| Issue ID | 717677 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10263103 |
| Manufacurer | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| Brand | BMW |
| Model | 3 SERIES |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 25/03/09 |
| Component | EXTERIOR LIGHTING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | 1. Over the lifetime of the vehicle the xenon bulbs are hot enough to burn the plastic reflector that shines the light on the road. As this reflector bowl burns inside the headlight assemble light output is severely diminished by at least 60-70% this posed a major safety issue to myself and others. 2. The headlights made by zkw were installed on bmw sedan's model years 2003-2004 only. It is a constant occurrence and is very dangerous. I cannot see the road in front of me without my fog lights. 3. I was forced to purchase two new headlight assemblies that were priced at $1,000 per side. There is no alternative which is very troublesome for thousands of owners of this model year car. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | WAYNE, NJ |
| VIN pattern | XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| 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 | |
| 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 |