What 38 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 BMW 535i

Headlight Assembly has issues with the seal and condensation can/does enter the headlight assembly rendering the functionality of the headlight as suspect. Without proper lighting and condensation in front of the headlight which greatly impacts/effects the clarity and visibility of objects in the front of the car creating a safety issue. The cost to replace/repair these assemblies is excessive and is a widespread problem across multiple BMW models/years.

NHTSA ODI 11587192

The headlight housing on my model year is leaking water into it and causing electrical issues , Iv noticed majority of other models I see on the road have the same issue with one of the headlight housings having water in them, this has caused numerous codes to appear on the dash. “ Vertical headlight malfunction “ …”turn signal malfunction “ …”daytime running light malfunction “ ect… this is a safety issue because it stops my signal from working and my headlight works when it wants to. Normally I would think maybe I rock chipped the housing but since I see it on majority of 535’s I see I figure it must have been an issue from factory.

NHTSA ODI 11512368

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 535I. The contact stated that the driver’s side headlamp had condensation inside the headlamp housing. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who replaced the headlamp housing. The contact stated that the failure recurred with the passenger’s side headlamp housing and the driver’s side replacement headlamp housing. The failure had caused the turn signals to malfunction. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11499233

2011-2013 HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE SUBJECT TO LEAKING AND THUS SOON FAIL. THIS IS AN EXTENSIVE FAILURE AS IT IMPACTS THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY (ROUGHLY A $2,000 PART) AND OF COURSE IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFELY PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE SEEN MANY POSTS ON BMW FORUMS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM AND HEARD IT AT MY REPAIR SHOP AS WELL. I RECOMMEND A SAFETY RECALL BASED ON THIS VERY SIGNIFICANT AND VERY EXPENSIVE SAFETY HAZARD. THE FAILURE START WITH CONDENSATION IN THE HEADLAMPS AND THEN RESULTS IN AN ELECTRIC CONTROL MODEL FAILURE FOR THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE LIGHT TO WORK.

NHTSA ODI 11404209

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE MESSAGE PARKING LIGHT MALFUNCTION AND ADAPTIVE HEAD LIGHT MALFUNCTION WERE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. ADDITIONALLY, THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL LIGHT MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NOT OPERATE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WERE NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER BMW OF MACON LOCATED AT 4785 RIVERSIDE DR, MACON, GA 31210, WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.*BF CONSUMER STATED FOLLOWING HAD MALFUNCTIONS HEAD LAMP VERTICAL AIM CONTROL, BATTERY DISCHARGING WHILE STOPPING, ELECTRICAL DEVICES SWITCHED OFF TEMPORARILY, AND AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING.*JB

NHTSA ODI 11348428

MALFUNCTION OF DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT CONDENSATION WAS TOLD THAT THE REASON THE MODULES FOR CONTROLLING DAYTIME BURNING LIGHTS HEADLIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL WERE CAUSED WATER GETTING ON THE MODULES THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THERE'S NO TURN SIGNALS NO WAY FOR OTHER DRIVERS TO SEE MAKING RIGHT OR LEFT TURNS. UPON SEARCHING THE INTERNET HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SERIES OF BMW CAR HAS BEEN GARAGED SINCE PURCHASE AS CERTIFIED PREOWNED VEHICLE 45 MONTHS AGO

NHTSA ODI 11320972

WATER AND MOISTURE IS ACCUMULATING IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS WHEN IT RAINS CAUSING THEM NOT TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. I'VE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURE AND WAS ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD NOT TAKE ACTION AS THE VEHICLES IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE TWO OTHER CARS THAT MUCH OLDER AND NEVER HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ODI 11319153

EARLIER THIS YEAR, WATER WAS NOTICED IN THE FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT. DEALER NOTIFIED ME THAT A SEAL WAS BROKEN AND THE UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ($2500+). 2 WEEKS LATER, THE FRONT RIGHT HEADLIGHT DID THE EXACT SAME THING. VEHICLE IS APPROX. 4.5 YEARS OLD WITH 55K MILES. SHOP FOREMAN TOLD ME THIS PARTICULAR MODEL IS KNOWN FOR THIS PROBLEM AND BMW IS AWARE AS WELL. I KNOW MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITH THIS VEHICLE THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THE DEFECTIVE SEAL IN THE HEADLIGHT UNITS FOR THIS MODEL PRESENT NUMEROUS SAFETY CONCERNS, THE MOST SERIOUS OF WHICH IS THE INABILITY TO SEE THE ROAD DUE TO THE MOISTURE BUILDUP. FURTHER, THE MOISTURE EVENTUALLY CAUSES THE BULBS TO GO BAD, PARTICULARLY THE TURN SIGNAL BULB WHERE THE MOISTURE FIRST ENTERS. OTHER VEHICLES CANNOT SEE THAT TURN SIGNAL OR HEADLIGHT. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE SEALS ON THESE HEADLIGHTS AS THEY NOT ONLY RENDER THE VEHICLE USELESS (UNABLE TO PASS STATE INSPECTIONS) BUT ALSO PRESENTS SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS DUE TO A LACK OF VISIBILITY, BOTH TO THE DRIVER AND OTHER DRIVERS.

NHTSA ODI 11091108