2009 BMW 1 Series Exterior lighting Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 33%of 18 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 24,818miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2009 BMW 1 Series, 33% of the 18 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 24,818 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Right rear roadside parking and tail lamp LED failed. These lamps should not fail within this time frame. I was not aware of this issue until I was waming up car and cleaning off snow when I saw the difference.”
NHTSA complaint #10935634, filed 2016-12, 44,000 miles“I have a 2009 528i . While going down the road my headlights when on lowbeams go out . The brights work but not the lowbeams the car control says lowbeam malfunction . First it was the left light and then the rightfront. I have not had this car long and its a wonderful car. But this is not safe and need to know if there has been any recalls for this or what can be done.”
NHTSA complaint #10875973, filed 2016-06“The contact owns a 2009 Bmw 128i. The contact stated that she was cited by the police due to the tail lights not operating. When she arrived to her residence, she discovered there was only one tail light operating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the vehile was not repaired for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileage was approximately 22,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10355237, filed 2010-09, 22,000 miles“2009 Bmw series 1 - tail lights don't work - replaced once and failed again. Bmw knows there's a problem and stated that it might take several weeks to several months to get replacement lights.”
NHTSA complaint #10360184, filed 2010-10Related service bulletins
- 10036986Sep 1, 2011Bmw: mounting tension or the cutout area of the trunk for the light is causing the third brake light lens to crack. This is allowing water to leak in. *rm updated 1/06/12.
- 10037025Aug 1, 2010Bmw: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty.
- 10035584Jun 1, 2010Bmw: replace rear lamps or replace rear lamp seals. The seals on the rear lamps emit a gas that causes damage to the electrical connectors on the leds (light emitting diodes)…
Exterior lighting: other model years
Other parts of the 2009 BMW 1 Series
7 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsEngine
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 BMW 1 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology