CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2019 BMW 530E

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

11

Complaints

3

Crashes

1

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 BMW 530E have filed 11 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2019 and November 2025. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 4 of them (36%). The typical failure was reported at 22,500 miles, the median across the 4 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

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

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 11.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 36%
POWER TRAIN 3 27%
AIR BAGS 2 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 18%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 18%
EQUIPMENT 1 9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 9%
SEAT BELTS 1 9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 9%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2023 at 3.

2019 2023 2025
2019 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.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

2 injured · crash

Dear NTSB Team, I am writing to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2019 BMW 530E, which occurred last night on [XXX] in Danville, CA. My vehicle was parked in my friend’s private driveway, with the parking brake engaged and the gear selector set to Park. I was chatting with my friend who was in the passenger seat . My feet were on the floorboard, my seat belt was on and the engine was idling to provide heat as it was a cold night. Suddenly, about 10 minutes into our conversation, my car accelerated forward with speed, hit my friend’s garage door and then reversed with the same speed and stopped in the middle of the street. This happened within the span of a few seconds

NHTSA complaint 11642943, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

Serious crash from sudden unintended acceleration occurred yesterday where throttle seemed to be stuck in all gears and brakes didn’t work

NHTSA complaint 11430762. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EQUIPMENT

fire · towed · 63,000 miles

The contact owned a 2019 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while driving at a moderate rate of speed, a warning message that stated" This car will not start again" appeared on the instrument panel. Upon exiting the vehicle, a grayish-whitish smoke began to emit from the driver's side door. The contact and her granddaughters immediately exited the vehicle, and the authorities were called to the scene. The contact attempted to use her home's water hose as flames began to emit from the undercarriage of the vehicle. Upon the authorities' arrival at the scene, the fire department took almost an hour to an hour and a half to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported. A fire report was given.

NHTSA complaint 11699176, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed · 15,000 miles

The contact owned a 2019 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while stopped due to traffic, the vehicle was rear-ended causing the contact to crash into the vehicle in front. During the impacts, the contact hit his head, and was unconscious. The contact does not remember if it was the steering wheel or the windshield where he hit his head. The only air bags deployed were the side air bags but no frontal. The rear-end damage to the vehicle was severe as the entire trunk was destroyed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact was transferred to the hospital via ambulance. The daughter who was seated in the front passenger

NHTSA complaint 11556498, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
* The component that failed is the front axle of my 2019 530e xDrive, and it's a common issue for the xDrive, even under NORMAL use. I was told by my service advisor at my local BMW dealership that it should be repaired as soon as possible. * A damaged axle can lead to a wheel locking up, causing the vehicle to skid or veer off course, especially during turns or at higher speeds. This can result in loss of control, making it difficult to steer and brake safely. A failed xDrive front axle is a known common issue for the xDrive. While BMW isn't doing anything while knowing it would lead to serious safety issues. * Yes, it has been inspected by the service department, and more concerning is

NHTSA complaint 11675399, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
sunroof exploded Myself and two friends were in the car when we heard a loud bang, it sounded like a gunshot that went off and glass was falling down all over us. We thought a bullet or rock came thru the sunroof. After arriving back at home we did some research and see this is a known problem with exploding sunroofs. It was very scary. BMW claims there are no recalls for this on our model. What can we do?

NHTSA complaint 11580414. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
o Rear view camera o When in reverse, camera image on infotainment display goes black hindering rearward visibility. This only happens occasionally. o Vehicle has been into Sewell BMW of Grapevine, TX multiple times for this issue. They have done a software update and replaced the camera. Problem continues to persist. They will no longer look at the issue without me paying a $265 diagnostic fee since the car is now out of warranty. o The problem has been present since I purchased the vehicle new in Nov 2019.

NHTSA complaint 11570467. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 530E

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 26 4

Other 2019 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