What breaks most · 2006 to 2015 model years
BMW 650i problems by year
Owners have filed 72 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW 650i across model years 2006 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2007 for electrical system complaints, 2006 for brakes complaints and 2012 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2010 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 2006, 2012
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2010, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 722006 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 200719 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 28 fires · 4 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 50kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 5Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (4) | |
| 19 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Wheels (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine (2) | |
| 11 | 0 | 2 | Engine (6) | |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | Engine (5) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2007 BMW 650i
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 21% |
4 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2007 BMW 650i |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 16% |
3 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2007 BMW 650i |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 16% |
3 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2007 BMW 650i |
| Seat belts | 16% |
3 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Air bags | 16% |
3 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 11% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Seats | 11% |
2 | 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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Dashboard completely cracked! Same problem with car not starting lights on das flashing ! Bought it used 4 yrs ago on 3rd battery severs thousand dollars later i just picked up at service center again . Don't know where else to go with this, please help!!! Thanks
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The active steering system operates on and off. Steering is normal then the active steering system shuts off. Steering becomes very heavy. The warnings light now stays on all the time this is under all driving conditions and roads.
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 650i years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2007, 2006, 2012 carry the most filings on the BMW 650i. The 2007 alone has 19 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common BMW 650i problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 4 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW 650i problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW 650i complaints that include mileage is about 50,000 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.