What breaks most · 2006 to 2015 model years
BMW 550i problems by year
Owners have filed 167 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW 550i across model years 2006 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2011 for engine complaints, 2007 for air bags complaints and 2008 for exterior lighting complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2013 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2013, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 1672006 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 201158 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 810 fires · 4 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 55kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 17Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 3 | 3 | Air bags (12) | |
| 30 | 3 | 2 | Air bags (7) | |
| 23 | 1 | 2 | Exterior lighting (5) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Tires (1) | |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 58 | 1 | 3 | Engine (20) | |
| 15 | 0 | 2 | Tires (8) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Engine (5) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) |
What fails on the 2011 BMW 550i
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 34% |
20 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 BMW 550i |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 24% |
14 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2011 BMW 550i |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 22% |
13 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 BMW 550i |
| Tires | 21% |
12 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 16% |
9 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 10% |
6 | 0 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 5% |
3 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 5% |
3 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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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!!
-
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.
-
Bought a 2008 bmw 550i and experienced headlight failure with the headlight fuse blowing repeatedly when i went to change the bulbs noticed that all the wires in the headlight were bare. Used liquid insulation to fix the issue however have seen numerous of this car catching fire from the issue after some research
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which BMW 550i years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the BMW 550i. The 2011 alone has 58 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common BMW 550i problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 20 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW 550i problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW 550i complaints that include mileage is about 55,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.