BMW 525I Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW 525I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLOW TO CHANGE GEARS INTERMITTENTLY. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH OVER A POTHOLE, THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITH FORCE. THE DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE REMAINED PARKED AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT LATER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V015000 (AIR BAGS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW 525I. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. AFTER TWO HOURS, THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE ON AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE COOLING FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 166,000. UPDATED 01/14/11*LJ

UPON ARRIVING HOME FROM 4 MILE ROUND TRIP LIGHT CITY TRAFFIC (25 MPH AVER SPEED), AND ENTERING BASE OF MY DRIVEWAY, MY WELL-SERVICED 2001 BMW 525I (60,000 MILES) SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING, ENGINE QUIT, BATTERY WARNING LIGHTING, AND "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON, AND LOUD CLANGING NOISE CAME FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. RESTARTED CAR TO PULL FROM STREET INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND SMOKE STARTING COMING OUT OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. SHUT CAR OFF AND OPENED HOOD, SAW STEAM COMING OUT OF COOLING SYSTEM EXPANSION TANK WHICH HAD CRACKED. NO MORE THAN 2 MINUTES OCCURRED FROM TIME PROBLEM STARTED UNTIL ENGINE SHUT OFF. UPON INVESTIGATION, ALL BELTS WERE SHREDDED AND BELT PULLEY DISC HAD COME OFF AND WAS SITTING AT BOTTOM OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. HAD CAR TOWED TO BMW DEALER NEXT DAY. ALTHOUGH NO INJURIES AND CAR IS COVERED BY WARRANTY, I AM REPORTING AS SAFETY PROBLEM AS DEALER SAID THAT PROBLEM COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC WITH ENGINE SUDDENLY QUITTING AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING. DEALER SAYS THAT UNUSUAL THAT BELT PULLEY WOULD FAIL AND SIMULTANEOUS CRACK WOULD OCCUR IN COOLING EXPANSION TANK, ALTHOUGH WOULD SEEM LOGICAL TO ME THAT LOSS OF WATER PUMP FUNCTION WOULD CAUSE HEAT/PRESSURE BACK UP AND CAUSE TANK TO BLOW. DEALER SAYS PROBLEM IS DUE TO WEAR ON PULLEY ROTATOR, WHICH WOULD CAUSE WOBBLING OVER TIME. MY SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING, CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING SMOOTHLY WITH NO INDICATION OF WOBBLING BELT (TOTAL SERVICE 3,000 MILES PRIOR) AND THIS WAS VERY SUDDEN. PULLEY SHOULD NOT COME OFF -- SOMEBODY COULD BE KILLED. NEW FAN WAS INSTALLED IN DEC 2001 PER RECALL. *TR

I PURCHASED MY USED 2001 BMW E39 525I TWO YRS AGO WITH MANY ISSUES AS EXPECTED WHEN I LEARNED IT WAS A "LEASE", PRIOR OWNER NEVER MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE. I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE FOR MONTHS "AIRBAG" LIGHT ON. PAID FOR MONTHS HAVING IT RESET, THEN I FINALLY I STARTED A SEARCH TO LOCATE A "RECALL FOR AIRBAG MODULE" FOR THIS MODEL. I CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA IMMEDIATELY THAT I'M THE NEW OWNER (THEY HAD NO RECORD OF WHO WAS THE OWNER) I WAS GIVEN DIRECTION HOW TO HANDLE, VEHICLE TAKEN TO A SERVICE CENTER, REPAIRED MADE. TWO MONTHS LATE, AIRBAG LIGHT ON AGAIN, PAID FOR ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC, THIS TIME TO BE TOLD SOMETHING DIFFERENT, "STAGE 1-RESISTANCE TOO HIGH". WHAT IS THAT? I WAS TOLD THE AIRBAG AND IT'S COMPONENTS WERE TESTED, DID NOT FIND ANYTHING DEFECTED, CODE RESET, ALL OK BUT WAS TOLD IF AIRBAG LIGHT COME AGAIN, STRONG POSSIBILITY "DRIVER WHEEL AIRBAG" WILL NEED TO BE REPLACE WHICH IS UNUSUAL. THE NEXT DAY, THE LIGHT BACK ON. BACK TO THE SVC CENTER, TOLD IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, IF NOT, THE CHANCES ARE THE AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY. I'M QUITE UPSET. THAT EVENING OF 12/19/09, I STARTED SEARCHING, CAME ACROSS SEVERAL BLOGGING SITES ABOUT BMW AIRBAG. I CAME ACROSS 18 OWNERS WITH THE SAME MAKE,MODEL AND YR HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA WITH MY FINDING, THERE IS NO RECALL ON AND NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNLESS "SAFETY" IS INVOLVED. I EMPHASIZED MY CONCERN OF WHAT I HAVE READ AND WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE SVC TECH ABOUT NOT DEPLOYING. I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE, WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR NHTSA TO CONDUCT A INVESTIGATION ON THIS? I CONTACTED A REP WITH BMW NORTH AMERICA AGAIN 12/28/09, ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, REPLY, "NO". I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER. I ASKING YOUR ASSISTANCE IF THERE ARE ANY RECORDS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION OF OWNERS WITH THE IDENTICAL MODEL, MAKE AND YR THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A MVA AND THEIR DRIVER WHEEL AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY AND MAYBE WERE NOT AWARE OF A "FAULT ISSUE" IN THIS MODEL? *TR

ABS / DSC CONTROL UNIT FAILURE . TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME , STABILITY CONTROL IS INOPERABLE. *TR

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES WHEN WET, BRAKE PEDAL BECOMES VERY HARD TO PUSH. A SQUISHING SOUND CAN BE HEARD AS THE BRAKE IS APPLIED AND PEDAL MOVES TO THE FLOOR BOARD. ONLY HAPPENS WHEN BRAKE IS VERY WET (COMING OUT OF CARWASH, ALSO HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES DURING A HARD RAIN.) TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT TO PUSH DOWN ON BRAKE PEDAL AND BRING CAR TO A STOP. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW 525I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING WHEN HE SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. HE HAD TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR IT TO STOP. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 11/15/07 *TR

I HAVE 2001 BMW 525I. I WENT TO DEALER SERVICE SO MANY TIMES TO FIX MY PROBLEM CONCERN. THEY WON'T FIX IT AND SAID THAT "NO CUSTOMERS COMPLAINT DUPLICATED" ALL THE TIMES. AFTER DONE MY FIRST 15000 MILES SERVICE AT DEALER, "EML" LIGHTS CAME UP AND I SENT MY CAR TO DEALER IMMIDIATELY. THEY CHANGED "TROTTLE BODY" BECAUSE THEY SAID, IT'S BURNED. AFTER THAT REPAIR, MY CAR HAS ALIGNMENT, TROTTLE, ACCELATION AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. ALSO THEY REPLACE THE FAN BY RECALL. NOW MY CAR CONDITIONS ARE POOR. I PRESS THE GAS PEDDAL FOR ACCELATION, RPM'S GOING HIGH AND BIG IDLE SOUND I CAN HEAR. AND, OVER 80 DEGREE TEMP. BIG BIG IDLES. ALSO DECELATION IS NOT WORKING. SPEED WON'T REDUCE UNTIL I BRAKED. CAR RIDING QUALITY'S GETTING POOR AND POOR. SUSPENSION CAN'T ABSORB ROADS BUMPS. AT THE SAME TIME, I HEAR SO MANY CLICKING NOISE FROM DOOR FRAMES. IT FEELS LIKE WHERE I DRIVE AT OFF-ROAD. ALSO, I CHECKED ALIGNMENT BY MACHINE. IT WAS REALLY OFF-SET. THE CAMBER, CAST AND TOE WAS BAD. THEY PERFORM THE ALIGNMENT JOB. BUT STILL POOR. I SUFFER WITH THOSE PROBLEMS ABOUT A YEAR ALREADY. RECENTLY I FELT THAT STEERING WHEEL IS SHAKING AND I FELT A VIBRATION FROM FROM FLOOR OF DRIVER SIDE. ALSO BADLY, FRONT LOW HEAD BEAM IS TOO DIM AND NOT BLIGHTER THAN BEFORE. IT CAUSE, HARD TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. I THINK, MY CAR HAS ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, TROTTLE AND SOME JUNCTION PROBLEM FROM ENGINE THRU AXLE. TODAY I CATCH ANOTHER THING. WHEN I TURN ON THE ENGINE, I HEARD RUFFLE SOUND FROM BOTTOM OF ENGINE ROOM AND BIG ENGINE NOISE. PLEASE REVIEW MY COMPLIANT AND WHAT REALLY SHOULD DO?*AK

ODOMETER ON VEHICLE IS NOT READING SPEED CORRECTLY. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.AK