Bmw E38

Owners filed 1 complaints across 5 model years of the Bmw E38. The 2000 drew the most (1); the 2000 the fewest (1).

Model years5

Complaints1

Recalls4

Fires1

Deaths0

Every Bmw E38 model year compared

Complaints per year

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Crashes	Most reported	Status
2000	1	0	1	—	Seats	Routine
1998	0	1	—	—	—	Routine
1997	0	1	—	—	—	Routine
1996	0	1	—	—	—	Routine
1995	0	1	—	—	—	Routine

Which Bmw E38 years should you avoid?

On raw complaint volume the 2000 is the weakest year on record, with 1 complaints concentrated in the seats.

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.