2008 BMW 650I Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 50%of 6 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 75,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 BMW 650I, 50% of the 6 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 75,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
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.
“All the wiring to the standard xenon headlights and daytime running lights have deteriorated. It is a known problem by Bmw, as they were using biodegradable wiring coating. The protective coating of the wires dries up, falls off and creates shorts leading to total headlight failure that cannot be repaired. There have been numerious complaints of these wires causing car and engine fires as well as dangerous situations where the headlights do not work. Bmw refuses to fix the problem and their only fix is to have the consumer buy new headlights at roughly $1800 per light. …”
NHTSA complaint #11254889, filed 2019-09, 51,000 miles“We have almost died in this car twice. The first time in 2017, I was driving down a city street and noticed smoke coming out of the hood. Immediately pulled over, and opened the hood to find starter in flames. Called the fire department to extinguish the fire and the car spent a week in the shop getting repaired . This past week, again while driving on a city street, I smelled what smelled like burning metal. Pulled over immediately and looked under the hood however nothing was there. …”
NHTSA complaint #11176430, filed 2019-02Related 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…
- 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…
- 10146779Nov 1, 2016Diagnosing Stored Fault Codes to Help Avoid Repeat Repair Visits This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B07 03 14 dated October 2015.. Fault codes stored in vehicles…
- 10151119Feb 1, 2016SI B84 03 14 February 2016 Communication Systems Technical Service This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B84 03 14 dated October 2014. SUBJECT Bluetooth Connection…
- 10151115Feb 1, 2016SUBJECT Audio System Speaker Testing. For audio system speaker testing there is a NED (Non Electrical Diagnosis) Test Plan available. CAUSE We previously recommended use of the…
- 10151068Feb 1, 2016This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B07 03 14 dated October 2015. Diagnosing Stored Fault Codes to Help Avoid Repeat Repair Visits. Fault codes stored in vehicles…
- 10147837Nov 1, 2015"The Disclaimer screen automatically disappears from the CID after 10 seconds. INFORMATION https://www.bmwtis.net/tiscode/cgi-bin/bulletin.aspx?sie_path=/tsb/bulletins/htm_store/2…
- 10147123May 1, 2015Diagnosing Stored Fault Codes to Help Avoid Repeat Repair Visits. Analysis of FASTA data and repeat repair visit reports indicates that there are many fault codes that are stored…
- 10147067Feb 1, 2015This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B07 03 14 dated February 2015. designates changes to this revision SUBJECT Diagnosing Stored Fault Codes to Help Avoid Repeat…
Electrical system: other model years
Other parts of the 2008 BMW 650I
2 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 BMW 650I
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