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2004 BMW 330I Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects

Issue ID	893977
Internal NHTSA #	10437377
Manufacurer	BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Brand	BMW
Model	330I
Model Year	2004
File date	17/11/11
Component	EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Product type code	VEHICLE
Description of the problem	2003 and 2004 3 series models with xenon headlamps manufactured by zkw have a defect in which the heat from the xenon headlight bulbs are melting the plastic projectors or reflector bowls. This causes a drastic reduction in projected light. The first sign of the problem is discoloration of the chrome coated plastic reflector bowl. Eventually the reflector bowls show signs of melting. It seems the cause is likely a combination of the xenon bulbs being too close to the plastic reflectors and or the plastic's heat resistance is not high enough. In 2005 bmw had picked a new manufacturer for xenon headlamps that have an aluminum reflector bowl. However bmw will not admit that the zkw brand headlamps have a defect. The only solution bmw has offered is to have the headlamps replaced for $2400 with the same zkw seemingly defective lamps. This is not a solution as it doesn't solve the problem and is only a temporary and expensive fix in my opinion. Even the high beam mode is not bright enough to safely drive at night. There are also halogen lamps that act as running lights during the day and are intermittent flashers. In order to see while driving at night, i have had to hold down the flasher stick on the left side of the steering wheel in order to keep the halogen flashers on. It is tempting to re-wire the halogen lamps to the high beam switch so i do not have to hold the stick the entire time i am driving. Even though the halogens are not intended to be driving lights, it is much safer in my opinion to use them as a substitute even though it is dangerous to on-coming traffic due to the brightness and projection angle of the halogen lights. It is ridiculous to me that i would have to go to these lengths just to have safe driving lights. I think bmw should offer a re-call for these xenon headlights and supply a new part that is not defective as the zkw lights seem to be.
Vehicle Mileage at Failure
Number of Occurences	1
Source of the issue	NHTSA WEB SITE
City and State	UVALDE, TX
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	0
No. of fatalities	0
Date of purchase	07/08/26
Was original owner?	N
Anti-lock brakes	N
Cruise control	N
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Date of manufacture
Type of child seat code
Type of restraint
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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:

1YVHZ8CH0A5M07081 WP0ZZZ99Z1S695124 WDD2050402R220127 2T2ZK1BA8AC022392 SUF126AD037301725 WBAJC9706KWA33641 JTEHJ09J935072796 6AHTABTSAYC003836 MP1TFR86H7T169332 1VWZZZA3ZDC062783 TMAJ28117KJ881804 WBAVL32000VZ19041

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2004 BMW 330I Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects, Recalls and Failures

2004 BMW 330I Exterior Lighting Problems, Complaints and Defects

What is Recall?

What is Failure?

What is Defect?