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2004 BMW 3 SERIES Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects

Issue ID	966263
Internal NHTSA #	10499888
Manufacurer	BMW of North America, LLC
Brand	BMW
Model	3 SERIES
Model Year	2004
File date	01/06/11
Component	EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Product type code	VEHICLE
Description of the problem	I own a 2004 bmw 3 series sedan with optional bi-xenon headlights. About 10,000 miles into my purchase (or 57,000) i began to notice my headlight output deteriorating significantly. My girlfriend owns a 2004 bmw 3 series coupe/convertible also with the optional bi-zenon and 60,000 miles. I compared our vehicles headlights side by side. My bi-xenon headlights in both low and high beam form were significantly dimmer and had a yellow tint when compared to her bi-xenon headlights. This is a common issue on bmw 3 series sedans with the optional bi-xenon headlamps. The problem is that the bi-xenon reflector housing bowl in bmw e46 3 series sedans is made from a different manufacturer than the coupes and convertibles. The headlights in my vehicle are made and classified under the title (zkw). The coupes and convertibles are made and classified under the name (al). The difference is that oem zkw headlights reflector housing bowls are made from a type of plastic. While the oem al headlights are made out of metal. The metal housing in al style headlights in coupes and convertibles are able to stand up to the heat of the xenon bulb, the plastic housings in my sedan are not. Due to this it literally gets too hot and burns the plastic reflective housing to a brown crisp, which is not a reflective surface and deteriorated my headlight output to an extremely unsafe level. The output level has dimmed so that when there is any oncoming traffic my lights get drowned out and i must put on my fog lamps to maintain any type of visibility. The output level is below any halogen lamp i have seen. This is extremely unsafe at any speed and is a known issue on all bi-xenon equipped bmw e46 3 series sedans. Bmw is aware of this issue and has done nothing to address this design flaw, which compromises the safety of myself and others. Pictures of the issue are available upon request. Thank you.
Vehicle Mileage at Failure	57000
Number of Occurences	1
Source of the issue	NHTSA WEB SITE
City and State	LAS VEGAS, NV
VIN pattern	WBAAZ334X4KXXXXXX
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	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	6
Drive train type
Transmission type
Vehicle speed	65
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:

1C4RDHDG8FC902548 RKRSA47A2DA011165 2GTEK638181291225 JAANPR75LF7100975 1V2HN2CA1TC533254 3GCUYDET3MG287405 3FADP4AJ3EM148646 5N1DL0MN8LC509475 WAUENAF40LA040517 ZARFAEEN6H7548117 JS3TX92V754102418 JMFFG637C0KJ40126

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2004 BMW 3 SERIES Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects, Recalls and Failures

2004 BMW 3 SERIES Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects

What is Recall?

What is Failure?

What is Defect?