2011 BMW 550I Engine Problems

My 2011 BMW 550i experienced an unexpected fire in my driveway while my wife and I were sleeping. The fire nearly caused our house to catch fire and also resulted in damage to my BMW Z4. I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with someone regarding this matter. For your reference, the last seven digits of my VIN are [XXX] . You can reach me at [XXX] or via email at [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11695616

Incident

Oct 22, 2025

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 550I. The contact stated that oil was leaking from the vehicle. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who declined to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. No additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11636463

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 550I. The contact stated that after having an oil change performed, he noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a stem valve cover failure. The contact was informed that the valve cover needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,500.

NHTSA ID

11542593

Incident

Aug 7, 2023

Mileage

77,500 mi

DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION COMES ON DASH, DUE TO TIMING CHAIN BEING OUT OF "TIME" MEANING THAT THE CRANSHAFT AND CHAIN HAS MOVE OUT OF PLACE, THIS REPAIR IS ESTIMATED TO COST ABOUT 10K, OTHER VEHICLES OF THE THIS TYPE ARE ALSO INCLUDED, THE RECALL FROM BMW IS CALL THE "N63 CUSTOMER SERVICE PACKET", N63 IS THE KIND OF ENGINE THAT THIS CAR AND OTHER IN SIMILAR SERIES AND YEARS ARE KNOWN AND INNEVIDATABLE TO PREVENT SINCE ITS A MANUFACTURER MISTAKE. I PERSONALLY LOST OUT ON A LOT OF MONEY DUE TO THE PROBLEM THAT LANDED IN MY HANDS.

NHTSA ID

11454313

Incident

Feb 1, 2022

THE CAR JUST DON'T GO THE SPEED IS SUPPOSED TO I CAN'T GO IN HIGHWAY BECAUSE THE CAR DON'T GO THAT FAST AND THAT IS NOT SAFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY I SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TRYING TO FIX IT BUT THE PROBLEM ALWAYS COME BACK

NHTSA ID

11386561

Incident

Dec 2, 2020

Mileage

58,000 mi

I AM HAVING OIL COME FROM MY OIL PAN WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE COMING FROM MY OIL PAN GASKET WHICH SOME PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THERE WERE RECALLS ON THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11359840

Incident

Sep 10, 2020

THIS CAR HAVE BEEN N GREAT MAINTENANCE ALWAYS, AND SUDDENLY STARTED TO THROW WHITE SMOKE AS CRAZY... (75K MILES ONLY) I DID MY SEARCH AND TURNS OUT THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM THAT MANY BMW V8 ENGINE THAT THEY HAVE .... BIG HEADACHE TO SEE THIS KIND OF LUXURY CAR SMOKING LIKE THAT

NHTSA ID

11351181

Incident

Nov 14, 2019

Mileage

75,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE SERVICED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR SIMILAR VEHICLES HOWEVER, THE VIN SHOWED NO OPEN RECALLS. FIELDS BMW LAKELAND (4285 LAKELAND PARK DR, LAKELAND, FL 33809) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE NHTSA.GOV WEBSITE. THE CONTACT LINKED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V248000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11341699

Incident

Jul 27, 2020

Mileage

140,000 mi

I OWN MY BMW 550I GRAN TURISMO SEDAN 2011 F10(N63). THERE IS A RECALL ON MY EXACT MODEL. NHTSA NUMBER: 18V248000/ ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. I AM HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUES THAT THE RECALL SHOWS. I HAVE PROOF OF DOCUMENTS SHOWING MY WATER PUMP FAILING, GETTING SERVICE WATER PUMP AND ALTERNATOR REPAIR. AUGUST 24, 2019 SHOWS SMALL EVAPORATIONS LEAK, CYLINDER MISFIRES AND HAS BAD HEAD GASKET. WATER PUMP FAILURE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO OVER HEAT AND BAD HEAD GASKETS.I ALSO HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM AS OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH THE TURBO COOLANT HOSES, MY HOSES CRACKED LIKE GLASS, EJECTING COOLANT ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND ALTERNATOR, WHICH CAUSED SMOKE REALLY BAD ALMOST LEADING TO AN CAR CRASH BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN I PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE ALTERNATOR WAS BURNING UP. I HAVE CONTACTED MANUFACTURER BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST AND I HAVE THE SAME EXACT ENGINE THAT IS RECALLED(N63/F10) I AM NEEDING MY CAR ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST, THIS MISTAKE NEARLY COST ME AND MY FAMILY LIFE. APRIL 12TH, THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, IN KANSAS CITY,MO ON THE HIGHWAY 435, BIG CLOUDS OF WHITE SMOKE, ENGINE LOSS POWER, CAUSING A CAR TO ALMOST CRASH INTO THE REAR OF THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

11325399

Incident

Apr 12, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

I OWN MY BMW 550I GRAN TURISMO SEDAN 2011 F10(N63). THERE IS A RECALL ON MY EXACT MODEL. NHTSA NUMBER: 18V248000/ ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. I AM HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUES THAT THE RECALL SHOWS. I HAVE PROOF OF DOCUMENTS SHOWING MY WATER PUMP FAILING, GETTING SERVICE WATER PUMP AND ALTERNATOR REPAIR. AUGUST 24, 2019 SHOWS SMALL EVAPORATIONS LEAK, CYLINDER MISFIRES AND HAS BAD HEAD GASKET. WATER PUMP FAILURE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO OVER HEAT AND BAD HEAD GASKETS.I ALSO HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM AS OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH THE TURBO COOLANT HOSES, MY HOSES CRACKED LIKE GLASS, EJECTING COOLANT ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND ALTERNATOR, WHICH CAUSED SMOKE REALLY BAD ALMOST LEADING TO AN CAR CRASH BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN I PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE ALTERNATOR WAS BURNING UP. I HAVE CONTACTED MANUFACTURER BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST AND I HAVE THE SAME EXACT ENGINE THAT IS RECALLED(N63/F10) I AM NEEDING MY CAR ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST, THIS MISTAKE NEARLY COST ME AND MY FAMILY LIFE. APRIL 12TH, THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, IN KANSAS CITY,MO ON THE HIGHWAY 435, BIG CLOUDS OF WHITE SMOKE, ENGINE LOSS POWER, CAUSING A CAR TO ALMOST CRASH INTO THE REAR OF THE CAR. I AM NOW LOCATED IN KANSAS CITY, MO. I CAN BE CONTACTED BY EMAIL: [XXX] OR CELL: [XXX] REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC

NHTSA ID

11322775

Incident

Apr 12, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

ENGINE INFORMATION CENTER SAYS TO ADD OIL, IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, NUMEROUS TIMES. CAR SHUT DOWN ON ROAD AND WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. DEALER SAYS THE ENGINE HAS SEIZED. SINCE THE VEHICLE IS JUST OVER THE WARRANTY BY MILES, PAX 500 MILES, I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CAR ONLY HAS JUST OVER 50K MILES. IT WAS PURCHASED WITH 40K MILES ON IT BUT WAS PURCHASED FROM A DEALER NOT BMW. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE?

NHTSA ID

11289852

Incident

Dec 17, 2019

Mileage

55,000 mi

THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MANY TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN 2014. FIRST, IT WAS UNKNOWN ISSUES THAT RESULTED IN THE INJECTORS, SPARK PLUGS, AND BATTERY BEING REPLACED. THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND IT WENT BACK TO THEM SEVERAL MORE TIMES BEFORE THEY EVENTUALLY BROUGHT AN ENGINEER IN THAT DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A STRETCHED TIMING CHAIN. THIS RESULTED IN A NEW TIMING CHAIN AND ALL PARTS ASSOCIATED AT 60,000 MILES. SINCE THEN WE HAVE HAD RECALL WORK A COUPLE OF TIMES. WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE TURBO COOLANT LINES REPLACED AND WE HAD TO HAVE A NEW WATER PUMP PUT IN AT 80,000 MILES BECAUSE OURS APPARENTLY FELL APART. THE CAR NEEDS A QUART OF OIL EVERY 500-700 MILES (THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE THE BEGINNING BUT IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE) AND THE NEWEST PROBLEM IS THAT IT THREW A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ERROR DRIVING UP A HILL. THIS ERROR IS RELATED TO A COMPLETE LACK OF COMPRESSION IN CYLINDER 3. THE CAR HAS 125,000 MILES. THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN BOUGHT BACK AS A LEMON BUT BMW ALWAYS HAS SOME EXCUSE.

NHTSA ID

11256973

Incident

Aug 23, 2019

Mileage

125,000 mi

ON JULY 19, 2019, I DROVE MY CAR 2.5 MILES FROM MY OFFICE AND PARKED THE CAR AT MY RESIDENCE. THE CAR WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT AND NEXT DAY THE CAR FAILED TO START. WHEN THE HOOD WAS OPEN THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE OVERNIGHT WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED, LUCKY THE FIRE WAS SELF CONTAINED AND DID NOT SPREAD TO NEARBY HOMES. I CONTACTED MR. MIKE DISCEPOLO WITH BMW NORTH AMERICA AND AFTER 30 DAYS OF INVESTIGATION HE TOLD ME THAT THE FIRE WAS BECAUSE I FAILED TO MAINTAIN MY CAR, I SEARCHED THE NET AND HIS ANSWER WAS CONSISTENT WITH ANSWERS TO OTHER BMW CARS THAT START FIRE WHILE PARKED. ABC NIGHTLINE AND OTHER TV STATIONS INVESTIGATED PARKED BMW CARS FIRE AND BMW DENY THE PROBLEM. SEE ATTACHED HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=US56C7YQAYY HTTPS://WWW.10NEWS.COM/NEWS/TEAM-10/SAN-DIEGO-BMW-OWNERS-SAY-THEIR-USED-BMWS-SUDDENLY-CAUGHT-FIRE HTTPS://ABC7CHICAGO.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/BMW-CAR-FIRES-MORE-FIRES-REPORTED-IN-PARKED-CARS-WHILE-ENGINES-OFF/5121834/

NHTSA ID

11254334

Incident

Jul 19, 2019

Mileage

110,000 mi

THE ENGINE STOP WORKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON, OIL OK MAINTENANCE OK, DEALER SAID ENGINE WAS NO GOOD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. NO EXPLANATION GIVEN!!

NHTSA ID

11182384

Incident

Aug 18, 2017

Mileage

76,000 mi

DURING DRIVING ON THE STREET, I STARTED TO SMELL LIKE TOXIC BURNING LIKE RUBBER AND/OR ANTIFREEZE BURNING AND WHEN I STOP AT HOME I COULD SEE LITTLE STEAM COMING FROM THE HOOD AREA AND ALSO OIL LEAK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE-TRANSMISSION REGION. I STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR NOW.

NHTSA ID

11172397

Incident

Dec 27, 2018

Mileage

42,000 mi

THIS VEHICLE WHEN BEING USED HAS EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF OIL AND OIL LEAKS. THIS PROBLEM CAUSE THE ENGINE, ENGINE TURBOS, VALVE STEMS AND SEALS AND OIL PAN SEALS TO GO BAD PRIOR TO NORMAL VEHICLE ENGINE/PART LIFE. THERE IS CURRENTLY A SETTLED CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THAT REPLACES THE ENGINE AT A PERCENTAGE BASED ON MILES ON CAR AT TIME OF BAD ENGINE TEST. BUT I BELIEVE THIS IS ALSO A POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE TREAT MORE LIKE A RECALL NOT A SUIT. YOU CAN VIEW MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THIS SUIT AT HTTPS://BANGCLASSSETTLEMENT.COM

NHTSA ID

11152644

Incident

Nov 8, 2018

Mileage

90,000 mi

THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD MULTIPLE RECALLS. THE LATEST ONE WAS CAMPAIGN NO. 18V-248. BMW HAS YET TO DO ANYTHING FOR MY VEHICLE, EVEN AFTER IT BURNT ITSELF TO THE GROUND AND A PORTION OF MY HOME. THEY DID NOT ADD ANY EXPLANATION OR ATTEMPT TO INVESTIGATE THIS SITUATION. IT IS STILL UNDEFINED HOW THIS VEHICLE LIT ITSELF ON FIRE AS IT WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF SITTING IN MY GARAGE, AFTER JUST BEING DRIVEN 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE THE FIRE STARTED.

NHTSA ID

11142514

Incident

May 19, 2016

Mileage

55,000 mi

ENGINE OVERHEATING,BURNING A LOT OF OIL,ALSO HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SPARK PLUG AND COILS,HAVING MISFIRES FOR THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HEAT EXPANDING GASKETS ALLOWING OIL TO REACH SPARK PLUGS LOOSING POWERTRAIN WHILE DRIVING CAUSING CAR TO SLOW DOWN,THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME IN THE LAST 2 YEARS THAT WE HAVE THIS ISSUE,ALSO HAVING ISSUES WITH WATER COMING INTO THE RIGHT SIDE BACK SEAT UNABLE TO PINPOINT THE PLACE WHERE WATER IS COMING IN FROM.

NHTSA ID

11141740

Incident

Oct 15, 2018

Mileage

83,900 mi

VEHICLE STATIONARY FOR OVER 3 HOURS, PARKED IN A PARKING LOT (WORK LOCATION) AND BURST INTO FLAMES UNDER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. 8-22-18; 12:30 PM. BEAVERTON, OREGON FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED AND PUT FIRE OUT. SEE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT

NHTSA ID

11121721

Incident

Aug 22, 2018

Mileage

137,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OIL AND DRIVE TRAIN WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VALLEY AUTO WORLD BMW (3822 SYCAMORE DAIRY RD, FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28303, 910-864-0000) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT A NEW IGNITION COIL, INLET HOSE, AND RETURN HOSE WERE NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD CALL THE CONTACT BACK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11114661

Incident

Jul 1, 2018

Mileage

80,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE "ADD COOLANT" WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ADDED COOLANT, BUT THE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AGAIN APPROXIMATELY 30 DAYS LATER. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED VIA PHONE AND AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,247.

NHTSA ID

11111705

Incident

Jul 15, 2018

Mileage

99,247 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V248000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER (BMW OF ANNAPOLIS, 31 OLD MILL BOTTOM RD, ANNAPOLIS, MD 21409, (410) 349-9312) WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY WHEN THE REMEDY AND PARTS WOULD BE SUPPLIED FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11101313

Incident

Apr 10, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER (GLOBAL IMPORTS BMW, 500 INTERSTATE N PKWY, ATLANTA, GA 30339, (800) 294-1853) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11084296

Incident

Apr 10, 2018

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE 2011 BMW 550I HAD JUST RECENTLY BEEN PARKED AND TURNED OFF. AFTER NO MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AFTER IT WAS PARKED, IT BURST INTO FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THEN VERY QUICKLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CAR. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN AN ATTACHED GARAGE THUS NOT ONLY COMPLETELY BURNING THE CAR TO THE GROUND BUT ALSO PARTIALLY BURNING THE HOME DOWN AS WELL. RESULTING IN OVER $250,000 IN DAMAGE. THIS VEHICLE HAD ONE OF THE N63 ENGINES IN IT WHICH BMW HAD THREE VOLUNTEER RECALLS TO "CORRECT" THE FUEL INJECTOR ISSUE. 5 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FIRE, A CERTIFIED BMW DEALERSHIP EXECUTED THE THIRD ATTEMPT AT THIS RECALL. THIS BMW WAS ALSO UNDER A FULL COVERAGE MAINTENANCE WARRANTY, THUS IT HAD ONLY BEEN TO CERTIFIED BMW SERVICE CENTERS. DURING THE LAST RECALL UNDER CAMPAIGN 0013480200 SIB 11 16 14 IN CONJUNCTION WITH SIB 11 06 14 AND 61 30 14, THE OIL LIFE MILEAGE WAS REDUCED FROM 15,000 MILES TO 10,000 MILES WITH THE BMW SERVICE CENTER EXPLAINING THAT WAS PART OF THE CAMPAIGN BMW NA REQUESTED TO SERVICE THE VEHICLES MORE FREQUENTLY. WHEN I ASKED THE BMW REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT THIS SPECIFICALLY AT THE FIRE INVESTIGATION HE SAID IT WAS DUE TO "EPA REQUIREMENTS". HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE KNOWN ENGINE ISSUES THAT BMW HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING TO ADDRESS SINCE 2013.

NHTSA ID

10984964

Incident

May 19, 2016

Mileage

50,000 mi

CAR PERFORMANCE GREATLY DECREASED, THEN FAILED TURBO, FUEL SMELL, AND DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING INTERMITTENTENTLY ON AND OFF, EITHER IN PARK OR IN MOTION. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP. BMW NORTHWEST IS CURRENTLY DENYING ANY RECALLS ARE IN PLACE AND.

NHTSA ID

10949047

Incident

Nov 25, 2016