2011 BMW 550I — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 77 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (18 complaints · 23.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 18 of 77 owner complaints (23.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 18 complaints, 23.4% of reports ENGINE 18 · 23.4% · 3 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 14.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 11 · 14.3% · 4 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 9.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 9.1% · 3 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 7 complaints, 9.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 7 · 9.1% TIRES: 5 complaints, 6.5% of reports TIRES 5 · 6.5% WHEELS: 4 complaints, 5.2% of reports WHEELS 4 · 5.2% AIR BAGS: 3 complaints, 3.9% of reports AIR BAGS 3 · 3.9% VISIBILITY: 3 complaints, 3.9% of reports VISIBILITY 3 · 3.9% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 2 complaints, 2.6% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 2.6% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 16 complaints, 20.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 · 20.8% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

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)
ENGINE 18 23.4% 0 crashes · 3 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 11 14.3% 0 crashes · 4 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 9.1% 0 crashes · 3 fires
POWER TRAIN 7 9.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
TIRES 5 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
WHEELS 4 5.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 3 3.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 3 3.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 20.8% 1 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 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.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2012; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2016. 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 2012 Oct 2025 Recall campaign 16V746000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V746000 Recall campaign 16V832000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V832000 Recall campaign 18V248000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V248000
  • Campaign 16V746000 was reported 749 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V248000 was reported 1,418 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 3
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 3
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 4
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 16V746000
Recall campaign 1 16V832000
Recall campaign 1 18V248000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V746000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    The loose wires may cause the connector to melt, resulting in a fuel leak. Additionally, the fuel pump may stop working, possibly causing an engine stall and increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V832000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    Depending on the severity of the crash, inadequate activation of the driver and/or passenger air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and active head restraints may increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the SCU, free of charge. The recall began on December 16, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V248000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1-800-525-7417, MINI at 1-866-825-1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 77 complaints · page 1 of 4

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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 2026-08-21 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.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources