Total Complaints
3 filings
BMW 528I · model year
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2001BMW528I carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2001 528I is air bags:side/window with 2 filings, followed by fuel/propulsion system (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2001 528I. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
3 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | 2 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW 528I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, FUEL WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME SYMPTOMS HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,920. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Mileage: 85,920
CONSUMER STATES FRONT SEAT SIDE AIRBAGS (4) DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY COLLISION AND CAUSED INJURY, AIR BAG DEPLOYED AFTER ADJUSTING CD PLAYER BUTTON (CLAIM # 13-7535-667). *YD
CONSUMER STATES FRONT SEAT SIDE AIRBAGS (4) DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY COLLISION AND CAUSED INJURY, AIR BAG DEPLOYED AFTER ADJUSTING CD PLAYER BUTTON (CLAIM # 13-7535-667). *YD
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.