2006 BMW 550I Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 550I. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V428000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 184,000.

NHTSA ID

11541934

Incident

Aug 28, 2023

Mileage

184,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING HOME AND FELT THE CAR LEANING TO ONE SIDE (PASSENGER SIDE) I DROVE SLOWLY WITH HAZARD LIGHTS ON MADE IT HOME AND CHECKED UNDER VEHICLE LOOKED LIKED THE BOLT CAME OFF AND BAR CONNECTED TO TIRE WAS DROPPED HAD IT TOWED TO SHOP AND WAS TOLD CONTROL ARM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED . ANOTHER SITUATION I HAD WITH MY CAR WAS THE COOLING SYSTEM AND THE OIL I WAS BUYING BOTTLES OF COOLANT AND OIL WEEKLY TOOK IT INTO SHOP AND WAS TOLD COMPLETE COOLING SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS I WAS DRIVING HOME CAR STARTED TO OVERHEAT SO I STOPPED AS RECOMMENDED AND LET IT COOL MADE IT HOME THEN HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO SHOP THEY ORDERED ALL PARTS AND HOSES FOR COOLING SYSTEM NOW MY CAR SMOKE AT THE EXHAUST WHEN SITTING IDLE FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN WHEN I PUSH ON THE GAS BIG CLOUDS OF WHITE SMOKE COME FROM EXHAUST. *TR

NHTSA ID

11321429

Incident

Oct 9, 2019

Mileage

142,764 mi

NEXEN TIRES N5000 PLUS SIDEWALL ON ALL TIRES ARE STARTING TO CRACK AND SPLIT WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES AND 24 MONTHS OF USE. GOING TO REPLACE TIRES WITH ANOTHER BRAND AND REMOVE THESE DUE TO UNSAFE AND POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF TIRES COMING APART OR BLOWOUT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS..

NHTSA ID

11279298

Incident

Nov 10, 2019

Mileage

195,000 mi

HEADLIGHT WIRE INSULATION FLAKING OFF AND WIRES ARE SHORTING CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO GO OFF. WIRES SHORT AND ARCING. THE HEADLIGHT WENT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT NIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11184225

Incident

Mar 2, 2019

Mileage

80,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW OF LAS VEGAS (6900 W SAHARA AVE, NV 89117, (702) 570-0279), BUT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11091046

Incident

Apr 5, 2016

THERE IS FUEL LEAKING FROM THE MAIN FUEL LINE TO THE FUEL RAIL. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS UPON RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY MODEL WHICH EXPLAINS WHY BMW'S CATCH FIRE. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THEY FIX THIS PROBLEM?

NHTSA ID

11023311

Incident

Sep 7, 2017

Mileage

95,000 mi

ALTOUGH MY 2006 BMW 550I V8 IS HARD TO STOP AND FALLS UNDER BMW BRAKE VACUUM PUMP RECALL RELEASED NOVEMBER 2010, FOR SOME REASON MY VIN DOESNT BRING UP THE RECALL. BMW REFUSED TO FIX.A WASTED 1 HOUR TRIP AND DAY.

NHTSA ID

10859879

Incident

Apr 16, 2016

Mileage

146,000 mi

FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT WARMING ON I-DRIVE AND AIR BAD LIGHT LIT ON DASH. PASSENGER RESTRAINT FAILURE. FAULT IN PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIR BAG,BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER.FASTEN AND CONTINUE TO WEAR BELTS. ON 24-7. FROM THE MOMENT YOU START THE CAR TILL THE MOMENT YOU SHUT IT OFF.

NHTSA ID

10821291

Incident

Jan 20, 2016

DEFECTIVE ELV STEERING LOCK PREVENTS THE CAR FROM STARTING. THE LOCK CAN'T BE DISABLED. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE LOCK IS UNNNECSSARY FOR SAFE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE LOCK CAN'T BE DISABLED. AT THE VERY LEAST, THE OWNER SHOULD BE ABLE TO DISABLE IT.

NHTSA ID

10720982

Incident

Jan 1, 2015

Mileage

65,000 mi

MY 06 BMW 550I IS HAVING AN ELECTRIC WHEEL LOCK FAULT JUST LIKE THOUSANDS OF OTHERS THIS AS YOU KNOW COULD POSSIBLY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT BMW HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE. ANY ASSISTANCE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10694319

Incident

Mar 15, 2015

Mileage

129,050 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2006 BMW 550I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND ATTEMPTING AVOID CRASHING INTO AN ANIMAL, THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BURNS TO THE RIGHT WRIST, FOREHEAD, AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE NECK WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

NHTSA ID

10677091

Incident

Oct 12, 2014

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH ATTEMPTING TO AVOID CRASHING INTO AN ANIMAL, THE CONTACT SWERVED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED BUT THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BURNS ON THE NECK AND RIGHT WRIST FROM THE AIR BAG CHEMICALS. THE CONTACT ALSO REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

10677068

Incident

Oct 12, 2014

Mileage

100,000 mi

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER FAULT. AIRBAG LIGHT ON. *TR

NHTSA ID

10676818

Incident

Jan 20, 2015

Mileage

173,134 mi

STEERING MALFUNCTION ISSUE AND RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION MESSAGE. I'M AWARE THAT BMW HAD RECALLS ON THESE ISSUES THAT I AM HAVING HOWEVER I CALLED BMW USA AND MY VIN NUMBER THEY SAY WASN'T INVOLVED IN THE RECALL. HOWEVER I'M HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10658543

Incident

Nov 13, 2014

Mileage

70,000 mi

AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND WON'T GO OUT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10651916

Incident

Oct 31, 2014

Mileage

100,100 mi

IN THE EARLIER PART OF THE YEAR, I NOTICED THE BATTERY CABLE (LOCATED IN THE TRUNK OF MY CAR) WAS VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH AND BEGAN CHARRING. I CALLED THE LOCAL BMW SERVICE CENTER BECAUSE I READ OF OTHER CONSUMERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE (ARTICLE IN CONSUMER REPORTS, THE NEW YORK TIMES AND MSNBC.COM. EACH ARTICLE STATED BMW WOULD BE ISSUING A RECALL. I CALLED THE LOCAL BMW DEALER SERVICE CENTER AND MY CONSULTANT TOLD ME THERE WAS NOT A RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR THAT ISSUE WITH MY CAR. ON, 9/14/14 THE CAR STARTED GIVING ELECTRONIC ERRORS AND ACTING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL OUT ON THE INTERSTATE AND WE WERE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70MPH. I HAD THE CAR TOWED INTO BMW OF NASHVILLE'S SERVICE CENTER ON 9/14/14 AND WAS INFORMED THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THE CHARGES TO REPLACE THE CABLES AND THEY KNOW IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT EFFECTED MILLIONS OF CARS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10638332

Incident

Feb 3, 2014

Mileage

103,481 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG FAILED AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 13V564000(AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT TAKEN CARE OF IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

NHTSA ID

10586825

Incident

Sep 9, 2013

Mileage

88,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING NEAR HOME ON A RAINY DAY ON 10/18/2012 WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES AT A ROAD CURVE, THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND AND I HIT A SIDEWALK, DAMAGING THE REAR BUMPER ON ITS RIGHT HAND SIDE (PASSENGER'S SIDE). I SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR BRAKE FAILURES ON MY 2006 BMW 550I AND FOUND A RECALL ID #87954, RELATED TO A "COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ASSIST BRAKING, OR UNEXPECTED REDUCTION OR LOSS IN POWER BRAKING ASSIST...". WHEN I CALLED BMW NUMBER SHOWING IN THE RECALL NOTICE, THEY TOLD ME MY CAR VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FACTORY RECALL. A TOTAL OF POTENTIAL UNITS AFFECTED IN THE RECALL WAS 198,352, BUT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED ! I'M REQUESTING NHTSA TO REVIEW THIS CASE AND EXTEND THIS RECALL TO ADDITIONAL VIN NUMBERS, INCLUDING MINE TO GET POWER ASSIST BRAKING SYSTEM REPAIRED ON MY VEHICLE FREE OF CHARGE. ALSO, THIS SHOULD PREVENT CRASH ACCIDENTS ON THIS MODEL CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10480856

Incident

Oct 17, 2012

Mileage

95,580 mi

THERE IS A RECALL INVOLVING THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT, WHICH CAUSE THE AIRBAG NOT TO WORK IN SOME MODELS. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 HOWEVER, SINCE MY VEHICLE'S PROD. DATE WAS 01/2006 IT IS NOT COVERED. THERE IS MANY VEHICLES UP TO 2007 I'VE HEARD, WITH THE SAME ISSUE. IT WOULD BE FAIR TO REVISIT THE RECALL AND DO THE NEEDED CHANGES IN ORDER TO COVER THESE VEHICLES. IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH A FRONT AIRBAG NOT WORKING. AND UNFAIR THAT BECAUSE OF THREE MONTHS DIFFERENCE IN THE PRODUCTION DATES, SOMEONE HAS TO PAY ANYWHERE AROUND $1800 OUT OF POCKET FOR THE SAME ISSUE THAT OTHER OWNERS ARE GETTING FIXED FREE OF CHARGE. *KB

NHTSA ID

10446647

Incident

Jan 17, 2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE COMPONENT WAS UNDER RECALL (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 -AIR BAGS: FRONTAL), BUT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

10438928

Incident

Oct 3, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHED ON THE DASHBOARD, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL) AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE AIR BAG MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG POSSIBLY WOULD NOT DEPLOY DURING A CRASH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

NHTSA ID

10402414

Incident

May 18, 2011

Mileage

58,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 550I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. TWENTY SECONDS LATER, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED ON ITS OWN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED 28 TIMES AFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT THE CONTACT HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN THE DIAGNOSIS. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND REFERENCED RECALL 07V479000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 66,700.

NHTSA ID

10370346

Incident

Dec 5, 2010

Mileage

66,000 mi

2006 - BMW E60 550I - FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR DEFECTIVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10252449

Incident

Aug 1, 2008

Mileage

51,000 mi