2002 BMW X5 Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TAIL LAMP FAILURE. WARNING SYSTEM INDICATED LAMP FAILURE. THE FAILURE TURNED OUT TO BE LAMP CIRCUIT ASSEMBLY, AND NOT BULB. REPEATED FAILURES UNTIL I REPAIRED REAR LAMP ASSEMBLY ON MY OWN. BMW WOULD ONLY SUGGEST REPLACING ENTIRE LAMP ASSEMBLY AT SUBSTANTIAL COST. UPDATED 09/15/11 *TR
I DRIVE A 2002 BMW X-5. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED AND FRUSTRATED BY THE FAILURE OF A BASIC COMPONENT OF MY AUTO. ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS THERE HAVE BEEN ELECTRICAL SHORTS IN BOTH FRONT TURN SIGNALS AND ONE OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS. AT 58,315 MILES THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL BULB AND SOCKET BURNED AT CONTACTS AND WAS REPLACED FOR $126.25. AT 85,549 MILES THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL BULB AND SOCKET BURNED OUT AND WAS REPLACED FOR $133.89. AT 88,685 MILES THE LEFT BRAKE LIGHT IS SHORTED OUT. THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PART IN STOCK BUT THE REPAIR WAS QUOTED TO BE $239.00. THE SECOND FAILURE ACTUALLY HAPPENED AS I WAS DRIVING IN A HEAVY RAIN STORM. THE OTHER TWO FAILURES JUST SHOWED UP ON THE CAR'S DIAGNOSTIC SELF CHECK AT START UP. IT SEEMS THE LIGHT FIXTURES AND WIRING ARE PRONE TO WATER EXPOSURE THAT RESULTS IN THE ELECTRICAL SHORT. PERHAPS IT IS FAULTY DESIGN OR SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS. *JB
XENON HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO BRIGHT, BLIND ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THESE HEADLIGHTS SHOULD BE BANNED! WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HEADLIGHT STANDARDS.
I DRIVE 3,000 MILES PER MONTH AND I'M TIRED OF BEING BLINDED BY BMW'S HID LIGHTS. NO MATTER IF THEY ARE COMING TOWARDS ME OR BEHIND THEY ARE TOO BRIGHT! OTHER MANUFACTURERS DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE X5 SUV IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST VEHICLE MADE TO DRIVE IN FRONT OF AT NIGHT. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OVER TO AVOID BEING BLINDED.THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURED IN THE THREE DIFFERENT VEHCILES THAT I DRIVE, SO HEIGHT OF MY VEHICLE IS NOT A CONTRIBUTING FACOR. I FEEL THAT THESE LIGHTS ARE DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE REDESIGNED
VEHICLE HAS EXTREMELY BRIGHT DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WHICH ARE VERY DISTRACTING FOR OTHER DRIVERS.*AK *JG
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2002 BMW X5 has 5 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.