2004 BMW 3 Series electrical system problems
12 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 2004 BMW 3 Series — 16% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Vehicle adaptive xenon headlight wiring is faulty . Wire insulation is cracking/deteriorating and entire wires are breaking apart. Symptoms start with flickering xenon headlight eventually (about a week later) stops working at all. Vehicle is moving or stationary, engine on. The faulty wires are in…”
filed Nov 18, 2017
“My vehicle unexpectedly started on fire as my daughter was driving to school. It was determined that it was an electrical fire, and resulted in the car being totaled. The 2004 models need to be included in the recall (not that it will help with the loss of my car).”
filed Nov 8, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2024The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information…
B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 11, 2024Bmw: service engine soon light is on. The vehicle lost power and the engine cranks with no start. *rm updated 5/19/15. *pe
SIB-12-21-10 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2014Bmw: battery has an increased demand due to developemental process of the electrical system. This is causing the batter to need to undergo an energy diagnosis. *kb
SIB-61-13-05 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2013Bmw: the high-voltage (hv) battery cells could be damaged if the vehicle is prevented from entering sleep mode for an extended period of time. Updated 03/11/2013 *js
SIB-61-37-12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2012
Electrical System problems in other 3 Series years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 3 Series | 7 | 33% |
| 2010 3 Series | 5 | 17% |
| 2009 3 Series | 8 | 15% |
| 2008 3 Series | 19 | 28% |
| 2007 3 Series | 31 | 27% |
| 2006 3 Series | 32 | 16% |
| 2005 3 Series | 2 | 8% |
| 2003 3 Series | 12 | 16% |
| 2002 3 Series | 6 | 23% |
| 2001 3 Series | 6 | 17% |
| 2000 3 Series | 4 | 5% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2004 BMW 3 Series
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.