There are 2 stored owner reports matching the visibility & wipers leading-label group for the 2004 BMW 5 Series in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)JUNE 2007. WHEN STARTING THE CAR, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRONIC SYSTEM ISSUED ALERTS, AND INTERRUPTED FUNCTION OF SEVERAL SUBSYSTEMS INCLUDING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, ELECTRONIC DISPLAY, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND REDUCED STEERING. THE DISPLAY FLASHED, "CONTINUED DRIVING NOT POSSIBLE" AND THEN FURTHER ALERTS. THE CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE IN A HEAVY RAIN WHEN THE WATER ENTERED THE CAR. THE BMW CENTER EXAMINED THE CAR AND STATED THAT WATER HAD ENTERED THE CAR THROUGH A UNKNOWN LOCATION. THE REAR RIGHT PASSENGER SEAT, REAR RIGHT PASSENGER FLOOR, AND TRUNK WERE FILLED WITH WATER. THE PLACEMENT OF THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS WAS IN TO BOTTOM OF THE TRUNK. THAT IS WHERE ALL THE WATER COLLECTED AND CAUSE MAJOR ELECTRICAL DAMAGE. BMW STATED THAT THE ITEMS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CONTROL UNIT WAS MOVED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUNK TO PREVENT THIS ISSUE IN THE FUTURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FLOOD WAS NOT IDENTIFIED. CAR PARKED IN GARAGE GOING FORWARD. SECOND MAJOR INCIDENT OCT 2011 . WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A HEAVY RAIN, WATER ENTERED THE CAR AND FLOODED THE CAR. UPON ENTERING THE CAR,I NOTICED THE WET ROOF LINER. MOISTURE WAS CONCENTRATED IN ONE SPOT. I CALLED BMW TO ASK IF THE WINDOW, DOOR, OR SUNROOF COULD BE DAMAGED AND CAUSE THE FLOOD IN MY CAR. THEY SAID YES AND TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR DIAGNOSIS. I ASKED IF THIS WAS CHECKED THE FIRST TIME THE CAR FLOODED AND THE ANSWER WAS NO. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH UNCOVERED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THE SUNROOF DRAIN LINES CLOGGING AND CAUSING THE EXACT SAME INTERAL ELECTRICAL AND WATER DAMAGE THAT HAPPENED TO MAY CAR. THE DRAIN SYSTEM IS CONCEALED WITHIN THE ROOF AND IS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO CAR OWNER. THE COMBINATION OF THE DEFECTIVE DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS AT THE POINT OF WATER COLLECTION PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD. THESE ITEMS NEED TO BE RESOLVED BY BMW. *KB
I HAVE NOW REPLACED 4 WINDSHIELDS ON MY CAR WITHIN THE LAST 2 YEARS. THIS IS ON THE SAME ROAD THAT I HAVE COMMUTED ON FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. THE WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENTS STARTED WITH THE PURCHASE OF THIS CAR. 3 PREVIOUS CARS DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Aug 30, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.