BMW Z4 headlights problems

Filed Sep 3, 2023 · Electrical, Lights · AL

I have just found out that my 2006 BMW Z4 Convertible has serious wiring issues. The wires for example on my front headlights the insulation is falling off the and leaving bare wires. I am very concerned this could be a fire safety issue that could result in bare electrical wires shorting together and starting a car fire. My research shows that many people who have 2006 BMW Z4 Convertibles are having this same issue. This seems to be a real issue with BMW using cheap wiring harnesses material and over time due heat and cooling is cause the insulation to fail and resulting in this issue.

Filed Aug 13, 2021 · Lights · SD

The front headlight wiring harness is flaking off and could cause a short and lose your lights at night and cause a accident. there has been no recall and it's happening to all of the bmw cars that had this environmentally friendly insulation. It is a hazard because you can lose both headlights without notice and have a accident. It has been going on for years according to several mechanics I've spoken too. It also is a huge expense to replace.

Filed Feb 12, 2020 · Electrical · 104,000 miles · FL

Went to change my headlight bulb and notices all of the wires were bare. The sheathing around the wires have all corroded. This is for the complete headlight assembly. Every single wire has corroded. Seems like a fire hazard.

Filed Oct 9, 2019 · Electrical, Lights · 95,000 miles · TX

The insulated wiring inside the headlight housing has hardened and the insulation had cracked and fallen off. This allows the wires to short and causes unexpected failure of the headlights, parking lights, turn signals and other items inside the headlight housing. The lights failed unexpectedly and intermittently.

Filed Jul 15, 2018 · Lights · 21,000 miles · MS

Headlights are pointing directly at the ground within 15-20 feet of the front of the car. Driving at night is almost impossible without the high beams lit. This is a safety hazard as you cannot see far enough down the road to avoid obstacles. This was corrected previously and through normal operation the aiming adjust sensor in the rear keeps flipping over center driving the aim down.

Filed May 5, 2018 · Steering · 70,000 miles · CA

When turning at low speeds, like into parking spots, the steering will lock up, cut power to head lights, radio. This is intermittent. First started at 70k miles, now at 90k miles the steering column is pretty much dead. Also after these hiccups happen my car wont turn over when I try to start it up. I wait a couple minutes and it'll start up then . Stay away from this car or any early model bmw with electric power steering. Bmw also doesn't want to own up to their lack of engineering and recall this total pile of crap...tisk..tisk.

Filed Oct 11, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 20,000 miles · FL

Changing a headlight bulb on drivers side noticed flaking insulation on wiring harness. In the process of removing headlamp, insulation on all the wiring almost completely disintegrated. I can only assume that this same condition exists on the passenger side. This would seem to present a fire hazard at worst and a loss of lighting at the least. I understand from reading various forums that this is a problem across many bmw models. Further, it appears that bmw used a soy based insulation product on these wires. Isn't soy biodegradable? Why would this be used in a wiring harness.

Filed Jul 21, 2015 · Lights · 82,976 miles · FL

Driver side low beam headlight quit working when ignition was turned on. Headlight was working fine when the vehicle was parked. Blown light indicator on instrument cluster appeared. When changing out the light I discovered all the wires inside the headlight enclosure were damaged due to heat. All of the wires insulation was dry rotted , sections of the insulation broken off of the wires and shorted out together. I have many years of vehicle wiring troubleshooting and design. The wires in the headlights do not have the appropriate jacket rating for the headlight location where they were installed by bmw. I believe the heat from the headlights dried out and made the wire jacket brittle. After investigation of the left headlight housing both headlights require the internal harness of each headlight to be replaced due to heat and dry rot. The shorting of the wires only blew my headlight bulb and not the fuse in the system. This could be the reason for the other persons complained about their headlights turning on and off while driving. If left unchecked this could cause other problems in the cars electrical system and be dangerous if the lights shorted out during a night drive.

Filed Sep 26, 2013 · Electrical, Lights · 60,050 miles · NC

On my 2006 bmw z4 3.0i, while replacing a blown headlight bulb I discovered that the insulation on the low beam headlight wiring was crumbling off and in parts had bare copper wire showing. As this is the main headlight wiring and both the + and - wires were showing bare copper a short circuit and or fire could be possible. This wiring is within the headlight housing it's self. Upon doing research online I am not the only person affected. I reported this issue to my local bmw dealer who said there were no recalls at this time and I could call bmw na. I called bmw na who repeated that there was no recall and said they would make a note of it but offered no other help.

Filed Jun 21, 2013 · Lights · 49,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 bmw z4. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, the headlights would flicker. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.