RoadVitals

1998 BMW 525I

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Sep 8, 1999
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 BMW 525I, most frequently naming the brakes and other / unspecified categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes150.0%
  • Other / unspecified150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Other / unspecified
Filed Sep 8, 1999

ASH TRAY.

NHTSA ID
6900289
Brakes
Filed Aug 18, 1999

WE ARE REPORTING A SIGNIFICANT BRAKE WEAR ON MINIMAL MILEAGE WITH VERY MODEST USAGE. WE WE ASKED BY THE DEALERSHIP NOT TO REPORT THIS TO THE NATIONAL OFFICE. WE HAVE , AS YET, NOT REPRTED THIS TO THE NATIOANL BMW OFFICE UNTIL WE FILED THIS REPORT AND RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM YOU REGARDING ANYOTHER SIGNIFICANT REPORTS OF BMW BREAK FAILURE OR EXTREME WEAR. WE HAVE HAD TWO PREVIOUSLY LEASED BMW'S THAT WERE DIRVEN THEIR FULL 36MON/36,000 MILES WITH NO BREAK PROBLEMS INCLUDING NO REPLACEMENT OF PADS OR ROTORS.

NHTSA ID
710137
Incident
Aug 18, 1999

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

B510819

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW 525I by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2011010
2010010
2009110
2008110
2007722044.5
2006773047.2
2005350245.1
2004840146.3
2003322052.6
2002284056.6
2001224059.9
2000010
1999100
1998Viewing200
1997000
1996000
1995243046.9
1994740
1993530
1992184057.0
1991134051.9
1990113052.1
1989420

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.