2006 Bmw 550i problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (9) · Wheels (2) · Service Brakes (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw 550i model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2017-07-06 · campaign 17V428000 · 2,158 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, Inc. (BMW) is recalling certain 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, and 550i vehicles equipped with the Sport Seat option and certain 2006 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i vehicles with standard seats. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Risk: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 1, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2013-11-12 · campaign 13V564000 · 76,565 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, model year 2007 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi sedans and 328i and 328xi sports wagons, model year 2006-2007 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i sedans and 530xi sports wagons, model year 2006 760i sedans, model year 2006-2007 750i, 750Li, and 760Li sedans, and model year 2006 X5 sports activity vehicles, equipped with certain seat types. The front passenger seat occupant detection
Risk: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners with an interim notification letter in January 2014 since parts are not currently available. When parts are available, BMW sent a second letter in August and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, free of charge. Additionally, owners of model year 2006-2007 3 Series with standard seats, 5 Series with comfort seats, and Z4 models, will receive an extended warranty on their front passenger seat occupant detection mat.
Service bulletins (52)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2023-12-20 · B160623 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
engine will crank but not start. there is no communication with the integrated fuel module (tfe) whendiagnosing with ista. the following two fault codes will be stored in the dme: 032b43 - low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low cda594 - message (- 0x33e) missing, rec
Equipment 2023-11-22 · B653423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers may state that the alarm system (dwa) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. depending on the vehicleã¢ââs equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. additionally, the red anti-theft alarm led in
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar 2021-04-01 · B340414 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
diagnosis of compound brake system complaints in m vehicles: 1. visible cracks are caused by high thermal stresses during rapid heating and cooling of the brake discs. braking from high speed with cold brake components (less than 212 degrees f) increases the likelihood of cracks to form.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2020-10-01 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
discharged battery energy diagnosis must be performed: the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to
Showing the 6 most recent of 52 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-08-31 · Air Bags · 184,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 bmw 550i. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light remained illuminated. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. the contact was informed that the vin was not in…”
2020-04-17 · Suspension · 142,764 mi“i was driving home and felt the car leaning to one side (passenger side) i drove slowly with hazard lights on made it home and checked under vehicle looked liked the bolt came off and bar connected to tire was dropped had it towed to shop and was told control arm needed to be replaced . another situation i had with my car was the cooling system and…”
2019-11-10 · Wheels · 195,000 mi“nexen tires n5000 plus sidewall on all tires are starting to crack and split with less than 30,000 miles and 24 months of use. going to replace tires with another brand and remove these due to unsafe and potential catastrophic failure of tires coming apart or blowout at highway speeds..…”
2019-03-04 · Exterior Lighting · 80,000 mi“headlight wire insulation flaking off and wires are shorting causing headlight to go off. wires short and arcing. the headlight went off while driving on highway at night.…”
2018-04-30 · Air Bags“tl* the contact owns a 2006 bmw 550i. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 13v564000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the vehicle was taken to bmw of las vegas (6900 w sahara ave, nv 89117…”
2017-09-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 95,000 mi“there is fuel leaking from the main fuel line to the fuel rail. extremely dangerous upon research i have found that this is a common problem with my model which explains why bmw's catch fire. does someone have to die before they fix this problem?…”
2016-04-16 · Service Brakes · 146,000 mi“altough my 2006 bmw 550i v8 is hard to stop and falls under bmw brake vacuum pump recall released november 2010, for some reason my vin doesnt bring up the recall. bmw refused to fix.a wasted 1 hour trip and day.…”
2016-01-20 · Air Bags“front passenger air bag light warming on i-drive and air bad light lit on dash. passenger restraint failure. fault in passenger restraint system affecting air bag,belt tensioner or belt-force limiter.fasten and continue to wear belts. on 24-7. from the moment you start the car till the moment you shut it off.…”
2015-05-22 · Electrical System · 65,000 mi“defective elv steering lock prevents the car from starting. the lock can't be disabled. this should be a recall. the lock is unnnecssary for safe operation of the vehicle. the lock can't be disabled. at the very least, the owner should be able to disable it.…”
2015-03-15 · Wheels · 129,050 mi“my 06 bmw 550i is having an electric wheel lock fault just like thousands of others this as you know could possibly lead to an accident. it is my understanding that bmw has issued a service bulletin acknowledging the issue. any assistance is greatly appreciated. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.