CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2012 BMW 550I

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

35

Complaints

0

Crashes

1

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 BMW 550I have filed 35 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2012 and September 2023. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 13 of them (37%). The typical failure was reported at 59,287 miles, the median across the 29 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

18V248000 · April 18, 2018

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat.
The risk
If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.
The 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.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 47,806 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

16V746000 · October 17, 2016

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 BMW X5 3.0si, X5 4.8i, X5 M, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i and X5 xDrive50i, 2008-2011 X6 x Drive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 535i xDrive Gran Turismo, 535i Gran Turismo, 550i xDrive Gran Turismo and 550i Gran Turismo, 2011-2012 528i, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i and 550i xDrive and 2012 535i ActiveHybrid, 640i Convertible, 650i Convertible, 650i xDrive Convertible, 650i Coupe and 650i Coupe xDrive vehicles. The affected vehicles have in-tank fuel pumps that may have insufficiently crimped wire contacts.
The risk
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.
The 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.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 136,188 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 35.

ENGINE 13 37%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11 31%
TIRES 8 23%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 11%
POWER TRAIN 4 11%
WHEELS 4 11%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2 6%
STEERING 2 6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 3%
SUSPENSION 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 9.

2012 2019 2023
2012 to 2023

In owners' own words

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

ENGINE

fire · 58,200 miles

THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP CAUSED A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND TOTALED THE CAR WITH LESS THAN 60K MILES ON IT

NHTSA complaint 11399068. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 112,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 550I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK AGAIN. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER A SECOND TIME AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, IT FAILED TO RESTART THE SECOND TIME. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO NALLY BMW IN DECATUR, GA WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL AND THERE WAS A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND IN THE ENGINE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

NHTSA complaint 11016516, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 49,479 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 5501. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE "SERVICE REQUIRED SOON" MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON THE MESSAGE CENTER AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GLOBAL IMPORTS (550 INTERSTATE NORTH PKWY SE, ATLANTA, GA 30339) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE SEIZED AND A NEW ONE WAS NEEDED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING ODDLY APPROXIMATELY A WEEK BEFORE THE FAILURE, PRESUMABLY DUE TO OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,479.

NHTSA complaint 11270829. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 78,771 miles

SON WAS DRIVING CAR AND CAR JUST SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT ANY WARNING. CAR WAS TOWED TO BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE $3000 TO TEAR DOWN ENGINE TO SEE WHY ENGINE LOCKED UP. CAR WAS BOUGHT 31 MAY 2019 AND SHUT DOWN AFTER DRIVING A LITTLE OVER 3,000 MILES 12 OCTOBER 2019. JUST A COMPLETE RUNAROUND WITH BMW OFFICES.

NHTSA complaint 11277197. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was driving when the vehicle engine randomly shut down with out warning I was on the freeway at the time and could have been hit by a car. I took thr car to an auto repair shop, had the problem inspected snddiagnosed and was told the engine was faulty. I had the engine replaced and the same issue occurred. There were no warning lamps, messages, or alerts prior to the problem occurring. The drivetrain malfunction light came on as soon as the engine cut off.

NHTSA complaint 11542232. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

60,000 miles

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 550i. The contact stated after parking and exiting the vehicle, he noticed coolant leaking on the front driver’s side and saw white smoke exiting near the water pump. The contact stated the low coolant fluid and the drivetrain malfunction warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the smoke disappeared on its own. The contact stated that he continued driving the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the water pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not

NHTSA complaint 11442082, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My car died in an intersection unexpectedly as if my battery had died. My infant was in the backseat. This was suck a busy intersection that police dept had to park behind me to keep me from being hit. The car could not be put in neutral to move it out of the way. After over an hour we were able to restart the car and excessive battery discharge message displayed. This is on top of me taking it to the dealership for excessive oil consumption and BMW was aware my motor would eventually give out.

NHTSA complaint 11440813. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Engine is available for inspection upon request. Earlier this month, my 550i completely shut off at a traffic light. When attempting to restart the engine, the Starter strained very hard and smoke came out of the engine. Engine was immediately shut off and the car was towed to a local shop. In turn the shop replaced the Starter the following day and heard knocking from the engine once it turned it over. Upon examination the shop pulled open the oil filter and it was full of metal shrapnel. I feel fortunate the car was not in motion at the time of the failure, given the engine shut off with no warning this could have resulted in a catastrophic accident.

NHTSA complaint 11424195. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2012 F10 had issues while running as car installed and stopped completely multiple times in traffic. Fuel supply sign came on. Diagnosed as low pressure fuel pump degraded and need replacement. Same recall took place for 2007-2011 5 series model as well via recall campaign No. 16v-746: In-Tank Fuel Pump. 2012 have same issue and very dangerous to drive on road when vehicle stalls and stops while driving in traffic

NHTSA complaint 11421987. 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
2011 84 3
2010 11 1

Other 2012 BMW models

Every BMW on this site — 249 vehicles, 484 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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
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