CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2018 BMW 530E

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

26

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 BMW 530E have filed 26 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2019 and March 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 9 of them (35%). The typical failure was reported at 8,700 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

AIR BAGS

20V243000 · April 29, 2020

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2017 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i and 540i xDrive and 2017-2018 530e xDrive vehicles. Prior exposure to excessive levels of humidity within the driver and passenger head air bag inflators may affect the proper deployment of the head air bags.
The risk
In the event of a crash of sufficient severity, deployment of the head air bag may be impaired and/or the igniter could separate from the inflator, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left or right head air bag, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 33 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

19V684000 · September 27, 2019

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The risk
The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 257,473 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

18V652000 · September 20, 2018

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a fire.
The risk
An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 3,501 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

18V465000 · July 12, 2018

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall. On September 12, 2018, BMW expanded the recall to a total of 5,309 vehicles including certain 2018-2019 BMW 540d xDrive, 230i M240i, M240i xDrive, X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 330i, 330i xDrive, 340i, 340i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e, 530e xDrive, 640i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330e, 2019 430i Gran Coupe, 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i Gran Coupe, 440i xDrive Gran Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, 740i, 740i xDrive, MINI Cooper, Cooper S, JCW, MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), and MINI Clubman (Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, JCW All4) vehicles.
The risk
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 5,309 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 26.

AIR BAGS 9 35%
SEAT BELTS 9 35%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 27%
SEATS 2 8%
STRUCTURE 2 8%
ENGINE 1 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 7.

2019 2024 2026
2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

SEAT BELTS

1 injured

The seatbelt/passenger seat fails to recognize a passenger is occupying the seat and turns off the airbag. This issue has been reported many times to BMW and on vehicle forums. This is an expensive fix ($2800) that should be issued a recall by the manufacture and not passed onto the owner of the car.

NHTSA complaint 11654120. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · 6,500 miles

SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCERLERATION

NHTSA complaint 11297810. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2018 BMW 530e suddenly shut down while I was driving. I charged it overnight, but the next day it showed a check‑engine light and a drivetrain failure warning. I tried driving it again, and it drove for some distance and shutdown after few minutes. Luckily, i was able to park the car on the side of the road. I brought(towed) it to a mechanic, and he told me the issue was a CCU failure, which would cost about $12,000 to fix. I believe this should be covered by the manufacturer because this isn’t a normal wear‑and‑tear problem, and I can’t absorb such a high repair cost."

NHTSA complaint 11722098. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

79,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for water pump repairs, the wrench warning light was illuminated, and the message "Passenger Seat Restraint Sensor Failure" was displayed. The contact stated that the dealer inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the passenger's seat occupant weight sensor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The contact stated that the failure had persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA complaint 11707996. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Passenger seat occupancy sensor faulty causing restraint system malfunction and seat belt warning

NHTSA complaint 11697612. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I got a "Drivetrain malfunction" error on my 2018 530e bmw, which is a hybrid plug-in model. I sent the car to the local dealer. They did all the diagnosis and concluded the high voltage battery needed to be replaced. However, they told me that the warranty (80K/8 years) will not cover it although my card is still in the warranty period. The dealer said that the BMW North America made the decision and there was nothing they could do. Without replacing the battery, the car could fail on the highway, which could be a huge safety concern. I called BMW North America and talked to the warranty department, the guy sounded stoned/disillusioned with his job/just woke up and said there’s nothing he

NHTSA complaint 11672168, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
i have read all the forums and there are many complaints on this same safety issue and why hasn't a recall been issued? Passenger restraint system light stay on !

NHTSA complaint 11652985. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 530E

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 11 2

Other 2018 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.

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