Owners filed 6 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting › Headlights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 525IA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 525I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TL* TAKATA RECALL.THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 525IA SPORT WAGON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF HOURS AFTER ARRIVING AT WORK THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CAR WAS PARKED, NOT RUNNING, SITTING IN A PARKING SPACE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FELT THAT THE FIRE ORIGINATED BEHIND AND BELOW THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME KIND OF FAN/BLOWER LOCATED IN THAT AREA JUST AHEAD OF THE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE. THE WEATHER WAS GOOD, NO PRECIPITATION AND APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. *JS
AFTER THE TIRES WERE ROTATED, THE TREAD WORE OUT. A BMW HOT LINE REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE TIRES SHOULDN'T BE ROTATED BECAUSE TREAD WEAR WILL OCCUR. THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT LISTED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. *AK THERE WAS EXCESSIVE TIRE NOISE. *SC *JB
MY COMPLAINT IS THE NEW XENON HEADLIGHTS ON AUTOMOBILES. THE ARE SO BRIGHT THAT I AM CONTINUALLY BLINDED BY ONCOMING VEHICLES HAVING THEM. THERE IS REALLY NO NEED FOR SUCH OVERLY BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE HAZARD THEY POSE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECT OF THESE LIGHTS.
6 of 6 complaints, reproduced as filed.
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 — this page | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
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.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.