2006 BMW 530I electrical system problems
16 complaints about electrical system have been filed for the 2006 BMW 530I, which is 12% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the 3rd most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 16 13% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 123,000 miles 13 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 13 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 123,000 miles, and 0% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 1 fire.
What owners wrote
When I started my car the idrive displayed the "increased battery discharge" message. I then smelled a strong odor of smoke and melted plastic, and the idrive stopped working altogether. I couldn't figure out the problem until I searched this website and several BMW devoted message boards to discover that the problem could be traced to a defective design related to the micro processor module that controls the idrive.
The micro power module in the trunk burned up, crashing the screen/audio/service screen. The car is drivable but I cannot access any features from the dash computer screen, none of it works. There is a distinct plastic burned smell in the trunk. I have since learned this is a common problem...when I called my BMW certified mechanic, I barely explained my issue and his response was "let me guess, you have an '05 or '06 BMW 5 series, correct?