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BMW · NHTSA safety record

2010 BMW 550I

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 11 safety complaints about the 2010 BMW 550I with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 4 complaints, 36% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 48,500 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers February 2010 to December 2023 · How this is counted

What is on file

11 complaints on file

11

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 4 · 36%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 27%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 27%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 18%
WHEELS 2 · 18%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 · 9%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 11.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 3.

4 3 2 1
10 12 13 15 16 17 18 22 23

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2010 to 2023.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2010 BMW 550I. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

13V407000 · September 11, 2013

The defect
BMW is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2010 528i, 535i, 550i, and M5 passenger cars manufactured from March 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009. Over time, increased resistance at the taillight electrical contact points may cause damage to the ground terminal and housing of the connector resulting in an intermittent or permanent loss of functionality of one or more rear lamp functions (tail, brake, turn-signal, reverse).
The risk
Intermittent light operation reduces the ability to warn other motorists of the driver's intentions, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear lamp bulb carriers free of charge. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at [email protected].

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 134,100 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE

crash · towed

I have been having issues , not sure what the problem is but the car doesn’t seem like it’s getting proper gas , & it shakes when I drive . I had to park it in the garage after having it towed home due to an unknown issue .

NHTSA complaint 11560998. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
On 11/10/21 I was advised by Long Beach BMW (Long Beach, CA) that my car needs a new engine. The car smells of gas (both when running and when sitting) and burns excessive amounts of oil. The car requires a quart of oil every 200 - 400 miles. The first engine was replaced after only 77,000 miles because the car was stalling unexpectedly. Now, the current engine needs to be replaced after only 51,000 miles because the car smells of gas (likely because the fuel injection system is not working properly) and because it is burning excessive amounts of oil. BMW expects me to cover the cost of a new engine even thought there is an obvious defect. I contacted BMW of North America and they offered

NHTSA complaint 11456105, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

91,000 miles

WHEN DRIVING FREEWAY OR STREET, TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONS CAUSING IT TO DROP INTO A LOW GEAR AND REDUCE SPEED SIGNIFICANTLY. THERE IS NO MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE ON THE TRANSMISSION. UNFORTUNATELY WILL NEED REPLACEMENT AT 8 YRS & 90K ON ODOMETER. BMW SHOULD RECALL AND FIX.

NHTSA complaint 11114176. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
LETTER FROM SENATOR GILLIBRAND ON BEHALF OF MADELINE SINGAS, WHO IS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF NASSAU COUNTY, SEEKING ASSISTANCE WITH A DOUBLE HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT IN HER COUNTY; *LD *JS *JS

NHTSA complaint 11111593. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS

40,000 miles

WHEEL CRACKED - RUN FLAT TIRES WOULD NOT HOLD AIR DUE TO UNEXPLAINED CRACK IN WHEEL

NHTSA complaint 11074714. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

70,000 miles

PURCHASED CAR TWO YEARS AGO AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION CONTINUES TO LIGHT CONTINUALLY COMES ON, VEHICLE BEGINS TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. I'VE HAD DRIVEN LEXUS VEHICLES FOR THE PRIOR 30 YEARS AND NEVER SPENT SO MUCH TIME AT THE DEALER TRYING TO RESOLVE THE SAME PROBLEM OR ANY MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. SWITCHING TO BMW WITHIN THESE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE LITERALLY INTERRUPTED MY LIFE, COST ME TIME AND MONEY AS THIS VEHICLE WAS IN THE REPAIR SHOP (DEALER) FOR MORE THAN 70 DAYS WITHIN TWO YEARS (DEALER SPENT JUST AS MUCH TIME WITH THE CAR AS I). AFTER ALL THE REPAIRS THE FAITHFUL DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ENTERS MY LIFE YET AGAIN. CAN YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MAJOR COMPONENT IN THIS CAR.

NHTSA complaint 11030089, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 550I

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2013 15 1 —
2012 35 2 —
2011 84 3 —

Other 2010 BMW models

328I 155 X5 124 528I 65 535I 58 335I 41 X3 32 3 Series 30 750LI 30

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every BMW on this site — 257 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst