This is an online automotive information provider of a detailed information on complaints, defects and recalls for BMW 3 SERIES 2004 electrical system. Our users can find data on mass market car models from most popular brands. The service allows to compare and analyze statistics for reported problems, complaints, recalls for various manufacturers. We hope our site will help with selecting of a reliable and safe car. By using this tool, you will be able to get records with description of safety issues for vehicles, equipment, tires and child restraints. These issues include safety recalls for your BMW 3 SERIES 2004 electrical system and complaints other owners have filed.

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2004 BMW 3 SERIES Electrical System Problems, Complaints and Defects

Issue ID	1126726
Internal NHTSA #	10651507
Manufacurer	BMW of North America, LLC
Brand	BMW
Model	3 SERIES
Model Year	2004
File date	21/10/14
Component	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Product type code	VEHICLE
Description of the problem	Wire loosing coating on inside of adaptive headlights, causing shorts or broken wires where the headlights and or turn signals will fail to work. Wire is very brittle as this is also roughly 20 gauge wire. This can be an extreme hazard especially at night. This seems to be affecting bmw's 3/5/6/ series from at least 2004 to 2008 from my independent research. Many pictures and complaints on various bmw forums to document this problem. My problem occurred when i lost one headlight on my way home in the dark and an indicator came on to identify a fault in the headlight. Originally i though it was a bulb, changed bulb and it still did not work. Further investigation led to a broken wire inside of the headlight assembly. I fixed the broken wire and then noticed two more wires where the coating on the wire seem to have flaked off causing bare wire. I also fixed those wires and all was well. A day or two later, the indicator came on again pointing to the same headlight. This time the turn signal was out. I opened the access panel to check the wiring and now a forth wire has been severed, however i can not fix it as it is down pretty far inside the headlight and to repair would require removing the headlight and taking it apart. Apparently bmw used biodegradable wire for the headlights?? Source of the headlight is believed to be hella. Supposedly bmw knows about the issue but unwilling to fix unless you purchase a $800-1500 new headlight. This is crazy for a car that is 10 years old and well maintained. This is a safety hazard as you will can loose a headlight in the dark and maybe both headlights going out, plus the fact of bare wires that can short and cause a fire.
Vehicle Mileage at Failure	156000
Number of Occurences	1
Source of the issue	NHTSA WEB SITE
City and State	GLENDALE, AZ
VIN pattern	WBABW534X4PXXXXXX
Was vehicle invloved in a crash?	N
Was vehicle involved in a fire?	N
Was incedent reported to police?	N
Was medical attention required?	N
Was part original equipment?
No. of injured persons	0
No. of fatalities	0
Date of purchase	06/08/26
Was original owner?	N
Anti-lock brakes	N
Cruise control	N
Number of cylinders
Drive train type
Transmission type
Vehicle speed	0
DoT tire identifier
Tire size
Location of tire code
Type of tire failure code
Was defective tire repaired?
Date of manufacture
Type of child seat code
Type of restraint
Dealer's name
Dealer's telephone number
Dealer's city
Dealer's state code
Dealer's ZIP code

What is Recall?
A recall is when a product is removed from the market or a correction is made to the product because it is either defective or potentially harmful.
What is Failure?
Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering.
What is Defect?
Non-conformance of a car component with the specified requirements, or non-fulfillment of user expectations, including the safety aspects.

Last decoded VIN:

WAUENAF40LA040517 ZARFAEEN6H7548117 JAANPR75LF7100975 JS3TX92V754102418 JMFFG637C0KJ40126 1FT7W2BT5HEF13498 KNAGM4AD4D5054192 SALCA2BN0JH770273 3VVRX7B22NM005796 55SWF4JB2JU268405 5NPDH4AE0BH024543 3GNAXUEV3LS655933

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2004 BMW 3 SERIES Electrical System Problems, Complaints and Defects, Recalls and Failures

2004 BMW 3 SERIES Electrical System Problems, Complaints and Defects

What is Recall?

What is Failure?

What is Defect?