2007 BMW 550I problems & reliability
37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2007 BMW 550I, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2007 BMW 550I vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 8 | 22% |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 16% |
| Steering | 6 | 16% |
| Engine | 5 | 14% |
| Wheels | 4 | 11% |
| Power Train | 3 | 8% |
| Tires | 3 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 74,601 miles (middle 50% between 41,500 and 89,750 miles), based on 26 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The vehicle is Burning a lot of oil due to the valve stem seals. Because of how the engine was designed. Since 2011 to 2018 was a law suit of the same engine since 2000 of the N62 V8 Engine of BMW. Smoke of oil comes out the exhaust and BMW cannot fix the issue they designed.”
Engine · filed Oct 11, 2021
“Car has faulty passenger seat occupancy sensor matt. Recall for this issue was done in 2014 - the recall called for inspection and possible replacement. In the instance of my car the matt was inspected and not-replaced. The matt now appears to be faulting as the passenger airbag off light (for children etc.) is on…”
Air Bags · filed Apr 30, 2021
“The insulation wiring deteriorated causing the passenger headlight to stop working while driving on the freeway”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jul 20, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
53 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2007 BMW 550I. The 10 most recent:
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2024
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…
B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 11, 2024
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…
B160623 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 20, 2023
Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicleâ  s equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the…
B653423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2023
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…
B340414 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2021
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…
B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2020
Power Reduction FC2A82 Intake VANOS and/or FC2 A87 Exhaust VANOS Camshaft Fault: The "Service Engine Soon" (MIL) lamp is illuminated and engine power reduction is perceived. This situation can occur after driving for…
B110208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2020
Various Electrical Problems Caused by Water Ingress. Water ingress into the luggage compartment may cause various electrical problems or faults associated with the MPM (Micro Power Module); PDC (Park Distance Control)…
611306 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 10, 2019
"?CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT SETTLEMENT: WATER INTRUSION AND ACCUMULATION IN THE TRUNK (E60)/REAR CABIN WELL AREA (E61). INFORMATION BMW of North America, LLC (?BMW NA?) is has entered into a court approved ?nationwide…
B012817 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2018
NAVIGATION SYSTEM: REPORTING MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance:
B650709 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2007 BMW 550I has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2007 BMW 550I?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 74,601 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.