BMW · vehicle model
BMW 528I
1,228 NHTSA complaints and 14 safety recalls across model years 1979–2016.
- Complaints
- 1,228
- Recalls
- 14
- Model years
- 17
The BMW528I appears in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database with 1,228 consumer safety complaints and 14 recall campaigns across 17 model years (1979–2016). That averages roughly 72 complaints per model year. Report counts can differ between model years for many reasons; this dataset does not establish the cause of a difference.
Complaint volume on a nameplate alone is not a reliability verdict: a long-running bestseller can accumulate more filings than a low-volume niche model because more vehicles are on the road. The table below shows report counts and published NHTSA crash-test ratings side by side for each model year. The filing-year histogram shows the timing of submitted reports, not a causal trend.
NHTSA has 34 investigation files tied to this model. Investigation records, complaint reports, and recall campaigns each provide different context. Use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and the underlying notices to research a specific vehicle; PlainCars does not infer a vehicle-risk or pricing conclusion from these records.
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 102 |
| 2015 | 101 |
| 2014 | 89 |
| 2013 | 119 |
| 2012 | 145 |
| 2011 | 164 |
| 2010 | 87 |
| 2009 | 33 |
| 2008 | 181 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2000 | 53 |
| 1999 | 59 |
| 1998 | 39 |
| 1997 | 49 |
| 1980 | 2 |
| 1979 | 1 |
Complaint Filing Trend
NHTSA complaint volume by year filed (not model year).
Filings moved from 360 in 2017-2021 to 467 in 2022-2026, a rise of 29.7%. That is the 70th percentile of change across the 772 nameplates with enough filings in both windows to compare, where 0 is the steepest fall and 100 the steepest rise.
Filing volume, not a reliability verdict: counts also move with how many vehicles are on the road, how old they are, and whether a recall drew attention. Computed from this portal's NHTSA filing-year records over the same two windows the trend rankings use.
Year filed (bar labels show the complaint count).
Compare BMW528I to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Brake fluid leak at front brake caliper
Steering Oscillation
Steering Oscillation
Idler Pulley Bolt Failure
BMW Safety Act Violations
Loss of power assist braking
Fuel Leak - Motorycle
Vehicle Rollaway
M/C final drive ball bearing failure
Vehicle Rollaway
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is the BMW 528I?▼
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What are the most common BMW 528I complaints?▼
How do I check if my BMW 528I has been recalled?▼
Data sources
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. BMW 528I totals are aggregated from the linked NHTSA model-year rows; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.