2005 BMW 545I Electrical Problems

The wiring inside of the headlights has dried up and fallen off, leaving bare electrical wire. The resulting was both of the headlights became non operational at night. To replace the headlights in the car with all the factory features is about 3200.00 for parts alone. I know of others who have had this happen, and everyone i know who owns one, has the same exact problem. The vehicle in question barely has 125,000 miles on it. I feel the manufacturer should repair these vehicles at no cost to the owners.

NHTSA ID

11442056

Incident

Nov 10, 2021

At approxamitately 1:20pm on July 13, after being parked for a little over an hour I was told that my car was burning. 911 was called immediately and the owner of the establishment went outside and called to the firemen at the station on the other side of the street. Their response was immediate. Response was so quick that damage was limited to the right rear. Which seems that the fire started in the area directly foreward and above the battery

NHTSA ID

11424889

Incident

Jul 13, 2021

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR IN A BUSY HIGHWAY THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING. NO ODD SOUNDS NO SHUTTING NO CLUNKING. IT WAS LIKE SOME JUST TURNED THE KEY OFF. I MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND HAD TO WAIT TWO HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK TO SHOW UP. MOST OF THE WEEK PREVIOUS TO THIS MY CAR WOULD NOT START AT RANDOM TIMES EVEN THOUGH MY BATTERY WAS GOOD AND I HAD GAS. THE PROBLEM WAS THE DME HAD WATER INGRESS FROM A POOR LOCATION WHERE THE DME AND METRONIC COMPUTER AND THE INTERGRADED POWER MODULE ARE LOCATED AND STORED. THEY ARE IN A SEALED PLASTIC BOX UNDER THE CABIN FRESH AIR INLETS AND CABIN FILTERS AND THE FRONT HOOD COWL. I'M THE BOX THERE IS A FAN AT THE BOTTOM TO EXPELL MOISTER. IF THE INTERGTATED POWER MODULE STARTS TO GO THEN THE FAN STOPS WORKING OR THE FAN IT SELF GOES BAD. AT THAT POINT THERE IS ALMOST ALWAYS WATER INGRESS INTO THE DME AND OR THE METRONIC COMPUTER CAUSING THE CAR TO NOT TO RUN OR EVEN CRANK AND WITH WATER CORROSION ON THE THE DME IT CAUSES PHANTOM PROBLEMS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CAR. THE DME IS ALSO NOT EASILY REPLACED. THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE TO ORDER A NEW DME AND ALIGN IT WITH THE BE CAS MODULE FOR THE IMMOBILIZER TO WORK CORRECTLY AND FOR YOUR CAR TO START. THIS USALLY COST IN EXCESS OF $2,000 JUST FOR THE NEW DME. THE WORST PART OF THIS WHOLE THING IS I LOST MY JOB BECAUSE I WAS 4 HOURS LATE TO WORK AFTER WAITING FOR THE TOW AND GETTING A RIDE TO WORK

NHTSA ID

11354824

Incident

Jun 15, 2018

Mileage

127,000 mi

GOOD EVENING ALL, SINCE 2011 I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE I DRIVE SYSTEM. JUST RECENTLY, THE SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH BMW OF ONTARIO, THEY DECLINED TO COVER THE VEHICLE'S I DRIVE COMPUTER MODULE. FINALLY, THE COMPUTER STOPPED WORKING AND I COULD NOT SEE MY COMPUTER DISPLAY OR LISTEN TO MUSIC. I COULD NOT RE-SET THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE TIRES. I DROVE THE VEHICLE THAT WAY FOR MONTHS. FINALLY, I WENT TO THE JUNK YARD AND FOUND A VEHICLE SIMILAR TO MINE AND REPLACED IT. EVEN THOUGH I REPLACED THE COMPUTER, I WAS NOT ABLE TO GAIN CERTAIN FUNCTIONS ON MY VEHICLE THAT CAME STANDARD WITH THAT PARTICULAR VEHICLE SUCH AS THE SATELLITE RADIO OR SPEAK TO CALL FUNCTION. I'M PRETTY SURE MANY VEHICLE OWNERS CAN RELATE TO THIS ISSUE AND THE DIFFICULTY IT HAS CREATED TO TRY AND MITIGATE WITH THE DEALER. TAKE CARE,

NHTSA ID

11115784

Incident

Jul 12, 2018

Mileage

182,282 mi

GOOD EVENING SIR, I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE MY VEHICLE HAD BARE WIRES ON THE HEADLIGHT. THE HOT WIRE AND GROUND WIRES WERE TOUCHING. I DID NOT HAVE THE HEADLIGHT WORKING. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRES OF THE VEHICLE PEELING OFF AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME.

NHTSA ID

11115782

Incident

Jun 2, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. WHILE THE SEAT HEATER WAS ACTIVATED, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT BECAME EXTREMELY HOT. SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE SEAT AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE SEAT HEATER WAS TURNED OFF AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HABBERSTAD BMW NEW AND PRE-OWNED (945 E JERICHO TURNPIKE, HUNTINGTON STATION, NY 11746 (800) 997-9313) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAULTY HEATER WIRING, THE SEAT, AND THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED NOT TO ACTIVATE THE SEAT HEATER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000. UPDATED 08/30/17*LJ *TR

NHTSA ID

11011375

Incident

Jul 11, 2017

Mileage

123,000 mi

HEADLIGHT WIRES ARE ALMOST BARE, AND COULD POSSIBLY SPARK AND CAUSE A FIRE.

NHTSA ID

10845832

Incident

Mar 1, 2016

I TURNED MY CAR ON AND IT IMMEDIATELY WARNED ME THAT MY LEFT READ BRAKE LAMP WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. TO BE SPECIFIC, THERE WERE FOUR WARNING LIGHTS ON: ONE FOR THE REVERSE LIGHTS, ONE FOR THE BRAKE LAMP, AND TWO OTHER ONES. ALL FOR THE LEFT LIGHT. I OPENED IT UP AND IMMEDIATELY OBSERVED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS PLUG WHERE THE WIRING MEETS THE BULB HOLDER HAD SHORTED AT THE GROUND WIRE. THE TWO PIECES WERE MELTED TOGETHER, SUGGESTING THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A SMALL FIRE. BITS OF MELTED PLASTIC FELL ALL OVER THE PLACE WHEN I MANAGED TO FINALLY PULL OUT THE PLUG. *JB

NHTSA ID

10541958

Incident

Sep 4, 2013

Mileage

94,000 mi

MY CAR HAVE AN OVERHEATED CABLE CONNECTION AND IS CAUSING INCREASED ELECTRIC RESISTANCE, WHICH IS A RECALL AND ALSO THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND BMW REFUSE TO FIX THE ISSUES.. THEY SAY MY VIN WASN'T ONE OF THE CAR THAT'S IN THEIR DATABASE FOR THE RECALLS........ *TR

NHTSA ID

10515172

Incident

May 29, 2013

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY STIFF AND THE POWER STEERING DEACTIVATED WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, ALL OF THE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED AND AN ELECTRONIC MALFUNCTION WARNING MESSAGE SHOWED UP BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE 120,000. *TR

NHTSA ID

10510213

Incident

Apr 1, 2013

Mileage

120,000 mi

I HAVE A 2005 BMW 545I. WHEN I AM DECELERATING AND ROLLING TOWARDS A STOP AND THEN ACCELERATE BEFORE A FULL STOP I WILL GET A LARGE JERKING TRANSMISSION BANG COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR. IN ADDITION WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AROUND 35-40 MPH THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS FROM ONE GEAR TO THE NEXT AND BACK CAUSING THE CAR TO SURGE AND JERK SLIGHTLY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10357401

Incident

May 21, 2010

Mileage

98,625 mi

I PURCHASED MY USED 2005 BMW 545I WITH ONLY 55K MILES ON IT IN MAY 2009. ON OR ABOUT MARCH 2010, THE VEHICLE STARTED JERKING DURING ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES A HARD "JOLT" AS IF YOU HIT A LARGE OBJECT IN THE ROAD OR HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THE REAR. ON ACCELERATION, THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES REV WAY UP, WITHOUT ENGAGING THE TRANSMISSION, AND THEN SLAM INTO ACTION SO FAST THAT IT FEELS LIKE BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. IT IS LIFE-THREATENINGLY DANGEROUS, BECAUSE WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT IS SUCH A SHOCK YOU ARE DISTRACTED FROM DRIVING. IT NORMALLY HAPPENS FROM A FULL STOP, BUT HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY NUMEROUS TIMES AS I WAS TRYING TO MOVE FROM A SLOW LANE TO A FASTER LANE. WHEN IT SLAMS, THE NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO LET OFF THE GAS, HOWEVER, THERE WAS FASTER TRAFFIC APPROACHING FROM THE REAR, AND I ALMOST GOT HIT. AFTER CHECKING POPULAR BMW OWNER WEBSITES SUCH AS BIMMERFEST, I NOTICED THERE WERE COUNTLESS OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MODEL YEARS (2004-2005 545I) WHICH HAS THE V-8 ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN. BMW HAS NOT RECALLED THIS DEFECT AS OF THIS DATE AND WILL NOT UNLESS SOMEONE GETS KILLED, SERIOUSLY INJURED, OR RECEIVE MAJOR PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT LIKE TOYOTA'S ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE IS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE (FIX) AVAILABLE FROM BMW THAT WILL FIX THIS PROBLEM, BUT THEY PREFER CUSTOMERS TO PAY OUT OF POCKET (OUT OF WARRANTY CUSTOMERS) OPPOSED TO VOLUNTARY RECALLS FORCED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR BAD PR FROM THE MEDIA PRESS. THE BMW SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN (SIB) THAT ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM IS: 24 03 05 SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR TRANSMISSION. I PLAN TO TAKE THIS MATTER TO THE MEDIA PRESS IF SOLUTIONS AREN'T OFFERED FROM BMW OR THE GOVERNMENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10344180

Incident

Mar 1, 2010

Mileage

69,000 mi

ON MAY 12TH, I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 545I BMW AT 8PM WITH MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DISPLAY INDICATED A WINDSHIELD WIPER MALFUNCTION (WOULD NOT TURN OFF OR CONTROL SPEED OF WIPERS). AFTER A FEW MORE MILES, I NOTICED THERE WAS NO COMMUNICATION TO ANY OF THE STEERING COLUMN CONTROLS, NOR DID THE TURN SIGNALS WORK (WOULD NOT STAY ON UNLESS HELD DOWN). ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE AIRBAG MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME ON, SEAT BELT TENSIONERS MAY NOT FUNCTION, AND THE ACTIVE STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME ON, INDICATING THAT THE CAR'S STEERING WHEEL MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ALIGNED WITH THE WHEELS. THE CAR BECAME MORE DIFFICULT (MORE EFFORT) TO STEER, WITH LOSS OF SOME POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR BACK DOWN TO 20 MPH. AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CAR ENTERED TRANSMISSION FAILSAFE PROGRAM, LIMITING THE CAR TO GEARS R, N, 1, 2, 3 FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, THE HIGH BATTERY DRAIN INDICATOR CAME ON ALSO. POWER WINDOWS AND REMOTE KEY FUNCTIONS CEASED TO WORK, ALTHOUGH I COULD STILL CONTROL THE SUNROOF. I PROMPTLY BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING ON MAY 13TH. THE BMW DEALERSHIP RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND STATES THE SZL MODULE IN THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR IS AT 51050 MILES, AND BEYOND WARRANTY COVERAGE AT 5 YEARS OLD. BMW NA WILL NOT COVER THE COSTS OF REPAIR TO THE VEHICLE TO CORRECT THIS SAFETY ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (SI B340506) ISSUED FOR 2006 MODELS DESCRIBING SIMILAR FAILURES IN THEIR PRODUCTS. I AM SUBMITTING THIS REPORT SO THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO OTHER DRIVERS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH SIMILAR CARS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330465

Incident

May 12, 2010

Mileage

51,050 mi

2005 BMW 545I STEERING MALFUNCTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED, STALLED WITHOUT WARNING, WINDSHIELD WIPERS DIDN'T WORK WHEN IT RAINED, HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF AT NIGHT TIME, AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *KB THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM WENT BLANK, THE TURN SIGNALS DID NOT WORK. THE STEERING COLUMN MOTOR WAS REPLACED. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THERE WAS A SERIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED BECAUSE WATER WAS FOUND IN THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT WHICH HAD DAMAGED THE WIRES.*JB

NHTSA ID

10168026

Incident

Sep 1, 2006