2004 BMW 545I Exterior lighting Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 7%of 44 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 119,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2004 BMW 545I, 7% of the 44 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 119,000 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.
“Electrical wiring in headlights are disintegrating. The shielding is dry rotting and flaking off nearly every wire in both headlights causing them to malfunction during driving. Lights will cut off randomly. I'd imagine the wires are shorting out.”
NHTSA complaint #11282786, filed 2019-11, 180,000 miles“Bare wires inside the headlight housing, these are hid lights made by hella for Bmw they are oem. When contacting bmwna they say that's not how they make there lights and blame heat and the car not being maintained at a Bmw dealership, well the rest of the wiring on the car is just fine even the wires that come in contact with a high heat producing engine... It's the same exact issue mercedes benz had on the w202 chassis, wires that would degrade at an extremely fast rate. But for headlights that cost well over $1000 each. …”
NHTSA complaint #11174913, filed 2019-02, 119,000 miles“Passenger side headlight assembly wire jacket is brittle and flaking off, causing malfunctions in parking lamp halo due to exposed copper wires. Also, high-beam halogen light wiring has exposed copper wiring. Wires get hot to the touch and cause a passenger parking lamp malfunction to appear inside the car. Problem seems like it is a fire hazard to say the least. Many online forum members have expressed the same issue. I attempted to contact both the headlight assembly manufacturer, hella, as well as the car manufacturer, Bmw of north america; both companies did not take responsibility. …”
NHTSA complaint #10808948, filed 2015-12, 92,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10147945Jan 1, 2014Delay in Automatic Driving Light Switching On/Off. When driving out of a tunnel or exiting underground parking, the automatic driving light remains switched on for two minutes…
Exterior lighting: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3 | 4% |
| 2004 | 3 | 7% |
Other parts of the 2004 BMW 545I
18 complaintsElectrical system
12 complaintsEngine
10 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
8 complaintsSeat belts
5 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsElectronic stability control
4 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsEngine cooling
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 BMW 545I
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