2004 BMW 5 Series Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 14%of 64 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 88,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 BMW 5 Series, 14% of the 64 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 88,000 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
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.
“About 3 weeks ago we noticed in the front passenger seat a mark that looks like a burnt - we thought that it was just a mark or somebody put a hot bottle o cup on the seat - but this morning we turn the heating in both seat to warm up a little bit then smell and smoke start to come out the burnt mark. We turned it off both sides and open the window - now our conclusion is the heating element caused that burn in the seat.”
NHTSA complaint #11062870, filed 2018-01, 147,000 miles“Warning notice on I drive system that there was an emergency with the lighting system and the car should be stopped immediately. Directional signals no longer worked, emergency flashers were inoperative and headlights not operating properly. Brought car to dealer the next day and the problem was corrected with an update to the I drive software leading me to believe that Bmw is aware of this very serious safety issue but has chosen to ignore it until owners experience the problem and then the owner has to pay for the update to correct the software glitch. My cost was $320.92.”
NHTSA complaint #10438980, filed 2011-12, 89,655 miles“Wire rot deterioration at the headlight assembly. Concern electrical fire due to bare exposed wires. Notified the dealer and manufacture without resolution. Personally had to pay over $500 to he dealership just to wrapped with electrical tape. After 3 months, currently experiencing high beam failure (hid adoptive passenger side) which the dealer to replacement cost of $2599.”
NHTSA complaint #10945526, filed 2017-01, 101,000 miles“The contact owns a 2004 Bmw 545i. The contact stated that he noticed that there were various warning lights that illuminated on the instrumental panel. He stated that the vehicles I-drive would malfunction causing the radio to fail, GPS, and he was unable to make phone calls from the vehicle. The speedometer also displayed 0 instead of the actual MPH that was being driven. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. The VIN was unavailable.”
NHTSA complaint #10409245, filed 2011-06, 88,000 miles“The contact owns a 2004 Bmw 5 SERIES. The contact noticed a burning smell and felt something burning her leg. She sustained burns to her thigh and buttocks area due to the seat warmer. The manufacturer was unable to assist. The contact was able to locate NHTSA campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) for the same year, make, and model vehicle. She also stated that the passenger side air bag was inoperable. The manufacturer advised her to expect a recall on the air bag; however, without a recall, they could not assist. …”
NHTSA complaint #10248637, filed 2008-11, 54,000 milesRelated recalls
- 12V126000Mar 26, 2012Bmw is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, model year 2004-2010 6-series, model year 2006-2010 m5, and model year 2007-2010 m6 vehicles. The…Covers: BMW 5 Series 2004–2010, 6 Series 2004–2010, M5 2006–2010 +1 more
Related service bulletins
- 10249437Jan 16, 2024The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
- 10249027Jan 11, 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…
- 10245422Nov 22, 2023Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicleâÂÂs equipment and settings, no acoustic or…
- 10182619Oct 1, 2020Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has…
- 10149557Oct 1, 2018For the above-referenced vehicles with driver?s side airbag modules, BMW of North America, LLC (?BMW NA?) will provide a Customer Support Program as outlined in the Takata…
- 10052012Mar 1, 2013Bmw: 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.
- 10051519Dec 1, 2012Bmw: 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
- 10028370Nov 1, 2010Bmw: check engine lamp illuminated and/or vehicle overheats. Models e83, e85, e86, e70, e90, e91, e92, e93, e60 and e61. *pe updated 5/24/11.
- 10032650Oct 1, 2009Bmw: service engine soon lamp illuminated-fc 23f4 map thermostat. In some vehicles have insufficient heat. E90, e91 (3 series), e60, e61 (5 series) 3/06 and e83 (x3 series) 9/08.
- 10029257Apr 1, 2009Bmw: all instrument dials are inoperative and the illumination of the information display in the instrument cluster is very bright.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6 | 7% |
| 2010 | 1 | 17% |
| 2009 | 2 | 25% |
| 2008 | 16 | 15% |
| 2007 | 3 | 23% |
| 2006 | 19 | 22% |
| 2005 | 4 | 19% |
| 2004 | 9 | 14% |
| 2003 | 4 | 27% |
Other parts of the 2004 BMW 5 Series
29 complaintsSeats
11 complaintsSeat belts
7 complaintsExterior lighting
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsTires
3 complaintsEngine cooling
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 BMW 5 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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