RoadVitals

1997 BMW 850CI

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
1
Latest Dec 2, 1998
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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.
1

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1997 BMW 850CI, most frequently naming the electrical category. 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Electrical
Filed Dec 2, 1998
Fire reported

VEHICLE WA S SITTING IN GARAGE, 3 HOURS AFTER DRIVING, VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND A SMALL FIRE STARTED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND BMW WAS CONTACTED AND TOWED TO STEERLING BMW 3000 W. COAST HWY NEWPORT BEACH, CA. 92663, (949-645-5900). DELEAR REFERRED CONSUMER TO BMW MFR. DUE TO FACT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. BMW WILL NOT HELP CONSUMER. *AK

NHTSA ID
831590
Incident
Nov 2, 1998

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

B510819

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

00/11/96R

NEW VEHICLE PREPARATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS. *TW

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW 850CI by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1997Viewing100—
1995010—
1994020—
1993110—
1992110—
1991010—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.