SCREEN WENT BLANK. THIS UNIT PROVIDE THE SAFETY INFORMATION OF THE VEHICLE. THIS UNIT ALSO PROVIDES THE COMMUNICATIONS SUCH AS BLUETOOTH AND HANDS FREE FUNCTIONS. THIS UNIT ALSO PROVIDES ALL THE SERVICE INFORMATION/ BASICALLY IT LIKE DRIVING A VEHICLE WITH OUT A BRAIN. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH OTHER BMW OWNER.
NHTSA complaint #11018755 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. WHILE THE SEAT HEATER WAS ACTIVATED, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT BECAME EXTREMELY HOT. SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE SEAT AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE SEAT HEATER WAS TURNED OFF AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HABBERSTAD BMW NEW AND PRE-OWNED (945 E JERICHO TURNPIKE, HUNTINGTON STATION, NY 11746 (800) 997-9313) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAULTY HEATER WIRING, THE SEAT, AND THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED NOT TO ACTIVATE THE SEAT HEATER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000. UPDATED 08/30/17*LJ
NHTSA complaint #11011375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVE MODERATELY KEEPS POPPING UP AN SERVICE ENGINE AFTER GETTING BMW TO CHECK IT AN FIX IT ALSO IT WON'T CRANK SOMETIMES BUT THE BATTERY AN ALTERNATOR IS BRAND NEW BUT AFTER IT SIT FOR HOURS IT FINALLY CRANK UP, MAYBE IT'S AN SECURITY ISSUE BUT IT'S UNNECESSARY
NHTSA complaint #10895079 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WIRE "JACKET" IS BRITTLE AND FLAKING OFF, CAUSING MALFUNCTIONS IN PARKING LAMP "HALO" DUE TO EXPOSED COPPER WIRES. ALSO, HIGH-BEAM HALOGEN LIGHT WIRING HAS EXPOSED COPPER WIRING. WIRES GET HOT TO THE TOUCH AND CAUSE A "PASSENGER PARKING LAMP MALFUNCTION" TO APPEAR INSIDE THE CAR. PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE IT IS A FIRE HAZARD TO SAY THE LEAST. MANY ONLINE FORUM MEMBERS HAVE EXPRESSED THE SAME ISSUE. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT BOTH THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY MANUFACTURER, HELLA, AS WELL AS THE CAR MANUFACTURER, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA; BOTH COMPANIES DID NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. PROBLEM EXPANDS OVER MANY MODELS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. I HAVE EVEN HEARD OF HEADLAMPS CATCHING FIRE, CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. EVEN IF THE CONSUMER DECIDED TO PURCHASE A NEW HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR ~$1,500, THE WIRING WILL LIKELY STILL CAUSE THE SAME ISSUE A FEW YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. THE HEADLAMP BULBS ARE HIGH VOLTAGE XENON GAS BULBS THAT HAVE OVER 20K VOLTS FEEDING THEM. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!
NHTSA complaint #10808948 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2004 BMW 545I. ON THE SECOND TIME HAVING A PASSENGER IN THE CAR, WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, I WAS ALERTED BY A CHIME AND MESSAGE THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG / SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM HAD FAILED. ALSO NOTICED WAS THAT WHEN TURNING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER, THE SEAT GOT VERY HOT IN ONE PARTICULAR SPOT- ON THE LEFT SIDE NEAR MY HIP (HOT ENOUGH THAT I RECEIVED A MINOR BURN ON MY LEG THROUGH A PAIR OF JEANS). I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AS I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THERE WERE RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS FOR THE SAME REASONS, AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS FOR EITHER ISSUE ON MY MODEL. THE REPRESENTATIVE SIMPLY EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT FIXING THE ISSUES WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE. I BELIEVE THAT THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS DEFECTS THAT COULD AFFECT MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGERS.
NHTSA complaint #10663024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ODOMETER WAS ROLLED BACK TO 89,151. HTTP://SFBAY.CRAIGSLIST.ORG/SBY/CTO/4622086070.HTML SELLER'S AD: I HAVE THIS BM. IN GREAT SHAPE AND SUPER CLEAN IN AND OUT V8 89300 MILES ALL,POWER IN SIDE NAVIGATION ,CD STEREO SUNROOF LEATHER SEATS MORE INFO PLEASE CALL ME OR EMAIL ME THANKS. SE HABLA SPANOL[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #10626504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MAIN PROBLEM: VEHICLE EXHIBITS HIGHLY UNSAFE TENDENCIES OF TURNING OFF RANDOMLY, LEAVING THE DRIVER WITH NO POWER, NO FUNCTIONING GAUGES, NO FUNCTIONING LIGHTS, AND MORE. CAUSE: FAULTY ALTERNATOR AND VOLTAGE REGULATOR. SCENARIO: ON 12/21/2012, A 2004 BMW 545I VEHICLE WITH APPROXIMATELY 29,000 MILES ON ITS ODOMETER IS TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY DRIVING 70MPH, HIGHWAY IS FLAT AND SPEED IS CONSTANT WITH VERY LIGHT TRAFFIC. WITHOUT WARNING, CAR COMPLETELY TURNS OFF, ALL GAUGES (SPEED, TACHOMETER, AND FUEL) REVERT TO "0" POSITION, RADIO TURNS OFF, LIGHTS TURN OFF, CAR IMMEDIATELY SLOWS AND HAS NO PROPULSION POWER NOR SPEED CONTROL AT ALL. BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED, STEERING REVERTED TO A VERY FIRM FEELING. ABOUT 10 SECONDS OF COASTING LATER, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRONICS RESUME OPERATION. MULTIPLE INCIDENTS WERE TO OCCUR BETWEEN 12/21/2012 AND 1/29/2013 TO VARYING DEGREES OF SEVERITY. ON 1/29/2013, THE VEHICLE FAILED IN A SIMILAR CAPACITY THREE TIMES ON A 21 MILE JOURNEY. ON 1/30/2013, VEHICLE FAILED TWICE. ON 1/31/2013, THE BMW 545I VEHICLE IS AT AN AUTHORIZED BMW DEALER. IT IS DETERMINED THE ALTERNATOR AND VOLTAGE REGULATOR ARE DEFECTIVE. ELECTRICAL POWER WAS NOT CONSISTENTLY BEING GENERATED NOR ALLOCATED TO VITAL VEHICLE COMPUTERS. THESE INTERRUPTIONS IN POWER SUPPLIES, WHICH LAST APPROXIMATELY 7-10 SECONDS, ARE REFERRED TO AS BROWN-OUTS AND THEY VARY IN DEGREE OF SEVERITY. THE MAJOR CASES INCAPACITATED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, SHUTTING DOWN ALL GAUGES, LIGHTS, AND CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEMS. ON 2/1/2013, THE BMW 545I WAS DELIVERED BACK TO THE OWNER WITH THE ALTERNATOR AND VOLTAGE REGULATOR REPLACED. THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR WAS ONLY 33,426. NOTE: BMW DEALER NOTED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON MANY OF THE 5-SERIES MODELS IN THE 2004 AND UP YEAR RANGE.
NHTSA complaint #10556154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CUSTOM ORDERED 545I IN 2004 AS STILL ORIGINAL/EXISTING OWNER. HAVE HAD REPEATED ELECTRICAL ERRORS ON I DRIVE "DYNAMIC DRIVE FAILURE PROCEED WITH CAUTION AS THE STEERING HAS BEEN EFFECTED AND SEE YOUR BMW AUTHORIZED REP," "ELECTRICAL FAILURE SEE YOUR BMW AUTHORIZED REP. IMMEDIATELY PROCEED WITH CAUTION, "PASSENGER RESTRAINT FAULT PROCEED WITH CAUTION EFFECTING BELT AND BELT FORCE LIMITER, STALLING AT VERY LOW AND AS HIGH RATES OF SPEED AS HIGH AS 70 MPH WITHOUT ANY WARNING." SOMETIMES THE CAR LOGS THE ERRORS AND MANY TIMES IT DOESN'T FULLY THAT IT TAKES BMW NA'S COMPUTER TO ACCESS THE EXTENDED RAM IN THE CAR TO RETRIEVE PER BMW NA THAT THE DEALERSHIPS CAN'T. I EVEN HAVE PICTURES OF THE ERRORS THE CAR DOESN'T LOG SO THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. BMW ENGINEERS IN GERMANY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED AS THE CAR REFUSED TO REPROGRAM TWICE FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THIS CAR IS COMPLIANT W/ALL RECALLS PER THE DEALER AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 16 TIMES W/ONLY 70K MILES. THE DEALER AND BMW NA CAN'T DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS EXCEPT TO SAY THEY THINK THEY'RE BEING TRIGGERED BY LOW VOLTAGE AND ITS HAD 3 BATTERIES AT LESS THAN 70K MILES, ISN'T DRIVEN MUCH, AND BMW NA NOR THE DEALERSHIP CAN PERMANENTLY RESOLVE THE ERRORS AND STALLING AND/OR STOP THEM. BMW NA AND THE DEALERSHIP HAVE REPLACED THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS AT 13K MILES, HAVE REFUSED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AFTER QUALIFYING AS A LEMON UNDER THE LEMON LAW SINCE BEFORE 10K MILES AND BEEN GIVEN MULTIPLE EXCUSES FOR ALL OF THE ERRORS THEY CAN'T RESOLVE. THEY KEEP TELLING US TO BRING IT BACK EVERY TIME, BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT $6K TO CONTINUALLY SERVICE ELECTRICAL AND STALLING/RUNNING ROUGH ISSUES THEY CAN'T FIX UNDER ORIGINAL FACTORY WARRANTY. THEY'RE NOT REPORTING SERVICE TRIPS TO CARFAX AND REFUSE TO RELEASE DOCUMENTATION ON THE CAR REGARDING THE PROBLEMS TO US OR OUR ATTORNEYS.
NHTSA complaint #10542730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I TURNED MY CAR ON AND IT IMMEDIATELY WARNED ME THAT MY LEFT READ BRAKE LAMP WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. TO BE SPECIFIC, THERE WERE FOUR WARNING LIGHTS ON: ONE FOR THE REVERSE LIGHTS, ONE FOR THE BRAKE LAMP, AND TWO OTHER ONES. ALL FOR THE LEFT LIGHT. I OPENED IT UP AND IMMEDIATELY OBSERVED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS PLUG WHERE THE WIRING MEETS THE BULB HOLDER HAD SHORTED AT THE GROUND WIRE. THE TWO PIECES WERE MELTED TOGETHER, SUGGESTING THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A SMALL FIRE. BITS OF MELTED PLASTIC FELL ALL OVER THE PLACE WHEN I MANAGED TO FINALLY PULL OUT THE PLUG.
NHTSA complaint #10541958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY CAR HAVE AN OVERHEATED CABLE CONNECTION AND IS CAUSING INCREASED ELECTRIC RESISTANCE, WHICH IS A RECALL AND ALSO THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND BMW REFUSE TO FIX THE ISSUES.. THEY SAY MY VIN WASN'T ONE OF THE CAR THAT'S IN THEIR DATABASE FOR THE RECALLS........
NHTSA complaint #10515172 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SLIPS IN AN OUT OF 5TH AND 6TH GEAR WHEN TRAVELING AT CONSTANT 35 TO 40 MPH IN AUTO MODE AND AROUND 60 MPH IN DS MODE. NOTICEABLE OIL LEAKS AS WELL AS OCCASIONAL SMOKE FROM TAILPIPE AND VEHICLE BANGS INTO GEAR ( WHILE DOWNSHIFTING ON OCCASION) ALSO NOTICED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SEEMS TO CUT OUT FOR A SPLIT SECOND WHILE DRIVING. HEADS UP DISPLAY AND RADIO ILLUSTRATES THIS FINDING AS THEY SHUT OFF FOR A SECOND. THE CLOCK IS ALSO BEHIND A FEW MINUTES / WEEK BECAUSE OF THIS.
NHTSA complaint #10511606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY STIFF AND THE POWER STEERING DEACTIVATED WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, ALL OF THE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED AND AN ELECTRONIC MALFUNCTION WARNING MESSAGE SHOWED UP BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE 120,000.
NHTSA complaint #10510213 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.