2011 X5 E70-"License Plate Lamp Malfunction"?

[greg328]

For a few weeks now I've had this iDrive screen warning, "License Plate Lamp Malfunction", plus the "light bulb" icon in the dash behind the steering wheel.

I checked the rear fuse block--that fuse chart is somewhat apocryphal, but I think I saw a symbol that "might" be a license plate, so I checked those 3 fuses. All were good. Have not tried the front passenger-underdash fuse block yet.

So, my questions are:
1) Has anybody seen this before? I did a site-wide search here and found nothing involving X5s and failing license plate lighting. I did a Google search and found a few mentions of other BMW models suffering this same thing, but most of those cases were caused by damaged wiring from the trunk movement. I checked the harness on my hatch, perfectly healthy inside the rubber sleeve.

2) Are there fuses in the front fuse block responsible for license plate lights? I guess I can dig in there, but wanted to ask here first.

3) I checked the license plate lights with main lights switched on and indeed they are both off. What are the odds that both bulbs could be burned out?

4) Anybody have any ideas they could share with me to resolve this one?

Thanks in advance,
Greg
Austin TX

[jandref321]

They aren't like the old xmas tree lights which killed the whole string if one went out are they? lol...maybe one was already out and when the other blew the malfunction came up? I'd try replacing them both with no error LED ones and then trouble shoot from there. That way you get an upgrade and work on fixing the problem. Maybe look at the grounds in the rear. The fuse could be hiding in the passenger panel or in the rear end also.

[jandref321]

Just searched online a bit and checked out my fuses. Fusesdiagram.com lists out the names but still doesn't have a specific fuse for the license plate lights. Might be wired into the hatch motor fuse 99,121,135 or any of the interior or exterior lights. I imagine that would cause other errors though. There are two wire looms that run into the D pillars...they could be cut just after they run into the pillars. Check the grounds to the left of the fuse box to see if any wires popped out.

[greg328]

Thanks much, great info! By the way, I tried to pop out the 2 clear bulb cover housings over the license plate via the slots and a small flat screwdriver; couldn't get them out. Is there a secret to getting these out?

Thanks again,
Greg
Austin TX

[halcyon026]

I've had a turn signal start doing this. It seemed to just be the contact points. I used a small screwdriver and bent the metal pins around a bit, put it back in, and it stopped giving me the message.

[getafewlives]

Here's a random video I found on how to remove them:

I replaced mine with LED ones and have had zero issues:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2Pcs...608.0.0.UbL4Ce

[greg328]

Just ordered, thank you! And great video! you guys are great..
Greg