BMW 850

Owners filed 13 complaints across 5 model years of the BMW 850. The 1997 drew the most (7); the 1996 the fewest (1).

Model years5
Complaints13
Recalls0
Fires1
Deaths0

Every BMW 850 model year compared

Complaints per year
YearComplaintsRelative volumeRecallsFiresCrashesMost reportedStatus
19977
011Air Bags › FrontalRoutine
19961
0Visibility › Windshield Wiper/WasherRoutine
19953
0Tires › Tread/BeltRoutine
19931
0Service Brakes, HydraulicRoutine
19911
0Exterior Lighting › HeadlightsRoutine

Which BMW 850 years should you avoid?

On raw complaint volume the 1997 is the weakest year on record, with 7 complaints concentrated in the air bags › frontal.

Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.

Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.