RoadVitals

1994 BMW 525IA Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
4
Latest Nov 19, 2012
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.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Sep 28, 1998

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1994 BMW 525IA. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

ElectricalEngineVisibility
Filed Nov 19, 2012
Fire reported

VEHICLE IN MOTION WITH DEFROST ON, SMOKE CAME FROM DEFROST VENT ON DASHBOARD, FILLING CAR INSTANTLY WITH SMOKE. PULLED OFF HIGHWAY, OPENED WINDOWS, SMOKE CLEARS THEN MOVED CAR APPROXIMATELY 200FT. OFF MAIN ROUTE TO SIDE STREET. SMOKE AND FLAMES IMMEDIATELY CAME OUT OF THE DEFROST VENT. USED 3 ABC FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, FAILING TO CONTAIN THE FIRE BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED WITH 2 PUMPERS, AND HAD TO USE AFFF FOAM TO MANAGE THE FIRE DUE TO HIGH AMOUNTS OF MAGNESIUM IN THE CAR. THE NEWLY PURCHASED CAR WAS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION, THE CAR AND CONTENTS ARE A TOTAL LOSS. RESEARCHED ON LINE, FOUND MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THE SAME EXACT ISSUE IN THIS MODEL, THIS WAS NOT UNIQUE. ALSO WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY REPORTS OF RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT. ALSO, WILL BE CONTACTING BMW OF NORTH AMERICA TODAY. *TR UPDATED 12/06/12*LJ

NHTSA ID
10485095
Incident
Nov 15, 2012
Mileage
165,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Oct 31, 2005
Fire reported

MY CAR BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE DRIVING. THE FLAMES WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE BACK SEAT. *NM

NHTSA ID
10141276
Incident
Oct 2, 2005
Mileage
100,000 mi
Engine
Filed Feb 3, 2000

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HEATER CORE FAILURE DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE RADIATOR CAP (98V-178) RECALL. *MJS

NHTSA ID
550702
Visibility
Filed Sep 28, 1998

RIGHT SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM CONTACT HOOD ON EACH DOWNSTROKE.

NHTSA ID
541768

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .