2002 BMW 525I problems
The 2002 BMW 525I has 42 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (21%) concerns air bags. After that come electrical system (17%) and seats (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 42 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 48,000 miles 31 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 31 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 48,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the BMW 525I with enough data (20 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
It started to smell electrical when I was driving the car and when I stopped the car put it in park and tryed to turn the car off the ignition wouldnt turn off and my entire car caught fire ..I saw it start on the passenger side under the hood I threw water on it it woundnt go out and I called the fire department. It happened in placerville when I was visiting family.
The car was off and caught fire due too electrical malfunctioning. The a/c unit was staying on even after cutting the car off . Along with my steering wheel randomly adjusting at start of the car . The fire started inside out .
The contact's brother owns a 2002 BMW 525I. The contact stated that while the owner was driving, the front driver's side steering wheel air bag deployed without impact and struck the driver's arm and face. The impact caused the driver to become unconscious. The driver sustained a broken arm and received medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. A police report was filed. The dealer was contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
When parking the vehicle in a parking lot consumer noticed that the splash shield scrapped the concrete driveway when entering parking lot, and parking space block. This was causing the front bumper to bent, separating from the vehicle. The consumer notified the dealer and manufacturer about this problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 BMW 525I. The driver's seat controls make a squeaking noise when moving the seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was not repaired. The dealer stated that there was something in the seat track, which caused the noise. When the contact locks the vehicle, the alarm sounds, but the horn would not. The failure caused the battery to fail when this occurred overnight. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced the sensor; however, the failure persisted.