There are 5 stored owner reports matching the lighting leading-label group for the 2002 BMW X5 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 5 of 5 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TAIL LAMP FAILURE. WARNING SYSTEM INDICATED LAMP FAILURE. THE FAILURE TURNED OUT TO BE LAMP CIRCUIT ASSEMBLY, AND NOT BULB. REPEATED FAILURES UNTIL I REPAIRED REAR LAMP ASSEMBLY ON MY OWN. BMW WOULD ONLY SUGGEST REPLACING ENTIRE LAMP ASSEMBLY AT SUBSTANTIAL COST. UPDATED 09/15/11 *TR
I DRIVE A 2002 BMW X-5. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED AND FRUSTRATED BY THE FAILURE OF A BASIC COMPONENT OF MY AUTO. ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS THERE HAVE BEEN ELECTRICAL SHORTS IN BOTH FRONT TURN SIGNALS AND ONE OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS. AT 58,315 MILES THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL BULB AND SOCKET BURNED AT CONTACTS AND WAS REPLACED FOR $126.25. AT 85,549 MILES THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL BULB AND SOCKET BURNED OUT AND WAS REPLACED FOR $133.89. AT 88,685 MILES THE LEFT BRAKE LIGHT IS SHORTED OUT. THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PART IN STOCK BUT THE REPAIR WAS QUOTED TO BE $239.00. THE SECOND FAILURE ACTUALLY HAPPENED AS I WAS DRIVING IN A HEAVY RAIN STORM. THE OTHER TWO FAILURES JUST SHOWED UP ON THE CAR'S DIAGNOSTIC SELF CHECK AT START UP. IT SEEMS THE LIGHT FIXTURES AND WIRING ARE PRONE TO WATER EXPOSURE THAT RESULTS IN THE ELECTRICAL SHORT. PERHAPS IT IS FAULTY DESIGN OR SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS. *JB
XENON HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO BRIGHT, BLIND ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THESE HEADLIGHTS SHOULD BE BANNED! WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HEADLIGHT STANDARDS.
I DRIVE 3,000 MILES PER MONTH AND I'M TIRED OF BEING BLINDED BY BMW'S HID LIGHTS. NO MATTER IF THEY ARE COMING TOWARDS ME OR BEHIND THEY ARE TOO BRIGHT! OTHER MANUFACTURERS DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE X5 SUV IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST VEHICLE MADE TO DRIVE IN FRONT OF AT NIGHT. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OVER TO AVOID BEING BLINDED.THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURED IN THE THREE DIFFERENT VEHCILES THAT I DRIVE, SO HEIGHT OF MY VEHICLE IS NOT A CONTRIBUTING FACOR. I FEEL THAT THESE LIGHTS ARE DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE REDESIGNED
VEHICLE HAS EXTREMELY BRIGHT DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WHICH ARE VERY DISTRACTING FOR OTHER DRIVERS.*AK *JG
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: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.