2003 BMW X5 Electrical System

The contact owns a 2003 BMW X5. The contact stated the vehicle was parked, while entering the vehicle he noticed the dashboard was melted, which was caused by a fire that occurred independently. The contact stated he reviewed a camera that was near the location of the vehicle and saw the fire occur on the video. The contact did not call the fire department to report the incident. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

Wiring dash fire. Heavy smoke from dash and vehicle completely in flame in minute. My son sent me a recording while it was happening, he did no know what to do or what was happening.

THE PIXELS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND THE RADIO DISPLAY ARE FADED OUT WHICH MAKES THE VISIBILITY ON THESE ITEMS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO BMWUSA'S ATTENTION AND DISCUSSED ON MANY BMW FORUMS, YET THE MANUFACTURER AND ITS SUPPLIER (SIEMANS VDO) REFUSE TO FIX. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN AND LOST ALL POWER. HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD QUICKLY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT; HAD THIS BEEN AT HIGH SPEED, THE SITUATION MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE. SUBSEQUENTLY WHEN TRYING TO START, THE CAR SHOWS A MYRIAD OF WARNING LIGHTS AND FAULTS. A FUSE FOR THE MAIN COMPUTER (DME) HAD BLOWN, DUE TO A WIRING SHORT BETWEEN THE ELECTRONIC THERMOSTAT AND THE MAIN COMPUTER. REPLACING THE FUSE IS NOT A PERMANENT FIX, AS IT BLOWS SHORTLY AFTER EACH TIME THE CAR IS STARTED, RENDERING THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. THIS FIX TO REPLACE SHORTED WIRING IS IN THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THE CAR HAD BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED AND HAD NEVER SUFFERED ANY RELATED ISSUE BEFORE. THERE IS A POOR CONNECTION, FAULTY WIRING, DESIGN FLAW, OR THE LIKE IN THIS SYSTEM. *TR

CAR SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING APPX 35MPH WITHOUT WARNING, NEARLY CRASH DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST AND INSTRUMENT. DEALER REPLACED BOTH DME AND BATTERY WHICH WAS SUSPICIOUS SINCE TWO UNRELATED COMPONENT FAILED AT SAME TIME? EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC, ENDANGERING BOTH MY PASSENGERS AND OTHER DRIVERS NEARBY. RECALL TO THE DME AND BATTERY SHOULD BE ISSUED. REPAIR COST $2500. *TR

MY 2003 BMW 530I SEDAN CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL FAULT WHILE PARKED IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE WERE CALLED. CASE #[XXX] WAS ASSIGNED BY OFFICER [XXX] OF THE NEW HAVEN PD. THE CAR, TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO REPAIR, WAS HAULED AWAY FOR EVENTUAL SCRAPPING. I WAS CLOSE TO THE CAR WHEN THE FIRE STARTED. FLAMES WERE ERUPTING FROM THE DASH, WHERE THE CLIMATE CONTROL SWITCHES ARE LOCATED. I TRIED SMOTHERING THE FLAMES WITH A SWEATER. THIS DID NOT INTERRUPT THE PROGRESS OF THE FIRE. THERE WAS NO PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE OTHER THAN TO THE CAR AND ITS CONTENTS. ITEMS SITUATED IN THE FRONT SEAT AREA WERE NOT RECOVERED, DUE TO THE INTENSITY OF THE FIRE. THE APPARENT CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS AN ELECTRICAL FAULT. IN 2010 NEW COUNTRY BMW IN HARTFORD TWICE REPLACED THE CLIMATE CONTROL FAN FINAL STAGE RESISTOR, ONCE IN APRIL AND AGAIN IN OCTOBER, AT NO CHARGE FOR THE SECOND REPLACEMENT. IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE FIRE THE CLIMATE CONTROL WAS AGAIN ACTING ERRATICALLY, AND THE EVIDENCE INDICATES THE FINAL STAGE RESISTOR WAS FAILING ONCE AGAIN. BMW NORTH AMERICA INSPECTED THE CAR AND CONFIRMED THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL FAULT IN THE AREA BEHIND THE DASH WHERE THE FINAL STAGE RESISTOR IS LOCATED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW X5. WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY AT 5 MPH, THE DRIVER NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANELS LIGHT BEGAN TO DIM AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER. THE MECHANIC INFORMED HER THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,200 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. UPDATED 03/09/09. *LJ AFTER SHUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE FRONT AND REAR LIGHTS STAYED ON AND THE DOOR LOCKS WERE INOPERATIVE. THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THE DEALER FOUND COMMUNICATIONS FAULTS IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. UPDATED 03/12/09. *JB

BMW X-5 HAS CAUSED TWO ACCIDENTS BY SPONTANOUS ACCELLERATION - AFTER FIRST ACCIDENT BMW WAS CONTACTED AND ENGINEERS KEPT VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT CAUSE OF ACCIDENT DRIVER ERROR-WE PAID FOR REPAIR OF VEHICLE. SAME "ACCELERATION" HAPPENED ABOUT SIX MONTHS LATER ON JANUARY 7 SENDING CAR CRASHING THROUGH FRONT OF BUILDING - ONLY BY MIRACLE PEOPLE WEREN'T INGURED IN THESE ACCIDENTS (THE BUILDING WAS A A RETAIL STORE). THIS IS A LEASED VEHICLE AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. LSO, THESE INCIDENTS HAVE CAUSED OUR INSURANCE TO SKYROCKET.*AK

OCTOBER 2002 I PURCHASED A NEW BMW X5 - SHORTLY THERE AFTER I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS - HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT SHUT OFF WITHOUT RE-STARTING THE CAR, INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF, THE FLASHERS WOULD COME ON, THE REAR LATCH WOULD DISCONNECT, THE KEYLESS ENTRY INTO THE CAR WOULD NOT WORK, BATTERY WAS BEING DRAINED AND ULTIMATELY THE BATTER WOULDN'T EVEN HOLD A CHARGE. AFTER 3-4 MONTHS OF EXPERIENCING THESE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS, I INSISTED THE DEALER TAKE THE CAR BACK AND LET ME PURCHASE A 2003 BMW X5. I RECEIVED THE NEWEST BMW X5 ON FEBRUARY 26, 2003 AND ON MARCH 10, 2003, I STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS AGAIN! THIS TIME, WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED ON, THE FLASHERS CAME ON AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD NOT SHUT OFF WITHOUT ME OPENING THE DOOR AND CLOSING IT AGAIN - I HAD TO MANUALLY SHUT OFF THE FLASHERS. MINUTES LATER AFTER DRIVING THE CAR, I SHUT OFF THE IGNITION, GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND USED THE KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM TO LOCK THE CAR AND ARM THE ALARM. I WASN'T ABLE TO LOCK THE CAR DOORS BUT THE ALARM WAS ACTIVATED. I HAD TO TURN THE ALARM OFF AND OPEN THE DOOR AND CLOSE IT AGAIN. THEN I WAS ABLE TO LOCK IT. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER SINCE AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. *JB