2009 BMW 525i

Routine

Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails

Component	Reports		Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Electrical System	1		0	1	0

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports

Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Crankcase (pcv)17V683000

Filed Oct 30, 2017740,561 vehiclesBmw Of North America, Llc

Defect. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.

Risk. An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.

Remedy. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

What owners reported

Newest filings

Electrical SystemFire

Filed Nov 28, 2017123,000 milesIL

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, SUDDENLY WE BEGAN TO SMELL 'SOMETHING' BURNING, AND THEN THE IDRIVE SYSTEM DISPLAYED A BATTERY ICON LIGHT FOLLOWED BY THE MESSAGE "CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" AND CONTROL MESSAGES WARNING "YOUR BATTERY IS NOT BEING CHARGED". SECONDS AFTER THAT MESSAGE THE POWER IN THE VEHICLE BEGAN SURGING, AND ANOTHER MESSAGE DISPLAYED "4X4 SYSTEM AND DSC HAVE MALFUNCTIONED". AT THIS POINT WE WERE PULLING OVER, AND THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN FILLING WITH SMOKE. THE 4 OF US EXITED THE VEHICLE AND WITNESSED FLAMES AND SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE BONNET. WE MANAGED TO MOVE SAFELY AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE AND CALL FOR HELP AS IT WENT UP IN FLAMES - BURNING COMPLETELY (BUMPER TO BUMPERR). IT HAS BEEN DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS.

1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2004

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Assessment
2011	0	1	0	Routine
2010	0	1	0	Routine
2009 — this page	1	1	1	Routine
2008	1	1	0	Routine
2007	72	2	2	Routine
2006	77	3	4	Routine
2005	35	0	4	Routine
2004	84	0	17	Routine
2003	32	2	1	Do not drive
2002	28	4	2	Do not drive
2001	22	4	6	Do not drive
2000	0	1	0	Do not drive
1999	1	0	0	Routine
1998	2	0	0	Routine
1995	24	3	1	Routine
1994	7	4	0	Routine
1993	5	3	1	Routine
1992	18	4	2	Routine
1991	13	4	0	Routine
1990	11	3	0	Routine

Compare every 525i year →

Other BMW models

All BMW models →

X5 3,129 328i 2,576 X3 1,986 325i 1,368 Z4 1,280 3 Series 842 528i 830 330i 813 335i 809 X1 666

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Oct 30, 2017. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.