2008 BMW 650i

Routine

Owners filed 6 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System3
010
Power Train1
000
Fuel/Propulsion System1
000
Engine1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed May 4, 2022127,001 milesCA

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 650I. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and had the vehicle towed an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the vehicle was leaking oil and the engine oil seals needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. Additionally, the vehicle had lost power while on the road causing the contact to have to pull off the road. The contact observed that the "engine malfunction" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine failure had been ongoing. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,001.

Power Train
Filed Sep 10, 2020105,965 milesCA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 650I. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE ENTERED LIMP MODE AND THE SPEED WAS REDUCED. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED HE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,965.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jan 3, 2020121,876 milesNV

THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY IN TANK FUEL PUMP THAT HASN'T BEEN REPLACE I. NOTIFYIED MY BMW DEALER SHIP IN HENDERSON NV. AND THEY AND THEY REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE MY RECALL ABOUT THE FUEL PUMP THEY REFUSE TO DO IT. AND YES I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WHEN THE FUEL PUMP FAIL. AND MY VEHICLE FALLS IN THE CATEGORY OF FOR THE RECALL IS LISTED IN THE RECALL BY NASTA

Electrical System
Filed Sep 12, 201951,000 milesFL

ALL THE WIRING TO THE STANDARD XENON HEADLIGHTS AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE DETERIORATED. IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW, AS THEY WERE USING BIODEGRADABLE WIRING COATING. THE PROTECTIVE COATING OF THE WIRES DRIES UP, FALLS OFF AND CREATES SHORTS LEADING TO TOTAL HEADLIGHT FAILURE THAT CANNOT BE REPAIRED. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMERIOUS COMPLAINTS OF THESE WIRES CAUSING CAR AND ENGINE FIRES AS WELL AS DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHERE THE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT WORK. BMW REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THEIR ONLY FIX IS TO HAVE THE CONSUMER BUY NEW HEADLIGHTS AT ROUGHLY $1800 PER LIGHT. IN MY CASE, BOTH HEADLAMPS HAVE DETERIORATED WIRE COATING AND EXPOSED WIRES. THE RIGHT HEADLAMP HAS FAILED.

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Feb 12, 2019NY

WE HAVE ALMOST DIED IN THIS CAR TWICE. THE FIRST TIME IN 2017, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER, AND OPENED THE HOOD TO FIND STARTER IN FLAMES. CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND THE CAR SPENT A WEEK IN THE SHOP GETTING "REPAIRED". THIS PAST WEEK, AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, I SMELLED WHAT SMELLED LIKE BURNING METAL. PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD HOWEVER NOTHING WAS THERE. FELT A SLIGHT BURN ON MYSELF AND DISCOVERED THAT MY HEATED SEAT HAD BURNED A A HALF DOLLAR SIZE HOLE IF NOT BIGGER INTO THE SEAT AND BURNED THROUGH MY EXPENSIVE JACKET AND A SWEATER! THIS CAR IS UNSAFE. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, WE LEARNED THAT THOUSANDS OF BMW'S CATCH ON FIRE EVERY YEAR. WE SPENT MONEY ON A LUXURY VEHICLE FOR MORE SAFETY AND COMFORT, NOT A DEATH TRAP. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR AND HAVE NOT DONE SO SINCE THE LAST FIRE (BURNED SEAT).

Electrical System
Filed Feb 11, 2019100,000 milesNV

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 650I. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE THE CONVERTIBLE TOP ON THE VEHICLE, BUT IT WOULD NOT CLOSE DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. IN ADDITION, THE SERVICE VEHICLE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW OF LAS VEGAS (6900 W SAHARA AVE, LAS VEGAS, NV 89117, (702) 570-0279), BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

6 of 6 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2007
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20171100Routine
20154100Routine
20146000Routine
201316010Routine
201220220Routine
20105000Routine
20094000Routine
2008 — this page6010Routine
200722141Fatalities reported
200620120Routine

Compare every 650i year →

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.