2024-2025 BMW i5 Ambient Lighting Color Reset TSB

Symptoms

Owners of 2024-2025 BMW i5 and 5 Series Sedan (G60) vehicles may experience a recurring problem where their personalized ambient lighting color does not save permanently. Each time the vehicle goes to sleep, the customized ambient lighting color resets, requiring the owner to re-select their preferred setting. This is the primary symptom of the BMW i5 ambient lighting reset issue.

Cause

The root cause of the BMW i5 ambient lighting reset is identified as unfavorable software within the vehicle's Head Unit 5 (HU-H5). This software prevents the system from retaining the user's selected ambient lighting color settings after the vehicle's power cycle.

Important Warnings

BMW advises technicians that if the vehicle's I-level is already at 25-07-551 or a more recent version, they should not program the vehicle and instead continue with standard diagnosis. Additionally, for any programming procedure, it is crucial to always connect a BMW-approved battery charger/power supply as detailed in SI B04 23 10 to maintain stable voltage.

Repair Procedure Summary

The recommended solution for the BMW i5 ambient lighting reset is a software update to the vehicle's Head Unit 5 (HU-H5). The preferred method for this update is a Remote Software Update (RSU). Owners should refer to the instructions outlined in SIB B09 01 25 for RSU procedures.

If an RSU is not available for the specific vehicle, the software update must be performed using the ISTA diagnostic system. This involves programming the vehicle to an I-level of 25-07-551 or higher, utilizing ISTA version 4.55.4x (released October 02, 2025) or newer. The general steps for an ISTA update include:

1. Connecting a battery charger to the vehicle.
2. Connecting the programming system (ISTA 4) to the vehicle.
3. Determining the necessary measures plan.
4. Accepting and fully working through the measures plan, ensuring all control units are programmed, encoded, and enabled.
5. Following the rework list.
6. Performing a vehicle test and deleting any fault memory, as required by the rework list.

After the programming is complete, the functionality of the ambient lighting system should be checked to confirm the personalized color settings are retained.

Required Tools or Parts

For the ISTA programming procedure, a BMW-approved battery charger/power supply and the ISTA 4 programming system are required. The software update targets I-level 25-07-551 or higher, using ISTA 4.55.4x or newer.

Claim Information for Dealers

For warranty claims related to the BMW i5 ambient lighting reset issue, the repair code 6512580200 (Headunit High HU-H Software error / internal device fault) should be used. Applicable labor operations include:

• 00 00 006: Carrying out vehicle test (Main work)
• 00 00 556: Carrying out vehicle test (Plusposition work)
• 61 21 528: Supporting voltage of the vehicle electrical system / recharging vehicle battery
• 61 00 006 or 00 58 500: Carrying out vehicle diagnosis, ABL (Work time) or Diagnosis Worktime Flat Rate
• 61 00 730: Program/encode control unit(s), including deleting fault memory

Dealers should refer to SI B01 01 20 or B01 07 20 for proper documentation of diagnosis work time.

Owner Action

If you own a 2024-2025 BMW i5 or 5 Series Sedan and are experiencing the BMW i5 ambient lighting reset where your personalized ambient lighting color does not save, you should contact your authorized BMW dealership. They will be able to perform the necessary software update to resolve this issue, either through a Remote Software Update (RSU) or via the ISTA system.

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Source: NHTSA ID: 11025685