TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 530I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING, WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE AFFECTED THE AIR BAGS, AND THAT THE FLOOR MAT SENSOR WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INDICATED THAT AN UNKNOWN RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS AVAILABLE FROM 2009; HOWEVER, THE STATUTE EXPIRED. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED NO SOLUTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
2005 BMW 530i
Owners filed 58 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. No safety recall has been issued.
49 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 90,000–105,000 miles.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 29 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| Electrical System | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Power Train | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags › Frontal | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsI BOUGHT THIS CAR LAST YEAR WITH 140,000 MILES ON IT. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEATBELT LIGHT BOTH CAME ON AFTER MAYBE A MONTH OF DRIVING. I TOOK IT TO THE BMW SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT IT CAME ON BECAUSE I HAD SOMETHING HEAVY SITTING IN THE SEAT---NOTHING HEAVIER THAN MY PURSE. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME A DIAGNOSIS FEE TO TURN THE LIGHT OFF BUT I REFUSED. THAT IS NOT A CAUTION IN THE HANDBOOK SO HOW WAS I SUPPOSE TO KNOW THAT WAS PROBLEM. I'M WORRIED THAT MY SEATBELT AND AIRBAG MAY MALFUNCTION IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 2005 BMW 525.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 530I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFUSED ANY REPAIR OR ASSISTANCE.. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,000. UPDATED 10/19/16*LJ UPDATED 10/24/16/16.*JB
MY IDRIVE SHOWED A MESSAGE INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG IN THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS DEACTIVATED BECAUSE OF A SENSOR OR SIMILAR ISSUE. I TOOK THIS TO THE DEALER, ASKED FOR IT TO BE COVERED UNDER THE PREVIOUS SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH INDICATED THE SEAT MAT SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT. I CONTACTED BMW NORTH AMERICA AND THEY SAID THEY MIGHT FIX IT IF I PAID FOR THE ASSESSMENT. THE ASSESSMENT SUGGESTED THERE WAS A DEFECT IN DIFFERENT SENSOR. AND SUGGESTED THAT A BATTERY CABLE SHOULD BE REPLACED. ALL OTHER SYSTEMS IN THE CAR WORKS FINE. BOTH BMW AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO FIX THIS ISSUE. THERE HAVE BEEN NO OTHER REPORTED CASES OF THE BATTERY CABLE ACTUALLY CAUSING THE AIRBAGS TO BE DEACTIVATED. TODAY, THE AIRBAG IS STILL NOT WORKING, AND BMW HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 530I. THE SRS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 192,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 530I. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS CONSISTENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS) BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER THE MANUFACTURER'S EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM SOMEONE. THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION SIGNAL ON COMPUTER HAS COME ON, THE BRAKE PAD MALFUNCTION WARNING HAS ALSO COME ON, ALONG WITH THE LEFT BRAKE LIGHT MALFUNCTION! I HAVE TRIED TO HAVE BMW HONOR THE WARRANTY ON THE PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT, TO NO AVAIL! I HAVE ASKED THE SERVICE ADVISOR SEVERAL TIMES, THEY ARE SAYING I NEEDED TO PAY TO HAVE THIS DONE, ALTHOUGH IT WAS STILL UNDER THE TERMS OF 10 YEAR RULE! THE LIGHT AND BRAKES ARE FINE, HOWEVER I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THE COMPUTER SAYS OTHERWISE, UNLESS THERE ARE SOME UNDETERMINED PROBLEMS. THE BRAKES AND SENSOR HAVE BEEN REPLACED! THE LIGHT IS WORKING PROPERLY, YET THE COMPUTERS READING DIFFERENTLY. I HAVE ASKED ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS ABOUT THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT, THE FEMALE SALES ADVISOR STATES I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS!
PSS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM SHOWS IN MAIN SCREEN. SEAT BELT SHOWS IN THE FRONT SCREEN. IM CONCER OF ITS ACTUALLY FUNCTIONALITY.
I HAVE XENON ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS OEM MADE BY HELLA. THE INSULATION ON ALL OF THE WIRING INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY IS FALLING OFF. YOU CANNOT TOUCH A WIRE WITHOUT THE INSULATION CRUMBLING OFF THE WIRING. NOW HAVING NUMEROUS FAULTS AND HID LIGHT ON DRIVERS SIDE IS NON FUNCTIONAL DUE TO WIRING SHORTS.
THE IDRIVE, KNOWN AS "CCC", UNIT USED TO WORK JUST FINE. IT CONTROL NAVIGATION, RADIO AND VEHICLE'S INFORMATIONS FOR OWNER. ONCE AWHILE THE SCREEN BLINK AND GO BLANK, AND THEN SOMETIME IT WORK JUST FINE. NOW IT JUST DON'T WORK ANYMORE. THE SCREEN NOW BLINK CONTINUOUSLY WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS CAUSING A MAJOR DISTRACTION FOR ME BEHIND THE WHEEL ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. I STARTED RESEARCHING ONLINE AND NOTICE A LOT OF OWNERS WITH THIS MODEL ALSO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. THEY REPLACED THE CCC UNIT AND UPDATE SOFTWARE INFORMATION AT THE DEALER AND IT FIXED THE ISSUES. I CALLED BMW MOMENTUM OF HOUSTON ABOUT THE CCC. THE COST IS $1,500.00 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. I BELIEVE THIS GRAND DEFECTS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. CAN YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE INTO THIS MATTER SO THAT A RECALL CAN BE ISSUE.
DRIVING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT HOME, OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE ABOUT 86 DEGREES, DRY DRIVING CONDITIONS. DRIVER BUMPED INTO A CONCRETE CURB UPON TURNING INTO DRIVEWAY AND TIRE BLEW OUT, TIRE SIDEWALL COMPLETELY SEPARATING FROM TIRE TREAD. TIRES WERE INSTALLED IN APPROXIMATELY JULY 2014 AND INCIDENT OCCURRED IN SEPTEMBER 2015. APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES ON THE TIRES. CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT DWS 225/50/R17. DOT NUMBER LM403VR 1313
PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT LIGHT ARE ON AGAIN! TOOK TO DEALER COUPLE YEARS AGO DURING RECALL AND IT HAPPEN AGAIN (MAT SENSOR)
I HAVE A 05 BMW 530I WITH SPORT PACKAGE AND I GOT AN ERROR WITH THE PASSENGER RESTRAIN SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. BMW DID NOT WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THIS COMMENT AND RECALL PROBLEM!! *TR
WAS TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR GAS PEDAL BEGAN TO REV UP ON ITS ON AND THEN THE WARNING LIGHT ALERT "TRANS. MALFUNCTION" THE VEHICLE WILL HAVE REDUCED ACCELERATION. HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED BY THE NEAREST BMW CENTER. TRANS. FAULT DRIVE MODERATELY, WE PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR FOR A WHILE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BUT THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPENS, I HAVE CHECKED ON WWW.MOTORTREND.COM FOR RECALLS AND EVERYONE THAT IS LISTED ARE PROBLEMS IM HAVING,RECALL # 76534 AIR BAGS FRONTAL LIGHT, RECALL 51587 POWER TRAIN; AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, RECALL #93389 ENGINE & ENGINE COOLING: COOLING SYSTEM: FAN, RECALL 71260 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC: POWER ASSIST: VACUUM, I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY CAR IN ALL THESE RECALLS, PLEASE HELP. *TR
WHILE BMW HAS RECALLED MANY 2005 BMW 530I SEDANS FOR THE AIRBAG CONCERNS, MY VIN IS APPARENTLY NOT INCLUDED IN THIS LIST. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW DIRECTLY, AS WELL AS MANY LOCAL SERVICE DEPARTMENTS, WITH NO AVAIL. BOTH LIGHTS INDICATING SEAT BELT AND AIRBAG MALFUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN ILLUMINATED FOR OVER A YEAR AND I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT IF A CRASH WERE TO OCCUR, THE PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY PROTECTED. IF THERE ARE AIR BAG ISSUES IN SOME BMW 530I SEDANS, ISN'T IT POSSIBLE THAT OTHERS MAY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE? *TR
THE MICRO POWER MODULE IN THE TRUNK WAS BURNT ON MY 2005 530I, NOW MY IDRIVE / AUDIO / NAV AND PDC HAS SHUT DOWN. CAR STARTS AND DRIVES NORMAL, EXCEPT THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ACCESSORIES THAT NO LONGER WORK, WHO KNOW WHAT OTHER DAMAGES (IF ANY) RESULTED FROM A MPM MELTDOWN. I'VE READ SOME HORROR POSTS OF SIMILIAR EVENTS THAT CAUSED EVERYTHING ON THE VEHICLE TO SHORT OUT, WHICH MEANT THAT BASICALLY EVERYTHING CCC / M-ASK / TV MODULE / CD ETC. WHEN THIS HAPPENED ON MY VEHICLE, THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY SWITCHED OFF. IT WAS ONLY WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I GOT THIS STRONG ELECTRICAL BURN SMELL FROM THE TRUNK AREA. THE MPM PROBABLY SHORTED OUT DURING THE COURSE OF THE NIGHT. LUCKILY THE CAR DID NOT CAUGHT ON FIRE, CAUSE IT COULD HAVE THEN BURNED DOWN MY APARTMENTS AS WELL, AS THE CAR WAS PARKED NEXT TO MY APARTMENT. FROM WHAT I COULD VISUALLY ACCESS, ONLY THE MPM UNIT BURNED OUT COMPLETELY AND MELTED. I JUST HOPE THAT I KNOCKED THE MPM OUT BEFORE IT COULD CAUSE ANY MORE DAMAGE TO THE CAR'S OTHER ELECTRONICS. MY CAR IS UNFORTUNATELY NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN INTO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO ACCESS THE DAMAGE AND TO GIVE ME A QUOTE TO REPAIR, BUT THEY DID INFORM ME THAT IT IS GOING TO BE A COSTLY AFFAIR. I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT BMW DECIDED TO MOVE THESE MODULES NEWER MODELS FROM THE TRUNK AREA TO THE BODY GATEWAY MODULE WHICH IS A MUCH SAFER ENVIRONMENT. MAKES YOU THINK THAT THEY REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT WITH THE VEHICLE
I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE FROM A DEALER ON APRIL 2014. APPROXIMATELY A MONTH LATER, THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIRBAG AUTOMATICALLY DISABLED AND THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE FRONTAL PASSENGER SEATBELT ALSO DISABLED AND THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE BRAKE LIGHT IS ALSO ILLUMINATED. IN JUNE 2014, MY CAR WAS HIT BY A F150 TRUCK. THE IMPACT WAS SO FORCEFUL, MY CAR WAS KNOCKED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. NON OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND THERE WERE INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. MY VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND I WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON MY DASHBOARD WERE RECALLS AND A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE'S MAKE AND MODEL. I RESEARCHED THE INFORMATION AND DID FIND RECALLS FOR THE FRONTAL AIRBAG AND FRONTAL SEATBELT. I CONTACTED A BMW DEALERSHIP A COUPLE OF TIMES AND I AM TOLD MY VIN DOES NOT SHOW ANY OPEN RECALLS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE OUT OF POCKET. THESE PROBLEMS APPEARS TO BE DEFECTS WITH THE VEHICLE AND A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE. *JS
THE INSULATION INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT HAS COMPLETELY CRACKED AND FLAKED OFF, LEAVING BARE WIRES EXPOSED THAT CAN SHORT OUT AND PRESENT A FIRE RISK. *TR
PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG FAILURE MESSAGE. *TR
THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO OTHER 2005 BMW 530I OWNERS. WHILE BRAKING VEHICLE IDRIVE GAVE WARNING THAT REAR DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT FAILED AND THEN THAT THE REAR LIGHT HAD A MALFUNCTION. UPON LOOKING AT THE WIRING HARNESS ATTACHED TO THE TAILLIGHT BULB CARRIER, THE BROWN WIRE IS BURNT OUTSIDE OF THE HARNESS. THE RUBBER COATING OF THE WIRE IS BURNT THROUGH AND THE WIRE IS EXPOSED. THE PLASTIC WIRE HARNESS IS BURNT AND MELTED. THE TAILLIGHT BULB CARRIER IS ALSO BURNT AND MELTED. EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY CAR. THE GROUND WIRE HAS WAY TOO MUCH CURRENT ON IT RESULTING IN MELTING AND POSSIBLE FIRE. *TR
20 of 58 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2004| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2022 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2021 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2020 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2019 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2018 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2017 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2011 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2009 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2007 | 73 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 84 | 3 | 4 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 — this page | 58 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2004 | 129 | 0 | 21 | 0 | High concern |
| 2003 | 46 | 2 | 6 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2002 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2001 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 1995 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1994 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1993 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1992 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1991 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1990 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
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.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.