CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2018 BMW M550I

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

23

Complaints

0

Crashes

1

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 BMW M550I have filed 23 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2018 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 10 of them (43%). The typical failure was reported at 23,000 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 23.

AIR BAGS 10 43%
SEAT BELTS 6 26%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 17%
SEATS 3 13%
ENGINE 2 9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 9%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 9%
STRUCTURE 2 9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 9%
WHEELS 2 9%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 4%
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 8.

2018 2024 2026
2018 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.

STRUCTURE:BODY

fire

ON 4/10/2018 VEHICLE WAS PARKED CAUGHT FIRE TOTTAL LOSE

NHTSA complaint 11089242. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Throughout my ownership, I have adhered to BMW’s recommended maintenance schedule, including routine oil changes and inspections. At no point was I advised of any engine issues, oil leaks, or conditions that could potentially lead to catastrophic engine failure. Most recently, the vehicle had change oil svc. at BMW of White Plains on June 25, 2026, at 69,456 miles. On July 17, 2026, while driving on the Bronx River Parkway, I unexpectedly noticed signs indicating that the vehicle was leaking oil. I was approximately three miles from BMW of White Plains and proceeded directly to the dealership. Before reaching the dealership, the engine lost power and ultimately failed. A few days later, I

NHTSA complaint 11755556, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
To: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Subject: Safety Complaint – 2018 BMW M550i Driver Assistance System I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a dangerous malfunction of the driver assistance systems in my 2018 BMW M550i. These systems behave unpredictably and cannot be reliably disabled, creating an unsafe driving condition. The vehicle’s driver assistance features (including steering and braking interventions) activate or restrict themselves unexpectedly while driving, sometimes without clear warnings. At other times, the system disables itself mid-drive. Despite repeated attempts, these features cannot be fully turned off, leaving me forced to rely on a

NHTSA complaint 11711486, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
I’m getting a passenger restraint system malfunction message on my infotainment. Says: “Passenger restraint system limited. Increased risk of injury in case of a collision. Continue wearing safety belt.” This is the second time this has occurred on this specific vehicle. First time was in 2021 and was repaired. Now it came up again.

NHTSA complaint 11680940. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Passenger restrain system mail function

NHTSA complaint 11655700. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Passenger restrained seatbelt signal. There is bulletin in google: SIB 72 04 17. There are recalls for this vehicle but dealer want accept it.

NHTSA complaint 11621999. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES:SIDEWALL
In the last 8 months, I have experienced 3 blowouts on the same side of the car. The tires were Continental Procontact SSR 245/40R19. In each instance, the sidewall failed and blew out. This has occurred on the highway as well as at low city speeds.

NHTSA complaint 11621119. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

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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