2007 BMW 550I Problems and Recalls (34 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2007 BMW 550I is Airbags (18% of 34 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 34 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 2007 BMW 550I?

6 of 34 filings named Airbags (18% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Lights (6 reports).

There are 2 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2006 has 23 reports on file; this year has 34. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2007 BMW 550I

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 2 campaigns on file below.
  2. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  3. Lights. Walk around the vehicle: headlights, brake lights and turn signals all working.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Airbags. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Airbags 6 complaints · 17.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
All BMW 550I years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Airbags (AIR BAGS) appears in 6 of 34 owner complaints (17.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Airbags (AIR BAGS): 6 complaints, 17.7% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 6 · 17.7% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 6 complaints, 17.7% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 fire reports 6 · 17.7% Engine (ENGINE): 5 complaints, 14.7% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 5 · 14.7% Steering (STEERING): 5 complaints, 14.7% of reports Steering (STEERING) 5 · 14.7% Wheels (WHEELS): 3 complaints, 8.8% of reports Wheels (WHEELS) 3 · 8.8% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 2 complaints, 5.9% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 2 · 5.9% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 2 complaints, 5.9% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 · 5.9% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 1 complaints, 2.9% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 · 2.9% Tires (TIRES): 1 complaints, 2.9% of reports Tires (TIRES) 1 · 2.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 7 complaints, 20.6% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 7 · 20.6% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 6 17.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 6 17.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 5 14.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 5 14.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS) 3 8.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 5.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Tires (TIRES) 1 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 7 20.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2006; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2007. 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2006 Oct 2021 Recall campaign 07V479000 ◆ Recall campaign 07V479000 Recall campaign 13V564000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V564000
  • Campaign 13V564000 was reported 2,503 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 3
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 07V479000
Recall campaign 1 13V564000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags.

  1. Recall campaign 07V479000

    Safety recall 07V479000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF STALLING WERE TO OCCUR, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN VEHICLE SPEED OR ACCELERATE AND THE POWER STEERING COULD FAIL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL ATTACH TWO GROUND CABLES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 29, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 13V564000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    Consequence:
    Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
    Remedy:
    BMW will notify owners with an interim notification letter in January 2014 since parts are not currently available. When parts are available, BMW sent a second letter in August and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, free of charge. Additionally, owners of model year 2006-2007 3 Series with standard seats, 5 Series with comfort seats, and Z4 models, will receive an extended warranty on their front passenger seat occupant detection mat. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 34 complaints · page 1 of 2
2021-10-11Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11436341
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The vehicle is Burning a lot of oil due to the valve stem seals. Because of how the engine was designed. Since 2011 to 2018 was a law suit of the same engine since 2000 of the N62 V8 Engine of BMW. Smoke of oil comes out the exhaust and BMW cannot fix the issue they designed.
2021-04-30Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11414598
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CAR HAS FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MATT. RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE WAS DONE IN 2014 - THE RECALL CALLED FOR INSPECTION AND POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT. IN THE INSTANCE OF MY CAR THE MATT WAS INSPECTED AND NOT-REPLACED. THE MATT NOW APPEARS TO BE FAULTING AS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT (FOR CHILDREN ETC.) IS ON EVEN WITH FULL GROWN ADULTS SITTING IN THE SEAT. SEEMS TO BE THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT GO OFF EVEN WHEN IT SHOULD. BMW ISSUES NUMEROUS WARRANTY EXTENSIONS FOR THE 04-10 E60 5 SERIES AND SEEMS TO BE A WIDELY REPORTED ISSUE. IN THE INSTANCE OF MY VIN THE RECALL WAS CONDUCTED (BUT THE MATT NOT REPLACED) AND THE PROBLEM THE RECALL AIMED TO CORRECT FOR IS OCCURRING. I WOULD SUGGEST ANOTHER RECALL OR AN EXTENSION OF WARRANTY FOR ALL VEHICLES THAT HAD THIS RECALL DONE AS NOT EVERY CAR HAD THE FAULTY PART REPLACED.
2020-07-20Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
NHTSA ODI 11340297
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE INSULATION WIRING DETERIORATED CAUSING THE PASSENGER HEADLIGHT TO STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY
2020-07-05Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11337521
CrashFireInjuryDeath
OIL LEAKS DUE TO IMPROPERLY FITTING VALVE STEM SEALS. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT RENDERING THE CAR CONSTANTLY LEAKING OIL AND VIRTUALLY IN DANGER OF COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE
2020-06-25Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
NHTSA ODI 11330723
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WIRING IN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES SHORTS OUT BECAUSE OF DEGRADED DEFECTIVE WIRING INSULATION. HEADLIGHTS CAN IMMEDIATELY FAIL WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. *TR
2020-05-26Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11325965
CrashFireInjuryDeath
EXCESSIVE EXHAUST SMOKE WHEN VEHICLE IS IDLING... WHITE SMOKE. THE OIL SEEMS TO COLLECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ENGINE WHILE IDLING AND CONTINUES TO SMOKE FOR A WHILE, AFTER IDLING AND IN MOTION. THE SMOKING SEEMS TO BE WORSE WHEN IDLING ON AN INCLINE OR DECLINE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON A WHILE. I THOUGHT THERE WAS A RECALL DUE TO THIS PROBLEM BEING PREVALENT WITH THIS 8 CYL ENGINE. I AM JUST NOW REPORTING THIS ISSUE BUT IT'S BEEN ONGOING FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. *TR
2019-10-11Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
NHTSA ODI 11267841
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WAS REPLACING H7 HEADLAMPS AND DISCOVERED ALL OF THE INSULATION ON THE WIRING INSIDE BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES HAD DISINTEGRATED AND BOTH ASSEMBLIES CONTAINED MULTIPLE BARE WIRES. THIS COULD RESULT IN A SHORT OR BLOWING A FUSE WHEN DRIVING MAKING HEADLAMPS STOP WORKING. COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. OR CAR COULD CATCH ON FIRE DUE TO SHORT CIRCUIT. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS AND FOUND MANY MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. A RECALL SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN VOLUNTARY ON BMW USA OR FORCED BY THE NTSB. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
2017-01-08Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10943728
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I PULLED MY BATTERY TO CHARGE IT AND NOW I'M GETTING A WHEEL LOCK ALARM WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW MY CAR TO START. IT IS IN MY DRIVE WAY SAME AS WHEN I LAST USED IT. IT RAN FINE PRIOR TO CHARGING MY BATTERY.
2016-09-08Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
NHTSA ODI 10904807
CrashFireInjuryDeath
EXPERIENCE "HIGHBEAM MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHT. INSPECTED THE HEADLAMPS (E60 ADAPTIVE XENON PART # [redacted]). THE DRIVER'S SIDE LOW-BEAM HALOGEN MELTED THROUGH REFLECTOR. INSPECTED WIRING AND THE SHEATHING / JACKET WERE DISINTEGRATING CAUSING SHORT CIRCUITING. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS IS A RESULT OF BMW'S USE OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS IN MID-200'S CARS. NOT ONLY IS THIS A FIRE HAZARD, THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO GET A NEW HEADLAMP SET (~$1300 EACH)
2016-06-17Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 10874790
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTION LIGHT IS ON. THIS INDICATOR LIGHT CAME WHILE THE CAR WAS STATIONARY.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2007 BMW 550I?

Owners named Airbags most often — 6 of 34 reports (18%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2007 BMW 550I?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2007 BMW 550I?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources