BMW 650I Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

DURING ROUTINE SERVICE LAST MONTH, LOCAL BMW DEALER FOUND THE DRIVE SHAFT REAR GUIBO/FLEXIBLE DISC WAS CRACKING AND RECOMMENDED IMMEDIATE ACTION. IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM AS WAS RECALLED ON OTHER BMW MODELS (SEE RECALL CAMPAIGN 17V-067). I REPORTED IT TO BMW BUT BMW REFUSED TO TAKE ANY ACTION OR TO ASSIST. COST TO FIX IS ALMOST $1000. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT IF NOT FIXED, THE DRIVE SHAFT COULD SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE. YIKES! I BELIEVE BMW SHOULD FIX/RECALL THIS. THE ORIGINAL MSRP ON THIS CAR WAS OVER $103,000 - IN MY OPINION, THIS DEFECT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON SUCH A CAR, ESPECIALLY AT ONLY 57,000 MILES.

THE POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR HORN. (2) CAMERAS IGNITION COILS FOR MISFIRES. FUEL INJECTORS. FUEL SYSTEM PARTS TURBO SYSTEM FAILURE.

BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW ON 6/10/14 IN ILLINOIS. AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE THE DEALER TRIED TO SELL ME 10K WORTH OF ADDITIONAL WARRANTIES. I ASKED WHICH ONE(S) I REALLY NEEDED AND THEY SAID YOU NEED THE TIRE WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS 12K MILES ON IT. HAVE HAD THREE SEPARATE INCIDENTS OF BROKEN TIRES. TWO IN SUMMER OF 2014 AND ONE IN APRIL OF 2015. ALL THREE TOOK PLACE ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS CAUSED BY IMPACTING HOLES IN THE PAVEMENT. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW NATIONAL AND THEY CLAIM IT IS DUE TO BAD GOODYEAR TIRES. ODDLY ENOUGH THEY INSIST ON REPLACING THEM WITH THE SAME TIRE. THEY ARE CHARGING ABOUT $450/TIRE AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT A TIRE OF THAT QUALITY CAN BE THAT DEFECTIVE. BETWEEN THE DEALER TELLING ME THAT YOU REALLY NEED THE TIRE WARRANTY, ANOTHER DEALER AND TOW TRUCK DRIVER TELLING ME THAT THESE CARS ARE BEING BROUGHT IN CONSTANTLY FOR BLOWN TIRES I DON'T THINK IT IS THE TIRES. I THINK IT IS DEFECTIVE DESIGN ON THE PART OF BMW. THE 19" WHEELS ARE SO BIG THAT THEY REQUIRE A 40 SERIES TIRE WHICH MEAN THERE IS JUST TOO LITTLE SIDEWALL TO TAKE EVERYDAY INTERSTATE STRESS. KEEP IN MIND ALL HAPPENED DURING FAIR WEATHER DRIVING, NOT WINTER. BMW THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL TO PUT OEM 19" WHEELS ON THE CAR WITHOUT CONSIDERING WHETHER THESE WHEELS, REQUIRING EXTREMELY LOW PROFILE 40 SERIES TIRES, ON A HIGH PERFORMANCE CAR CAN HANDLE COMMON INTERSTATE ROAD ISSUES WITHOUT CAUSING PLY SEPARATIONS OR COMPLETELY BLOWING OUT. THESE BLOWOUTS ARE REALLY DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I BELIEVE BMW SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND REPLACE THE TIRES AND WHEELS WITH ONES THAT CAN HANDLE COMMON INTERSTATE ROAD CONDITIONS. CURRENTLY THEY TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT IS OBVIOUSLY THEIR DESIGN PROBLEM. BY BLAMING THE TIRE MANUFACTURER THEY GET COMPLETELY OFF THE HOOK AND THE NHTSA (SAFERCAR) NEEDS TO DO AN INVESTIGATION AND REQUIRE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

GOODYEAR EAGLE LS 2 RUN ON FLAT TIRES (245/40R19) DEVELOPED SIDEWALL BUBBLES ON 3 TIRES OVER 9KMILES. NO RIM DAMAGE, NOT EVEN A SCRATCH. I DID NOT HIT ANY MAJOR POTHOLES. THE ONLINE CUSTOMER REVIEWS ALSO CITE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE WITH SIDE WALL BUBBLES.(SEE TIRERACK REVIEWS OF THIS TIRE). THE NHTSA COMPLAINT FORM ONLY ALLOWS FOR 1 COMPLAINT BUT THREE OF MY TIRES FAILED AT SEPARATE TIMES IN THE SAME MANNER. THE 1ST TIRE FAILED AT 6K, SECOND AT 9K AND THE LAST ONE AT 12K. *TR

Presently this vehicle has 57,000 miles on it. It began having issues with a drivetrain malfunction warning back in 2021. Reported on complaint # 11427753. To date I have had to have fuel injectors replaced, a catalytic converter, the transfer case, two high pressure fuel pumps and an O2 sensor to resolve issues. Approximately $15,000.00 in repairs over the last 20k miles. This particular engine is known to have issues with excessive oil consumption. I had the same issues with a 2012 BMW 550GT which at 102,000 miles I was forced to get rid of the vehicle as BMW told me the only way to fix the car was to replace the engine at a cost of $23,000.

BMW issues a customer care package regarding issues with the fuel injectors. I originally had to have #8 injector replaced. Shortly after leaving dealership the check engine light came on. To find out now that the catalytic converter on that side of the engine needed replaced ($3400) which they would not provide any assistance on, even though it was most likely caused by the excess fuel being passed through. The car had 38,558 miles on it at the time but was two months passed the 8 year warranty!!!! At 51,875 miles, problem had existed for several thousand miles. The dealership replaced the oxygen censor and a partial flush of the transfer case fluid. Did not resolve the problem, had to have transfer case replaced. $5400. It is currently in for repair as check engine light came on and car was showing a drive train malfunction alert. Using a code reader it was showing a failure of fuel injectors, 1, 2 and three. I can only imagine they are going to tell me that the catalytic converter on that side now needs replaced. Regardless of the age of the vehicle, a car with 54,000 miles on it should not require this level of repairs and failures !!

Due to ongoing issues with the BMW N--63 engine which is known for excessive oil use! They claim that one quart per 750-1000 miles is normal ???Car now stutters on acceleration, BMW serviced the vehicle, changing transfer case fluid ( All fluid was not able to be exchanged without removing the transfer case and that was not done )and recalibrated transfer box. Replaced O2 Sensor as well. Repairs did not solve the issue, slight improvement but stuttering continues. Now they say that to resolve this the transfer case would need replaced !! This car has 52,000 miles on it! Due to the failing fuel injectors the catalytic converter needed replaced at 44,000 miles at a cost of $3,000.00. BMW will never admit to issues with their vehicles. I have owned 8 BMW's and have been through this with most of them!

BMW voluntarily came out with an extended warranty for faulty fuel injectors (not a recall). Warning of drive train malfunction came on, vehicle would barely run. Dealer determined that #8 fuel injector was the problem and was replaced. The fuel injection shuts down during DT malfunction so all fuel is not being burned. A short time after leaving dealership the check engine light came on (less than . Now I have a bad catalytic converter, BMW states that is not covered as a related repair because it was not done at the time of the fuel injector repair?? The catalytic converter is covered for 8 years or 80,000 miles. My car had 38,000 miles but was 8yrs 4 months old?? BMW refuses to assist with repair which seems to be a direct result of the acknowledgement of the problem with the fuel injectors?? Also had a failed fuel injector on VIN[XXX] which was not covered by the extended warranty! INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I'VE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, WHICH HAVE BEEN QUITE DISAPPOINTING. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHT POPPED UP JUST AROUND 52K MILES, IT HAD A ROUGH IDLE, MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRES AND WOULD GO LIMP OFTEN. WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP IN KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, WHERE THEY TOLD ME AFTER DIAGNOSTICS THEY WERE NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE COILS/SPARK PLUGS. CHANGED OUT BOTH OF THOSE AND IT RAN GOOD FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. 58K MILES, 65KMILES , 70K MILES AND NOW 85-90K MILES ALL HAVE HAD THIS DRIVETRAIN PROBLEM. THE CAR IS NOW AT 92K MILES AND IS ROUGH IDLING AND MISFIRING OFTEN AGAIN. OTHER THINGS TO NOTE, THE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD (COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY), AUXILIARY RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED, AND I HAVE CHANGED ALL COILS AND SPARK PLUGS TWICE IN THE LAST 2 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. ALL DRIVETRAIN PROBLEMS HAPPEN WHILE IN MOTION (MISFIRES) AND ROUGH IDLES WHEN STATIONARY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 650I. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, THE DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SEIZED IN MOVING TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO THE FORWARD OR REVERSE GEARS. THE VEHICLE LOST MOTIVE POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO PASSPORT BMW (LOCATED AT 4730 AUTH PL, SUITLAND-SILVER HILL, MD 20746, (301) 423-2700) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,300. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

PRIOR TO 4/3/2018 ON APPROXIMATELY 4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE STARTED AND IDLED ROUGH. ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RE-STARTED AND RAN SMOOTH. ON 4/3/2018 THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND IN TRAFFIC AND WOULD NOT RESTART. ALL ENGINE POWER WAS LOST (NO POWER STEERING, NO FORWARD MOTION) BUT ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS WERE OK. TOWED CAR TO BMW DEALER WHERE THEY FOUND (2) HIGH PRESSURE AND (1) LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURES WHICH WERE REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. NO OTHER ISSUES WERE DISCOVERED THROUGH THE INSPECTION AND REPAIRS. ON 5/22/2018 (PM) UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE IT RAN ROUGH. WE TRIED TO STOP AND RESTART BUT IT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. ON 5/23/18 (AM) THE VEHICLE STARTED PROPERLY AND WAS TAKEN INTO TO THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. ON EACH OCCASION NOTED ABOVE THE DISPLAY SCREEN PROMPTS WITH THE DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION MESSAGE, BUT CHECKING THE ON-BOARD VEHICLE STATUS ALL SYSTEMS ARE "OK". REDUCED POWER AND/OR COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER IN A CRITICAL SITUATION COULD PROVE TO BE DISASTROUS. CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AND POTENTIAL RISK THE FACTORY SHOULD ELEVATE THIS COMPLAINT TO A RECALL STATUS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT (IF THAT HASN'T ALREADY HAPPENED).

WHILE DRIVING, SUDDENLY THE CAR WILL START SHAKING WITH IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER AND THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. THE MAIN SCREEN DISPLAYS "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION: DRIVE MODERATELY. MAXIMUM DRIVETRAIN OUTPUT NOT AVAILABLE. CONSULT SERVICE CENTER" DURING THE MALFUNCTION THE CAR HAS SIGNIFICANT SHAKING, LOSES NEARLY MOST POWER AND THE CAR MUST COME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP ANDTHE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE TURNED OFF. BMW DOES NOT HAVE A FIX TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS THEY REPLACE DIFFERENT PARTS. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME IT HAPPENED SINCE I PURCASED THE CAR AND IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY.

DRIVING 20 MINS AT 65-70 MPH, UPON COMING TO A STOP OR SLOWING DOWN CAR VIBRATES AND STUMBLES,WARNING LIGHTS APPEAR.. FUEL SYSTEM, DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTIONS LIGHTS COME ON VEHICLE DISPLAY AND CAR SHUTS LOSES POWER. ONLY ALLOWING TO COAST OR BECOME DEAD IN THE ROAD.VERY HARD TO CLEAR LANES OF TRAFFIC DUE TO LOSE OF POWER STEERING.CAR UNABLE TO MOVE OR START.