Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 37 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2007 BMW 550I. 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.
Showing 1–25 of 37 · page 1 of 2
The vehicle is Burning a lot of oil due to the valve stem seals. Because of how the engine was designed. Since 2011 to 2018 was a law suit of the same engine since 2000 of the N62 V8 Engine of BMW. Smoke of oil comes out the exhaust and BMW cannot fix the issue they designed.
CAR HAS FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MATT. RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE WAS DONE IN 2014 - THE RECALL CALLED FOR INSPECTION AND POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT. IN THE INSTANCE OF MY CAR THE MATT WAS INSPECTED AND NOT-REPLACED. THE MATT NOW APPEARS TO BE FAULTING AS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT (FOR CHILDREN ETC.) IS ON EVEN WITH FULL GROWN ADULTS SITTING IN THE SEAT. SEEMS TO BE THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT GO OFF EVEN WHEN IT SHOULD. BMW ISSUES NUMEROUS WARRANTY EXTENSIONS FOR THE 04-10 E60 5 SERIES AND SEEMS TO BE A WIDELY REPORTED ISSUE. IN THE INSTANCE OF MY VIN THE RECALL WAS CONDUCTED (BUT THE MATT NOT REPLACED) AND THE PROBLEM THE RECALL AIMED TO CORRECT FOR IS OCCURRING. I WOULD SUGGEST ANOTHER RECALL OR AN EXTENSION OF WARRANTY FOR ALL VEHICLES THAT HAD THIS RECALL DONE AS NOT EVERY CAR HAD THE FAULTY PART REPLACED.
THE INSULATION WIRING DETERIORATED CAUSING THE PASSENGER HEADLIGHT TO STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY
OIL LEAKS DUE TO IMPROPERLY FITTING VALVE STEM SEALS. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT RENDERING THE CAR CONSTANTLY LEAKING OIL AND VIRTUALLY IN DANGER OF COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE
WIRING IN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES SHORTS OUT BECAUSE OF DEGRADED DEFECTIVE WIRING INSULATION. HEADLIGHTS CAN IMMEDIATELY FAIL WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. *TR
EXCESSIVE EXHAUST SMOKE WHEN VEHICLE IS IDLING... WHITE SMOKE. THE OIL SEEMS TO COLLECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ENGINE WHILE IDLING AND CONTINUES TO SMOKE FOR A WHILE, AFTER IDLING AND IN MOTION. THE SMOKING SEEMS TO BE WORSE WHEN IDLING ON AN INCLINE OR DECLINE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON A WHILE. I THOUGHT THERE WAS A RECALL DUE TO THIS PROBLEM BEING PREVALENT WITH THIS 8 CYL ENGINE. I AM JUST NOW REPORTING THIS ISSUE BUT IT'S BEEN ONGOING FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. *TR
WAS REPLACING H7 HEADLAMPS AND DISCOVERED ALL OF THE INSULATION ON THE WIRING INSIDE BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES HAD DISINTEGRATED AND BOTH ASSEMBLIES CONTAINED MULTIPLE BARE WIRES. THIS COULD RESULT IN A SHORT OR BLOWING A FUSE WHEN DRIVING MAKING HEADLAMPS STOP WORKING. COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. OR CAR COULD CATCH ON FIRE DUE TO SHORT CIRCUIT. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS AND FOUND MANY MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. A RECALL SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN VOLUNTARY ON BMW USA OR FORCED BY THE NTSB. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
I PULLED MY BATTERY TO CHARGE IT AND NOW I'M GETTING A WHEEL LOCK ALARM WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW MY CAR TO START. IT IS IN MY DRIVE WAY SAME AS WHEN I LAST USED IT. IT RAN FINE PRIOR TO CHARGING MY BATTERY.
EXPERIENCE "HIGHBEAM MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT. INSPECTED THE HEADLAMPS (E60 ADAPTIVE XENON PART # 6312710157). THE DRIVER'S SIDE LOW-BEAM HALOGEN MELTED THROUGH REFLECTOR. INSPECTED WIRING AND THE SHEATHING / JACKET WERE DISINTEGRATING CAUSING SHORT CIRCUITING. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS IS A RESULT OF BMW'S USE OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS IN MID-200'S CARS. NOT ONLY IS THIS A FIRE HAZARD, THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO GET A NEW HEADLAMP SET (~$1300 EACH)
THE STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTION LIGHT IS ON. THIS INDICATOR LIGHT CAME WHILE THE CAR WAS STATIONARY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 550I. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR INSPECTION, THE TECHNICIAN OBSERVED OIL LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VALVE COVER GASKET, TIMING CHAIN COVER, ALTERNATOR BRACKET, AND OIL PRESSURE SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
FROM TIME TO TIME I AM GETTING A YELLOW WARNING LIGHT INDICATING ELV BLOCKED AND SOMETIMES PREVENTING ME FROM STARTING THE CAR. WAS ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND WAS STRANDED MANY TIMES. VERY FRUSTRATING AND DANGEROUS.
SENSOR AND CONTROL MODULE FLAW. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THERE WAS NO DIAGNOSIS COMPLETED ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 76,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 87,000. ..UPDATED 08/11/14 *CN
I RECENTLY CONTACTED MY LOCAL BMW OF HONOLULU DEALERSHIP (808) 597-1225, INQUIRING THE RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000. I WAS INFORMED SOLELY BASED ON MY VIN NUMBER, I'M NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH MY AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON. HOW CAN THIS BE JUSTIFIED? MY SAFETY AND MY FAMILIES SAFETY IS ON THE LINE, BUT BECAUSE A NUMBER, I'M NOT COVERED? ON TOP OF THIS ISSUE, I WILL BE SHIPPING MY VEHICLE, BUT THE LOCAL SHIPPING COMPANY WILL NOT SHIP ANY VEHICLE THAT HAS WARNING LIGHTS ON UNLESS IT CAN BE VERIFIED BY A CERTIFIED MECHANIC THAT THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE. PLEASE ADVICE ME ON WHAT I CAN DO. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE IGNITION, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 13V564000 (AIR BAGS) BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,400.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WIRES WERE MELTED. THERE WAS ALSO AN INTERMITTENT TAIL LIGHT MALFUNCTION WARNING MESSAGE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE TAIL LIGHTS AND NOTICED THEY WERE ILLUMINATING PROPERLY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE RESTRAINT WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
BRAKE FAILURE AT LOW SPEED ON AN DESCENDING INCLINE (DRIVEWAY) PUMPED BRAKES RAPIDLY AND BRAKES HELD TRACTION. LATER THAT DAY 10/08/13 BRAKES FAILED ON LOW SPEED ON THE DESCENDING STREET. ON 10/09/13 WHEN DRIVING IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC, I AGAIN HAD TO SWERVE IN ORDER TO AVOID A REAR END COLLISION NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED, NO SERVICE LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED AT ALL 3 INCIDENTS. ON 10/10/13, I TOOK THE CAR IN TO CHECK ON THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR'S MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER, BRAKE BOOSTER AND BRAKE VACUUM PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR AN EXCESS OF $2500 FOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT WAS NOTED IN AN EARLIER RECALL. I CALLED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD MY PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER WAS NOT COVERED IN THE GENERAL RECALL AND MY ONLY RECOURSE WAS TO INFORM NHTSA, WHICH I AM DOING. *TR
FIRST INCIDENT 10/08/13:BRAKE FAILURE AT LOW SPEED ON AN DESCENDING INCLINE (DRIVEWAY) PUMPED BRAKES RAPIDLY AND BRAKES HELD TRACTION. LATER THAT DAY 10/08/13 BRAKES FAILED ON LOW SPEED ON THE DESCENDING STREET. ON 10/09/13 WHEN DRIVING IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC, I AGAIN HAD TO SWERVE IN ORDER TO AVOID A REAR END COLLISION NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED, NO SERVICE LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED AT ALL 3 INCIDENTS. ON 10/10/13, I TOOK THE CAR IN TO CHECK ON THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR'S MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER, BRAKE BOOSTER AND BRAKE VACUUM PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR AN EXCESS OF $2500 FOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT WAS NOTED IN AN EARLIER RECALL. I CALLED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD MY PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER WAS NOT COVERED IN THE GENERAL RECALL AND MY ONLY RECOURSE WAS TO INFORM NHTSA, WHICH I AM DOING. *TR
STEERING MALFUNCTION. DO NOT CONTINUE DRIVING. BIG RED SIGN TO STOP CAR. *TR
ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO I BOUGHT A 2007 BMW 550I WITH 29,802 MILES. WHEN A LARGE RED STEERING LOCK LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASH, AS WELL AS, THE CENTER CONSOLE COMPUTER HAD INSTRUCTIONS "NOT TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF". THE CAR OPERATED NORMALLY JUST WITH AN UNCOMFORTABLE BIG RED LIGHT ON MY DASH. BEFORE CALLING THE BMW DEALER I DECIDED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET. I HAVE FOUND DOZENS OF BMW FORUMS REFERENCING STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTIONS. MOST WERE RANGING FROM UPDATING COMPUTERS TO STEERING COLUMN REPLACEMENTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE BMW DEALER AS HE GAVE ME A LOANER AND TOOK MY CAR FOR THE NIGHT. THE FOLLOWING DAY HE CALLED ME IN AND TOLD ME I NEEDED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM THAT WOULD COST ME $700 OR THE STEERING MIGHT LOCK UP ON ME DURING DRIVING. WITH THIS MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE MIGHT BE A RECALL ON THE BMW STEERING LOCK? *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SRS WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE PASSENGER WOULD HAVE THE SEAT BELT ON, BUT IT WOULD INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,500.
THE ACTIVE STEERING MALFUNCTION TAKES PLACE EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS RUN FULL DIAGNOSTICS AND HAVE COME UP WITH NO ERRORS. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH IS IN EXCESS OF $5,000. I AM WORRIED THE SYSTEM IS GOING TO LOCK UP IN WHOLE AND LOSE STEERING CAPABILITIES. *TR
I OWN A 2007 BMW 550I SPORT. I RAN OVER A RAISED ROAD MARKER WHILE IN ATLANTA AND RUPTURED THE SIDE WALLS OF BOTH LEFT SIDE TIRES, WHILE ALSO BENDING THE FACTORY 18" RIMS. IN MY JUDGMENT THE CONTACT WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED. ONCE I HAD THE TIRES REMOVED I NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE PORTION OF EACH REAR TIRE WAS WORN DOWN TO THE METAL MESH EMBEDDED IN THE TIRE. THE OUTER PORTION OF THE TIRES SHOWED AT LEAST ANOTHER 10K MILES ON THEM. THIS WAS/IS VERY DISCONCERTING AND ALARMING TO ME. I SEE IT AS A DESIGN FLAW, AND A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN. ONE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO HAVE THEIR CAR LIFTED INTO THE AIR EVERY 3-6K MILES TO INSPECT FOR THIS ISSUE. THIS IS A $60K + AUTOMOBILE. WHILE EXTREMELY SATISFIED WITH SOME ASPECTS OF THE VEHICLE, AND SATISFIED WITH OTHERS, THIS IS A DEAL BREAKER FOR ME. IF I EVER RECOMMEND A BMW 550I TO ANYONE, IT WILL BE WITH THE CAVEAT OF BE CAREFUL WHEN IT COMES TO THE FACTORY WHEELS AND ANY TYPE OF TIRE THAT YOU MOUNT ON IT BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING REAR ALIGNMENT ISSUES. I HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS WITH AN OTHERWISE GREAT 99' 525I SPORT. THE REALIGNMENT WORE OUT 2 MICHELIN PILOT SPORTS/REAR IN LESS THAN 10K MILES. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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