2004 BMW 330I problems
Owners have filed 139 complaints about the 2004 BMW 330I with NHTSA. Exterior lighting accounts for 63.3% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of air bags at 14.4%.
Complaints139
Crashes7
Fires5
Injuries6
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Exterior lighting 63.3% · 88
Air bags 14.4% · 20
Electrical system 7.2% · 10
Visibility/wiper 5.0% · 7
Visibility 2.9% · 4
Engine and engine cooling 2.2% · 3
Unknown or other 1.4% · 2
Fuel/propulsion system 0.7% · 1
Severity
Of those complaints, 7 describe a crash, 5 describe a fire and 6 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 3 model years of the BMW 330I in this data, 2004 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2006 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 12 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 99,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The oem xenon zkw brand lights had completely burnt reflector bulbs that caused low light to be emitted. This defect is due to plastic bowls being used instead of metal or another material. The damage could have caused a fire hazard or worse. I was forced to replace the lights at my own expense. I have attached photos of the damage and light output to this complaint. This occurred simply by having the headlights on. Exterior lighting · reported at 178,000 miles
The vehicle headlights include the bi-xenon option. Zkw was the original equipment supplier for these headlights. The reflective housing surrounding the bulb suffers from severe degradation and total light output is significantly reduced. Overall nighttime vehicle visibility and safety is greatly affected. I have learned this is a common problem with the make/model/year and option package of the vehicle. Exterior lighting · reported at 76,000 miles
Bi-xenon headlights gradually grew dimmer after about 100,000 (6 years) the lights were unsafe to use after dark. The lights were repaired by an automotive lighting specialty shop by installing aftermarket headlight projectors. The original reflector bowls on the zkw manufactured projectors were burned and partially melted by the xenon bulbs and was no longer projecting the light ahead of the vehicle. Exterior lighting · reported at 100,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…