2023 BMW 330I

I own a 2023 BMW 330i xDrive. The factory passenger-side/right-front inner LED daytime running light has failed while the other headlight functions continue to operate normally. The vehicle has not been involved in a collision, the headlight has not been physically damaged, and no aftermarket DRL or headlight components have been installed. The affected factory BMW/HELLA right-front headlamp is BMW part number 63 11 7 886 944 (63117886944), with HELLA number 7886664-03 and HELLA assembly number 1EX 016.437-46. I was advised that correcting the failed integrated DRL may require replacement of the complete headlight assembly rather than replacement of a simple bulb or inexpensive serviceable lighting component. This makes the repair extremely expensive. Even used OEM assemblies can cost close to $2500+, while a new OEM headlight, labor, programming/coding, and related components can make the total repair cost substantially higher. I am concerned that an integrated LED daytime running light is failing prematurely and potentially forcing owners to replace an entire expensive headlight assembly because one DRL element has stopped functioning. I have also seen reports from other BMW owners experiencing similar DRL and LED headlight failures. BMW has previously issued technical service information involving LED daytime running light/headlight failures on BMW vehicles where the affected headlamp and LED module required replacement. Because this is an exterior lighting component intended to improve vehicle visibility and because the failure can result in a very costly headlight replacement, I believe this issue should be reviewed as a potential recurring defect. I am requesting that NHTSA compare this complaint with other exterior-lighting, headlight, and daytime-running-light complaints involving 2023–2024 BMW 3 Series/G20 vehicles and determine whether there is a pattern of premature DRL failure that warrants a defect investigation or safety recall.

The contact owns a 2023 BMW 330I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V056000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owned a 2023 BMW 525i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the mouth of the garage, his foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator pedal, and he drove through the rear garage wall into the kitchen and crashed into the concrete block. The electrical circuit was damaged. The brake and accelerator pedals were too close together. While driving across the street, his foot slipped off the brake pedal and onto the accelerator pedal. There were no reported injuries, fire, or air bag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven from the crash site and placed on the flatbed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The fluids were leaking from the vehicle. The contact consulted with an independent mechanic. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was called, but there was no response. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. The VIN was not available.

Several 2023 BMW models now feature a new infotainment system called iDrive 8. This new iDrive 8 contains a crucial bug that I believe affects the safety of the driver. This new infotainment system randomly loses the car’s exact GPS location, which makes the car think it’s somewhere else. The location marker just slowly drifts away from its real coordinates to nearby roads for example, without any warning or indication. The problem occurs randomly with no identifiable pattern. When connected to Apple Carplay, the iPhone uses the car’s location. If the problem (location drift) occurs while driving in the city, the driver might receive false directions from the navigation app due to the wrong GPS location, which might lead to wrong way turns into one-way streets. Furthermore, since the car thinks it is located somewhere different than its real location, in the event of an accident or whenever the SOS button is engaged, first responders will get a false location of the car. For example, the car might be on the highway but first responders will get a location indicating the car is in the middle of a nearby lake. Since iPhone uses a car-provided location, in the event of an accident the iPhone 14’s crash detection feature will also be sending first responders an incorrect location. To sum it up, the new infotainment system keeps randomly losing the car’s real location, which leads navigation apps to give the driver wrong directions when using Apple Carplay, which might lead to death if the driver gets instructed to do a wrong-way turn into a one-way street for example. In the event of a crash, the car will be sending wrong coordinates to first responders which might cause significant delays to their response and might lead to the death of the injured people. BMW acknowledged the problem, said there’s no fix at the moment and no timeline for a fix.