Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While driving for 15 minutes with seat warmers on my husband (driver) turned it off. We were travelling on suburban roads around 40 MPH. Then at a stop light he noticed a burning smell. We continued driving when light turned green. Then I noticed the smell a few seconds later, so I opened a window expecting to find smell a fire nearby or hear sirens. At that point we saw a ploom of smoke come from under his seat towards the passenger side open window. He immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and turned everything off. The smoke took some time to clear but did stop. Several minutes later we drove 1 mile to the BMW dealership. We were told its not under warranty, and would cost $1,700 to fix. I declined to pay $1,700 to fix and requested they disconnect seat heater. …
Just parked the vehicle, turned off the vehicle and smelled something burning. Exited the vehicle, observed smoke from under the hood, opened the hood and observed flames from the left side of the engine, mostly on the top left of the engine now. Called the fire department who extinguished the flames, and had the car towed to the dealer. The vehicle is now in their lot waiting for their investigators to look at the vehicle. The first comment out of the dealership, maybe an animal built a nest in the engine area. This vehicle only had 3000 miles on it, purchased in June of 2011, and is garage kept.
Just bought a used 2008 528i (e60) w/94K miles, in otherwise perfect condition. Went to change the angel eyes from drab yellow to lux LED's. Noticed bare wires on both sides of the bulb connectors, on both sides of the car. Tried to use electrical tape, just made more bare wire. The more I touched the wires, the more insulation flaked off, almost like a powder. I've never seen anything like it. Can't possibly be safe. Definitely a fire hazard. Neighbor brought over a bottle of liquid tape, and I re-coated all the bare wire I could see, making sure each wire was separated so a short would not occur. That is a good temporary fix. Will have to stay on top of this problem, since most, if not all, of the headlight wiring is made with bad, quickly degrading wire insulation. A real disappointment in otherwise good german quality and engineering. …
Electrical wiring insulation/sheathing within the headlight unit/housing is showing signs of and or outright deterioration which in turn exposes bare wires within the headlight housing. At this point, the daytime running lamps have been the only effected lights but the wires for the headlights are also noticeably troubled. The issue is not speed, movement or area dependent. For further reference, I will provide a link to an owner's forum detailing other's dilemmas due to this exact issue: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=798640 I look forward to a response.
My problem started 2 years ago. After two days of very heavy rain I started my vehicle and my navigation screen started to flicker then eventually burned out over a two week time also my radio stopped working at the same time. I didn't have the 2,000 dollars to get it fixed. A few months later after several days of heavy rain I've noticed the drivers floor soaked then the car was hesitant to start. The car over another few months my wipers would cut on by themselves and I couldn't cut them off. It got to the point that I turned the car off and the wipers were still working with no key in the car... The car had to be towed to the mechanics.. Now my window work intermittently sometimes they work and sometimes they don't ...at this time I also smell the odor of a burning electrical from time to time.
Not precisely sure what is causing this electrical problem, but all 3 occurrences of this problem have happened after I washed the vehicle and did not drive it. The electrical system is malfunctioning to the point it completely drains the vehicle's battery. After the second time I went to start the vehicle, I had the battery replaced. The 3rd time, all of the vehicle exterior lights had turned themselves on during the course of the night, and had almost fully discharged the battery. The car started, but many items in the electronic memory were lost, including date and time. The car involved is a 2007 BMW 528i, which I purchased 3 months ago, certified pre-owned.
A message on the vehicle display screen indicated that the right-side low beam headlight was malfunctioning. I removed the headlight assembly to replace the bulb and found the wiring insulation is crumbling to the touch, resulting in a short circuit. The headlight bulb is not actually burned out. There are many complaints about this on the BMW forums but BMW and the headlight manufacturer, hella, refuses to acknowledge the problem or do anything about it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW m5. While driving between 35-40 MPH the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle had a history of electrical problems since the day of purchase. During the fire, the vehicle lost the ability to brake. He had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the flames. The vehicle was completely destroyed. He suffered minor burns on his hands. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Related recalls (1)
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery › Cables
BMW 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 insulated bulkhead connector for the positive battery cable May have been incorrectly attached to the trunk floor panel, which can lead to a loosening of the bolt connection.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the battery bolt cable connection as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 30, 2012.
Frequently asked questions
Which BMW 5 Series years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2006 (19), 2008 (16), 2004 (9) and 2011 (6) model years. Electrical complaints make up 22% of all complaints for the 2006.
Is there a recall for BMW 5 Series electrical problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 12V-126 (cables, Mar 26, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do BMW 5 Series electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles; 42% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the wiring (1 mentions), followed by the instrument cluster/panel (1).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.