1995 BMW 530I Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1995 BMW 530I, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Interior & seats342.9%
- Electrical228.6%
- Airbags114.3%
- Tires & wheels114.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT DEFECTIVE. CONFIRMED BY DEALER VOLUNTARY RECALL NOTED BY BMW OF NORTH AMERICA BUT WILL NOT GIVE VIN NUMBERS AFFECTED. STATE VEHICLE NOT AFFECTED BUT DEALER DOES ADMIT THESE SENSOR WERE CHANGED UNDER WARRANTY. REQUESTING EXACT VIN NUMBERS AFFECTED I CANNOT GET ANSWERS NOW REQUESTING FROM YOU. NOTE BMW OF NORTH AMERICA SITER INFORMATION ON RECALL HTTP:/WWW.BMWUSA.COM/STANDARD/CONTENT/CONTACTUS/VOLUNTARYRECALL.ASPX. *TR
FRONT SEATS ROCK ON THE RAILS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
AFTER WASHING MY CAR I LOST A HUB CAP WHILE DRIVING. MY CAR WAS HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING UP TO 50 MPH. I WOULD HAVE TO PUT IT IN 4TH GEAR FOR IT TO KICK BACK INTO A GOOD SPEED. IT WAS A HOT DAY AND I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION TO GET A DRINK. LIKE NORMAL, I ROLLED UP MY WINDOWS. BUT DID NOT CLOSE MY SUNROOF. I TRIED TO PROCEED TO GET OUT OF MY CAR BUT COULD NOT. MY WINDOWS WERE LOCKED IN THE UP POSITION, THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GET ANY POWER WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNIGESTION, LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO STAND UP AND ASK SOMEBODY WALKING BY TO STICK MY KEY IN THE KEY LOCK ON MY DOOR TO LET ME OUT. I COULD NOT START MY CAR AFTER IT BEING PARKED FOR A 1/2 HOUR. COMES TO FIND OUT IT IS THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. AND THE LAST THING THAT OCCOURED TO ME WHILE I HAVE HAD MY CAR IS THAT I RAN OUT OF GAS WHEN THE COMPUTER SCREEN STATED I HAD 3 MILES BEFORE I RAN OUT OF GAS. *JB
(1) WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE THE DOORS WERE LOCKED INADVERTANTLY WHILE TRYING TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE LOCK, WHIHC ENGAGED THE ANTI-THEFT DEVICE. ALL THE DOORS TO THE VEHICLE BESIDES THE THE DRIVERS SIDE WAS CLOSED. ONCE COMPLETELY ENTERING THE VEHICLE, THE DOOR WAS CLOSED AND THE CAR REFUSED TO TURN OVER, THE WINDOWS WOULD NOT LET DOWN THE SUNROOF WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND COULD NOT ACCOMPLISH ANY OF THESE TASK. THE DASH BOARD WAS SHOWING A STRONG LIGHT SO IT WAS NOT THE BATTERY. I CALLED A WRECKER SERVICE TO ATTEMPT TO ASSITST WITH MY REMOVAL FROM THE CAR, AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO UNLUCK THE DOOR WHICH IS SECURED BY A DOUBLE LOCK LATCH WHICH WILL NOT LET YOU OPEN THE DOOR ONCE THE ANTI-THEFT DEVICE IS ENGAGED. THE WRECKER SERVICE AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO TRY TO FORCE THE WINDOW DOWN INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO (1) BREAK THE WINDOW OR TWO ATTEMPT TO BY-PASS OR RESET THE UNIT MYSELF. THEY SLIPPED SOMETHING THROUGH A CRACK IN THE WINDOW AND I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE BACK SEAT AND UN-HOOK THE BATTERY WHICH IS LOCATED THERE AND REMOVE THE FUSE FROM THE DEVICE. AFTER 10 MINUTES IT RESET ITSELF AND I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND ROLL THE WIDOW DOWN. ONCE THE WINDOWS WERE DOWN I HAD TO USE THE KEY TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, BY UNLOCKING IT FROMT HE OUTSIDE. AFTER I RETURNED HOME THAT NIGHT I DID A SEARCH AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE AND LOCATED A RECALL FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM FOR A SIMILAR VEHICLE. THAT NUMBER IS 94V219000. MY CAR IS A 1995 BMW 530I SERIES, MANUFACTORED MARCH 1994.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT DEFECTIVE. CONFIRMED BY DEALER VOLUNTARY RECALL NOTED BY BMW OF NORTH AMERICA BUT WILL NOT GIVE VIN NUMBERS AFFECTED. STATE VEHICLE NOT AFFECTED BUT DEALER DOES ADMIT THESE SENSOR WERE CHANGED UNDER WARRANTY. REQUESTING EXACT VIN NUMBERS AFFECTED I CANNOT GET ANSWERS NOW REQUESTING FROM YOU. NOTE BMW OF NORTH AMERICA SITER INFORMATION ON RECALL HTTP:/WWW.BMWUSA.COM/STANDARD/CONTENT/CONTACTUS/VOLUNTARYRECALL.ASPX. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
AFTER WASHING MY CAR I LOST A HUB CAP WHILE DRIVING. MY CAR WAS HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING UP TO 50 MPH. I WOULD HAVE TO PUT IT IN 4TH GEAR FOR IT TO KICK BACK INTO A GOOD SPEED. IT WAS A HOT DAY AND I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION TO GET A DRINK. LIKE NORMAL, I ROLLED UP MY WINDOWS. BUT DID NOT CLOSE MY SUNROOF. I TRIED TO PROCEED TO GET OUT OF MY CAR BUT COULD NOT. MY WINDOWS WERE LOCKED IN THE UP POSITION, THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GET ANY POWER WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNIGESTION, LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO STAND UP AND ASK SOMEBODY WALKING BY TO STICK MY KEY IN THE KEY LOCK ON MY DOOR TO LET ME OUT. I COULD NOT START MY CAR AFTER IT BEING PARKED FOR A 1/2 HOUR. COMES TO FIND OUT IT IS THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. AND THE LAST THING THAT OCCOURED TO ME WHILE I HAVE HAD MY CAR IS THAT I RAN OUT OF GAS WHEN THE COMPUTER SCREEN STATED I HAD 3 MILES BEFORE I RAN OUT OF GAS. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .