1996 BMW 840Ci Problems

Complaint Reported

Complaints by Component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING

1 complaint

The Lighting Control Board Module (LKM) of the 1996 BMW 840Ci failed in a manner that caused it to catch fire even though the vehicle was not running at the time, and in fact had not been driven in several days. The fire damaged surrounding modules and wiring inside the passenger compartment of the car, and filled the garage with smoke, necessitating dispatch of the local fire department. The failure happened in the early morning hours and was only discovered by chance that allowed the fire to be put out before the car became fully involved, which could have burned the house down and killed the sleeping occupants. The failure appears to involve the electromechanical relay for the Fog Lights that actuates the lights and powers the board uncommanded - requiring fully disconnecting both batteries in the trunk to remove power from the board, and has been reported on user forums multiple times, including at least one other fire with similar burn patterns reported. No spare parts for this board are available from the manufacturer, so all existing vehicles may eventually see this failure The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or insurance (no policy covers this failure, and the vehicle is out of warranty), and there were NO warning lights or behavior given by the vehicle in the time before the failure.

Jul 17, 2022

Fire: 1

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4.2/5.0

101 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 1996 BMW 840Ci have?

The 1996 BMW 840Ci currently has 1 owner-reported complaint according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 1996 BMW 840Ci?

The most common problems reported for the 1996 BMW 840Ci are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 1996 BMW 840Ci problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 1996 BMW 840Ci comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.