CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2018 BMW 530I

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

25

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 BMW 530I have filed 25 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2018 and August 2025. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 13 of them (52%). The typical failure was reported at 5,250 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

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

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 25.

AIR BAGS 13 52%
SEAT BELTS 7 28%
SEATS 5 20%
ENGINE 4 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 8%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 8%
STEERING 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 6.

2018 2024 2025
2018 to 2025

In owners' own words

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured · crash · towed · 17,000 miles

MY CAR HAD UNDER 17,000 MILES AND HAD BEEN SERVICED ON SCHEDULE BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. I HAD BMW ANCHORED DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT IN PLACE. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW AND I WERE WEARING OUR SAFETY BELTS. WE WERE APPROACHING A FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION WITH A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE ROAD IS 35 MILES AN HOUR. I WAS DRIVING SLOWER THAN THAT SPEED. AS I WAS APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION WITH A RED LIGHT , I HAD TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR. ALTHOUGH MY FOOT WAS NOT ON ANY PEDAL, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I HIT THE BRAKES BUT I COULD NOT SLOW THE CAR. I WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION AND OTHER VEHICLES. TO THE RIGHT OF THE ROAD WAS A HOUSE. I STEERED THE CAR OFF THE ROAD AND INTO

NHTSA complaint 11350816, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

towed · 105,000 miles

The contact's wife owns a 2018 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, and the warning light turned off; however, the check engine light soon returned. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test discovered that coolant and freon had leaked from the turbo lines, causing damages to the oil housing and water pump. The dealer provided the contact with an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA complaint 11638278. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The oil filter housing has a plastic coolant passage that cracked. That lead to a complete loss of coolant, leaving my teenage daughter stranded. The problem seems pretty wide spread on these cars and happens right around the end of the warranty period. It could have been a more than $2500 repair. I ended up fixing it myself for a little less.

NHTSA complaint 11682017. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
It keeps coming up with the error message passenger restraint system malfunction

NHTSA complaint 11669239. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I was driving home after picking my son up from school and out of no where the vehicle temperature was in the red and a message popped up stating that vehicle coolant needed to be replenished but that continued driving of the vehicle was ok. It was not ok at all! The car started smoking and we were left stranded on the side of the road. I’ve read numerous blogs showing that the same thing has happened to other people and that there have even been recalls on other bmw’s in regards to the engine coolant system.

NHTSA complaint 11667326. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

64,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a coolant-level message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test determined that there was a coolant leak inside the engine. The contact was informed that the vehicle was covered under warranty and that an undisclosed part inside the coolant system was replaced. The contact stated that one week after the repair, the message returned, and the contact was informed that the upper coolant hose was defective. The contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty and the contact paid for the repair. After the second repair, the

NHTSA complaint 11633671, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Passenger restraint system Malfunction. L

NHTSA complaint 11605584. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 530I

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 13 6
2022 8 4
2021 17 8
2020 9 5
2019 15 1
2017 18 1

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst