BMW 525iaYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 14 owner complaints and 6 safety recalls on record for the BMW 525ia.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaints Best years—Fewest complaints for their age Owner complaints14Top: Air bags Safety recalls61989–2002 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

BMW 525ia years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the 525ia median. Tap a year for its full report.

0 0 1 1 1 4 3 1 3

'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'01'02

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

2002Not rated–/1003 complaints · 1 recall 2001Not rated–/1001 complaint · 3 recalls 1995Not rated–/1003 complaints · 2 recalls 1994Not rated–/1004 complaints · 2 recalls 1993Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 1992Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 1991Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 1990Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall 1989Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall

Complaints by system

Most common BMW 525ia problems

All model years combined: 14 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

5Air bags2 crash/fire/injury

3Visibility1 crash/fire/injury

3Engine and engine cooling1 crash/fire/injury

2Electrical system2 crash/fire/injury

1Exterior lighting

1Power train

1Vehicle speed control

1Engine

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Air bags	5	2
Visibility	3	1
Engine and engine cooling	3	1
Electrical system	2	2
Exterior lighting	1	1
Power train	1	0
Vehicle speed control	1	1
Engine	1	0

6 recalls

BMW 525ia recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

Frontal: sensor/control module-inactive03V-421 · 2001 · Oct 24, 2003 · 23,000 vehicles Cooling system: fan02V-138 · 2001 · May 16, 2002 · 1,550 vehicles Tires: sidewall01V-352 · 2002 · Nov 26, 2001 · 1,318 vehicles Cooling system: fan01V-206 · 2001 · Jun 21, 2001 · 76,469 vehicles Engine and engine cooling: cooling system98V-178 · 1989–1995 · Aug 4, 1998 · 340,000 vehicles Doors: latch94V-219 · 1994–1995 · Nov 8, 1994 · 2,180 vehicles