2002 BMW 530I — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 4
- Fires 3
- Injuries 0
- Deaths 0
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 7 | 25.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 14.3% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| ENGINE | 3 | 10.7% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 | 10.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SUSPENSION | 2 | 7.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STEERING | 1 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STRUCTURE | 1 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 11 | 39.3% | 1 crashes · 1 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 15V318000 was reported 4,328 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V015000 was reported 5,655 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 01V352000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 02V057000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 15V318000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V015000 |
Safety Recalls (4)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 01V352000
- Report date
- Component:
- TIRES
- Consequence:
- CONTINUED DRIVING WITH LOW INFLATION PRESSURE IN THE TIRE COULD ULTIMATELY RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE TIRE, AFFECT VEHICLE HANDLING AND CONTROL, AND COULD IN SOME CASES RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT ALL FIVE TIRES FOR A POSSIBLE CUT IN THE SIDEWALL, AND IF A CUT IS FOUND, THE TIRE WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 10, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 02V057000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THIS COULD AFFECT VEHICLE HANDLING AND CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SPRING STRUT UPPER MOUNTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 15V318000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Note: On December 17, 2015 BMW removed the model year 2004 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity vehicle from this recall. Those vehicles were mistakenly identified as including the air bags that are subject to this recall.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 19V015000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for an optional sports steering wheel with an affected inflator. Dealers will replace the air bag module as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.