BMW 325i Complaints (2004)
147 consumer complaints on file.
- #10417881August 8, 2011EXTERIOR LIGHTING
BOTH TAILLIGHTS HAVE BEEN OUT DUE TO CORROSION IN THE 8 PIN CONNECTOR. THIS HAS PREVENTED THE SIGNAL AND OCCASIONALLY THE BRAKE LIGHT TO WORK. WHILE MAKING HIGHWAY TURNS I HAVE COME CLOSE TO ACCIDENTS NUMEROUS TIMES. I CANNOT MAKE A TURN WITHOUT TAKING MY EYES OFF THE ROAD. THE BULB WARNING IS ALSO ON DISPLAY ON THE DASH. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10412297July 14, 2011STRUCTURE:BODY
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS WET AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS EXPOSED TO RAINY CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE VAPOR BARRIER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 36,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10410598July 5, 2011ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS, EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
2004 BMW 325I - SAFETY DEFECT. REAR TAIL LIGHT WIRING, MISSING ADDITIONAL GROUND WIRE TO AVOID BURNING BULB CARRIER. BMW SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN ISSUED 2/2007 REVEALS BMW WAS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND FAILED TO NOTIFY CONSUMERS. PURCHASED CAR CPO IN MARCH 2007 AND WAS NOT TOLD. REPLACED SEVERAL TAILLIGHT BULBS DUE TO INTERMITTENT FALSE INDICATOR LIGHTS. FINALLY IN 2011, 1 YEAR AFTER CAR CAME OUT OF WARRANTY...REMOVED THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR TO THE BULB CARRIER AND FOUND IT TO BE MELTING. CONTACTED DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT COULD DEFINITELY START A FIRE IF LEFT TOO LONG. BMW DEALER ALSO STATED THIS IS A DEFECT ON CARS PRODUCED FROM 2001 TO 2005. AFTER DOING RESEARCH FOUND THAT BMW HAS USED FAULTY WIRING AND THERE IS A ADDITIONAL GROUND WIRE NEEDED TO FIX. NEEDLESS TO SAY , HAD TO PAY 300.00 TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND AND REPAIR. *KB
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10402913May 27, 2011EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TAIL LIGHT WORKING INTERMITTENTLY IN BMW 2004 325 4 DOOR SEDAN. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10399536May 9, 2011EXTERIOR LIGHTING
TAIL LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, AND TURN SIGNALS HAVE SHORTED OUT ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE 2 TIMES EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED. HAPPENS TO BOTH SIDES OF THE CAR, BUT ONLY IN THE REAR. IT KEEPS BURNING THROUGH THE PLUG / CONNECTOR AND SHORTING OUT. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10381256February 9, 2011ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT
JUST PAID $419.53 FOR REPAIR ON MY 2004 BMW 3 SERIES FOR TAIL LAMP CONNECTIONS AND GROUNDS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS DEFECT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN NUMBER EA09-019. PLEASE INCLUDE ME AND INFORM ME WHEN I CAN SUBMIT PAID BILL, AS I WAS TERRIFIED WHILE DRIVING IN FL ON TURNPIKE WHEN A LIGHT ON MY DASHBOARD SHOWED MY REAR BRAKES WERE FAILING. I IMMEDIATELY FOUND FIELDS BMW JIN WINTER PARK FL AND BROUGHT IT THERE. THEY WERE AWARE OF DEFECT AND TOLD ME THAT THEIR FIX WOULD INCLUDE GROUNDING OTHER REAR BRAKE LIGHT TO PREVENT OTHER SIDE FROM FAILURE. THANK YOU *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10376618January 14, 2011EXTERIOR LIGHTING
THE TAIL / BRAKE LIGHTS ON MY 2004 BMW 325I WERE MELTING. THE DEALER CHARGED ME CLOSE TO $800 TO REPLACE THEM. ALTHOUGH I REPORTED THE PROBLEM BEFORE, I DID SO BEFORE KNOWING ABOUT THE $800 PRICE TAG TO FIX THE ISSUE. BMW SHOULD PAY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE (POORLY ENGINEERED) SAFETY COMPONENT. I HOPE IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH OF 'AN INVESTIGATION' FROM THE NHTSA TO MAKE BMW ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10370848December 15, 2010LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
3 OF THE 4 CAR DOORS HAVE LOCKED UP AND CANNOT BE OPENED ELECTRICALLY OR MECHANICALLY FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE. IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT AND/OR FIRE, THREE OF THE CAR'S OCCUPANTS WOULD BE TRAPPED INSIDE. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10369850December 10, 2010EXTERIOR LIGHTING
MY 2004 BMW 325I REAR LEFT LIGHTS GO OUT EVEN WHEN THE LIGHT BULBS ARE GOOD. I CANNOT SIGNAL OTHER DRIVERS WHEN I NEED TO CHANGE LANES. PROBLEM STARTED SEPTEMBER 2010. STARTED TO OCCUR SPORADICALLY, BUT IT IS CONSTANT NOW. DASH INDICATOR SHOWS INCORRECTLY THAT BULBS ARE BROKEN. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10363048October 31, 2010EXTERIOR LIGHTING
DOCUMENTED FAILURE OF 2004 BMW 325I REAR BRAKE LIGHT, PARKING LIGHT AND TURN SIGNAL ASSEMBLY. OCCURRED ON MY PERSONAL BMW ON OR ABOUT 6/2010. OCCURS SPORADICALLY, RESULTING IN TOTAL FAILURE OF ALL THREE LIGHTS ON LEFT SIDE AND ALSO RIGHT SIDE. DASH INDICATOR SHOWS THAT BULBS ARE OUT BUT BULBS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10360593October 15, 2010LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
OFTEN, THE DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK ON OUR 2004 BMW 325I SEDAN, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE CONSISTENTLY LOCKABLE. THIS INCLUDES USING THE REMOTE KEY FOB, THE CENTRAL CONSOLE UNLOCK BUTTON AND ALSO MANUALLY PULLING THE DOOR LATCHES FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS MEANS THAT ONLY BY BREAKING A WINDOW WILL WE BE ABLE TO EXIT THE CAR IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY. REPEATEDLY TOGGLING THE UNLOCK BUTTONS WILL EVENTUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS, BUT SOMETIMES ONLY AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES. WE JUST FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE BMW'S GM5 MODULE, BUT THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT. A POPULAR WEBSITE THAT EXPLAINS THE PROBLEM IN MORE DETAIL IS HTTP://WWW.BMWGM5.COM/. NOW WE ARE FACED WITH A COSTLY REPAIR IF WE WANT TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE MANNER. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10351194August 22, 2010EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
REAR TAILLIGHT,BRAKELIGHT CONNECTOR HAS MELTED CAUSING BRAKELIGHT NOT TO WORK. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10349492August 15, 2010EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I HAVE A MAJOR BMW PROBLEM. IT CURRENTLY HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN # SI B 63 03 06 LIGHTS BUT BMW WILL NOT FIX THIS OUT OF WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS WHEN MY CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET FULL SERVICES. I WANT A FORMAL INVESTIGATION. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10326877April 21, 2010EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2004 BMW 325I TAIL LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY TURNS ON AND OFF. BMW DEALERSHIP HAS DIAGNOSED THE CAR TO HAVE A FAULTY GROUND WIRE - BMW S IB (SERVICE BULLETIN) 63 03 06 WHICH PREVENTS THE TAIL LIGHTS FROM WORKING PROPERLY. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10290552November 2, 2009EXTERIOR LIGHTING
REAR TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY (RIGHT SIDE). DASH WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES. ALL LIGHTS IN ASSY. WORK. REMOVE TAIL LIGHT ASSY, SCREW ALL BULBS OUT AND IN, REPLACE PLUG AND WARNING LIGHT IS OUT. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY WAS INFORMED OF A SILL THAT APPLIED ONLY IF WIRING OR PLASTIC ASSY WAS OBVIOUSLY DAMAGED! FAULT OCCURS RANDOMLY AT VARIOUS INTERVALS FROM WEEKLY TO MONTHLY.. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10279822August 9, 2009ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS DEFECTIVE LIGHT BULBS (ONE FROM TWO DIFFERENT SETS FAILED WHEN ONE SET WAS INSTALLED FOR MY TURN SIGNAL AND THE OTHER FROM MY BRAKE LIGHTS), BUT AS I BEGAN TO DO MORE RESEARCH ONLINE, I FOUND THAT OTHER PEOPLE WERE HAVING AN ISSUE SIMILAR TO MINE. THEY REPORTED THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT WOULD CAUSE CORROSION AND A LOOSE CONNECTION. SO I DECIDED TO CHECK MY CAR OUT AS WELL AND DISCOVERED THAT THE PROBLEM HAD AFFLICTED MY VEHICLE AS WELL. I THEN FOLLOWED THE LINK TO THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN RELEASED BY BMW, AND THE PROBLEM THAT I AM HAVING IS JUST AS THEY HAVE DESCRIBED. ONE OF THE 8-PIN REAR LAMP CONNECTORS HAS MELTED CAUSING A LOOSE CONNECTION AND MY CAR CONTINUING TO TELL ME THAT I HAVE A DEAD BULB, WHEN IN FACT IT IS THE CONNECTION. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10275613July 2, 2009EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I HAVE A 2004 BMW 325I. THE REAR INDICATOR WARNING LIGHT CAME ON TELLING ME THE LIGHT WAS OUT. THE LIGHT WAS NOT OUT. I HAD TO GET A STATE INSPECTION AS I LIVE IN VIRGINIA. THE DEALER WOULD NOT PASS MY CAR DUE TO THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR BEING ON. THE ESTIMATE WAS $367. I DECLINED THE WORK AND TRIED TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG ON MY OWN. I DISCOVERED YOU ALL STARTED AN INVESTIGATION ON 4/9/09 ON THIS ISSUE. I ALSO FOUND INTERNAL DOCUMENTS FROM BMW ON THE WEB DESCRIBING THE "DEFECT". THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH GROUNDING WIRES AND IT CAUSES MELTING AND CORROSION. THIS IS DANGEROUS. THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND ARE RIPPING OF THE PUBLIC FOR ROUGHLY $350 TO $400 A TAIL LIGHT TO FIX THE DEFECT. THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE A PART NUMBER FOR THE EXTRA GROUND WIRE. THE SAY IN THEIR DOCUMENT TO PURCHASE "BROWN WIRE" FROM A LOCAL SOURCE AND CHARGE $1 TO $2 FOR IT. I HAVE LOOKED INSIDE MY TAIL LIGHT AND IT IS MELTING IN SPOTS. I AM WORRIED ABOUT A FIRE AND FEEL THAT BMW SHOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THEY HAVE ADMITTED A DEFECT. IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. HERE IS THE DOCUMENT HTTP://WWW.BMWTIS.COM/TSB/BULLETINS/BULLETIN_GRAPHIC_TEMP/B630306G.HTM. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10263031March 25, 2009ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAULTY LAMP WARNING INDICATOR WOULD INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS THAT PLUGS INTO THE REAR OF THE LAMP HARNESS FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING HAD A FAULTY GROUND IN THE CONNECTOR. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE WIRES COULD NOT TAKE THE HEAT DISTRIBUTION, WHICH CAUSED THE WIRES TO FRY INSIDE THE CONNECTOR. THE FAILURE ALSO CAUSED THE TURN SIGNALS AND REAR LAMPS TO NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURES; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO LOCATE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS PERTAINING TO THE ISSUES (NHTSA ITEM NUMBERS 10025585 AND 10020856). THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 85,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10255424January 17, 2009AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
THE PASSENGER SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG ON 2004 BMW 325I 4-DOOR SEDAN WENT OFF WHILE DRIVING FOR NO REASON. NO ONE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, NO IMPACT TO CAR, WHEELS, OR ANYTHING. TRAVELING ABOUT 38 MPH. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10233546July 8, 2008VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES
I OWN A 2004 BMW 325I AND MY REARVIEW MIRROR WITH AN AUTODIMMING FEATURE LEAKED ONTO MY CENTER CONSOLE AND FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THERE WAS NO PRIOR INDICATION OF MIRROR FAILURE BEFORE I NOTICED THE BROKEN MIRROR AND SPOTS ON THE SEAT AND CONSOLE. THE FLUID ACTUALLY BUBBLED UP AND ATE THROUGH MY CONSOLE AND CUP HOLDERS AND LEFT PERMANENT STAINS ON THE SEAT. THE DEALER IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND SO IS MAGNA DONNELLY AS IT HAS HAPPENED TO NUMEROUS CARS AS CAN BE SEEN MY TALKING TO BMW, ACURA, MAGNA DONNELLY AND INTERNET FORUMS. WE SPOKE BOTH TO THE LOCAL BMW DEALER AND BMW CORPORATE AND MAGNA DONNELLY AND WHILE THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY MIRROR LEAKED AND THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD DO NOTHING TO FIX IT. I HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE THE MIRROR BECAUSE MY CAR IS NOT DRIVEABLE WITHOUT IT, HOWEVER, THEY ALSO INDICATED I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO REPLACE IT WITH AN IDENTICAL MIRROR WHICH MAY LEAK IN THE FUTURE. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0