Internal Adaptive bi-xenon headlight wiring insulation flaking off exposing bare wire, thus causing headlight to fail
BMW 325CI headlights problems
15 of the 247 owner complaints about the BMW 325CI describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 15
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical mileage
- 110,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The headlights in my car both went out because of this wiring issue. The wiring insulation inside the headlight is very prone to cracking and subsequently breaking which causes the headlight to not function. I have repaired this issue myself on both headlights for almost every wire going into the igniter. No headlights is a major safety issue at night, and due to the cracking along all of the wiring, it could go out at any time again. I had this issue looked at by the dealership and they tried to sell me new bulbs instead. In the picture you can see the 3 repaired wires already and the 4th needed repair, the black wire, got severed.
I was driving one night and the headlight out indicator on the dash lit up showing the passenger headlight to be out. This limited my ability to see the road as I now only had one headlight operational. Upon further inspection, the halogen bulb was found to be in working order, but the wiring harness has lost its insulation. On both the driver and passenger side the insulation on the internal wire harness to the headlights has dried out and fallen off, exposing bare copper making an electrical short highly likely.
Drivers side low beam started flashing when car hit bumps and while turning the steering wheel to the right. Opened bulb access cover to check the bulb and found that the majority of the wiring inside the headlight assembly has hardened and flaking insulation, exposing bare copper wire and allowing it to short out. Removed the headlight assembly for a more through inspection and discovered the same damage on the high beam wiring and deterioration on the entire wiring harness inside the light. Serious safety risk as well as fire risk.
Bmw 325ci 2006 front left adaptive headlight wiring deteriorates over time. This cause the wiring to crack and fail. The front left headlight failed while driving, creating a dangerous situation for the driver and others on the road. When the wiring fails the driver cannot display turn signals, use high beams or any headlight functions. Bmw does not provide a solution or help to fix the issue. The vehicle was in motion at night when the headlight failed. The part is the front headlight igniter wiring harness. The failure happened inside a sealed compartment and is not exposed to any outside elements. This is a common issue, a google search will bring up multiple other cases of failure in other cars with pictures. Bmw 335ci 2006 rear tail lights short out frequently while driving and do not display turn signals. A fault is shown on the dashboard. This happened at night while the vehicle was in motion and does not go away. The warning light is only displayed after the turn signal is turned on. Bmw 325ci a front airbag warning light was displayed while driving and does not shut off. This happened when the vehicle was in motion and does not shut off. Bmw325ci a front seatbelt warning light is displayed on the dash periodically and does not shut off. The warning suggests there is a failure with the seatbelt. This happened when the vehicle was in motion.
Suspension- sway bars, bushings, every part of suspension breaking. Brakes-emergency brake does not work. Lighting-issues with headlamps. Rearview mirror-defective, not clear enough to see out of. Airbags-replaced, but when the car was impacted the roll bars deployed while the airbags did not.
Headlight wiring insulation is deteriorating and falling apart. Right side headlight wiring is completely damaged and headlight does not work.
Headlight right hand side
Headlight wiring insulation on standard bmw headlights is brittle and falling off exposing bare copper wires within the headlight assembly. In order to protect the headlights I have had to wrap the wires in electrical tape and shrink wrapping. This issue has existed for several years.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325ci. While operating the vehicle, smoke was present under the hood. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the smoke was coming from the fog lights. The contact later discovered that the fog lights, signal lights, high beams, and passenger side brake light were not operating. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the BMW 325CI headlights
Which BMW 325CI years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (5 complaints), 2006 (5 complaints) and 2003 (2 complaints).
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