2007 BMW 530XI problems
NHTSA has received 104 complaints about the 2007 BMW 530XI, and 17% of them involve engine. Next are electrical system (16%) and air bags (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 104 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 4 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 77,000 miles 71 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 | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 13 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 71 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 77,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 4 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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.
A 2007 BMW 530xi caught fire shortly after it was started. The lamp control module burned, causing sparks, smoke, and burning various parts. The mechanic at chambers BMW said that the left front head light collected moisture, and the lights drain clogged. The accumulated moisture caused the fire. The car has ahistory of electrical problems. In dec. 2008, 1 year prior to the fire, the rear sunroof drain clogged, causing water to collect in the spare tire well.
Car was parked outside of our home and shut off. About 25 minutes later the car exploded into fire and burned down to the ground leaving the seats and trunk with all interior metal parts on our driveway. Our home was also damaged as a result of this car going on fire. The car was well maintained and no one can advise us as to why this happened.
My headlight was emitting smoke, upon closer investigation I can see the wires were red hot and the plastic coating was on fire, no apparent reason is know for the cause of this incident.
The car battery died after sitting for 6 days, upon recharging the battery, the car started up and many warning lights came on including stability control issue, high discharge on battery, steering lock; and date/time reset. Once we restarted the car and began driving, all of the warning lights went away except for the steering wheel lock warning light. Warning light says "electric steering wheel malfunction. The wheel cannot be unlocked/locked. Please see the nearest BMW dealer for service".
I discovered failures of multiple wires in the tailgate/rear window wiring harnesses. Through research online I have found this is a common problem with this vehicle over several model years - search for BMW e61 tailgate wiring problems. The failures are caused by a poor design where the wires entering the hinge guides (4) for the glass and tailgate are repeatedly flexed at a sharp angle until the insulation, then the copper wire breaks.
Other model years of the 530XI
- 2007
- 2006