FaultScore

Worst years for a BMW 528I

Owners have filed 1,239 complaints about the BMW 528I with NHTSA across model years 1979 to 2016. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

2008 BMW 528I

181 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.

Cleanest on record

2009 BMW 528I

33 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every BMW 528I year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2016 C 105 2 8 80,000 Engine & Cooling
2015 C 106 0 7 80,000 Engine & Cooling
2014 C 92 0 8 77,500 Engine & Cooling
2013 C 119 3 1 86,500 Engine & Cooling
2012 C 145 0 8 69,500 Engine & Cooling
2011 C 164 1 1 59,340 Engine & Cooling
2010 B 87 2 5 99,000 Engine & Cooling
2009 B 33 1 3 111,150 Engine & Cooling
2008 D 181 1 24 90,000 Engine & Cooling
2007 1 0 0 Engine & Cooling
2001 3 0 0 Airbags
2000 C 53 2 4 106,250 Engine & Cooling
1999 C 59 6 0 85,000 Brakes
1998 B 39 2 2 96,500 Airbags
1997 C 49 8 1 109,234 Suspension
1980 2 0 0 Body & Structure
1979 1 0 0 Other & Unspecified

What breaks on a BMW 528I

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 384 31.0%

Worst in 2011

Electrical System 183 14.8%

Worst in 2015

Worst in 2011

Worst in 2012

Airbags 98 7.9%

Worst in 2008

Worst in 2012

Lights 63 5.1%

Worst in 2008

Brakes 36 2.9%

Worst in 1999

Steering 28 2.3%

Worst in 2011

Worst in 2015

Worst in 1999

Seat Belts 25 2.0%

Worst in 2008

Suspension 21 1.7%

Worst in 1997

Seats 15 1.2%

Worst in 2008

Exactly what failed on a BMW 528I

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Body 15 20.0%
Side/Window 10 13.3%
Headlights 9 12.0%
Occupant Classification 7 9.3%
Crankcase (Pcv) 6 8.0%
Latch 6 8.0%
Macpherson Strut 6 8.0%
Automatic Transmission 6 8.0%
Control Unit/Module 5 6.7%
Door 5 6.7%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every BMW 528I, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Feb 1998 peak 44 Aug 2026

BMW 528I problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the BMW 528I

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.