2004 BMW 530I problems
Owners have filed 175 complaints about the 2004 BMW 530I with NHTSA. Air bags account for 28.6% of them — the clear leader, ahead of seats at 17.1%.
Complaints175
Crashes5
Fires29
Injuries10
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 28.6% · 50
Seats 17.1% · 30
Electrical system 16.0% · 28
Power train 6.3% · 11
Steering 5.1% · 9
Seat belts 4.6% · 8
Engine 2.9% · 5
Structure 2.9% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash, 29 describe a fire and 10 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 3 model years of the BMW 530I in this data, 2004 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filings have fallen off, 3 in the last three years against 10 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 82,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2004 BMW 530I. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer replaced the mat and passenger side seat belt buckle, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified, but the nhtsa campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags:frontal), did not include the vin. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 160,000. Air bags · reported at 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 BMW 530I. The contact stated that his BMW passenger sensor mat activates on the instrument panel to alert him that the air bags will not deploy on the passenger side in the event of a crash. The dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags:frontal), although the failures were identical. The failure mileage was 60,000. Air bags · reported at 60,000 miles
My BMW 530 (2004) has back seat airbags. They informed me that in the event I have an infant in the back, the air bags must be deactivated while submitting this information to you agency. At present I have a new born baby so I need your authorization so they can proceed with the deactivation asap. Please let me know what to do in order to proceed. Cordially, ivonne arroyo. Air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…