15 of the
51 complaints about the 1990 BMW 525I are about the
engine — 29% of everything
reported for this model year.
Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before
140,201 miles.
C
15
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
Exactly what failed
Radiator Assembly
533.3%
Cooling System
426.7%
Engine
320.0%
Emission Control
213.3%
Engine AND Engine Cooling
16.7%
What owners said
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
at 140,201 milesWashington Township, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
(1) MY 1990 BMW 525I STARTED TO OVER HEAT ON AUGUST 01,2006. THE TEMP GAUGE GOES UP 50% MARK. THE COOLANT LEVEL WENT DOWN EVERY DAY AND I FILLED IT UP WITH DISTILLED WATER TO CONTROL THE TEMPERATURE, HOPING THAT IT WOULD CORRECT ITSELF SOME TIME. (2) I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR ON REGULAR BASIS ANYMORE. WITHIN FEW DAYS, I SAW COOLANT OVERFLOWING AND SPRAY-OUT. FOLLOWING THIS, I NOTICED SLIGHT ROUGH IDLE AND VIBRATION. (3) REALIZING THAT DRIVING THE CAR WAS NO MORE SAFE, I CALLED WESTCHESTER BMW, WHITE PLAINS, NY. ON EMERGENCY BASIS, THE DEALER ACCEPTED THE CAR THE FOLLOWING WEEK FOR DIAGNOSIS. ON AUGUST 14 2006, THE DEALER CONCLUDED IT IS COOLANT LEAKING IN THE ENGINE AND OUTSIDE THE ENGINE. NO PARTS WERE REPAIRED AND REPLACED BECAUSE THE ENGINE WORK SPECIFIED BY THE DEALER WAS EXPENSIVE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK HOME. CAN NOT DRIVE IT ANYMORE.
NHTSA complaint #10165963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richmond, CA
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WHILE DRIVING, COOLANT LEVEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND CONSUMER NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, CONSUMER FOUND THAT WATER WAS IN THE OIL DUE TO A CRACKED HEAD, CONSUMER LATER RECEIVED RECALL 98V178. *SLC
NHTSA complaint #565570 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Quincy, IL
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
RADIATOR CAP FAILED, CAUSING COMPLETE FAILURE TO RADIATOR. HOWEVER RADIATOR IS NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL NOTICE (98V-178).
NHTSA complaint #546010 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Walterboro, SC
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
OIL PAN GASKET FAILED CAUSING OIL LEAK.
NHTSA complaint #539511 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Walterboro, SC
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WATER PUMP FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #539511 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WATER PUMP FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
THERMOSTAT FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
HEAD GASKET LEAKS OIL.
NHTSA complaint #515007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
RADIATOR LEAKS.
NHTSA complaint #515007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WATER PUMP FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
THERMOSTAT FAILED.
NHTSA complaint #515859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
RADIATOR LEAKED.
NHTSA complaint #515859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BAY Head, NJ
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
HEAD GASKET LEAKED.
NHTSA complaint #515859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.