Total Complaints
4 filings
BMW 528IA · model year
1997 BMW 528IA
4 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997BMW528IA carries 4 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, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1997 528IA is engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control with 1 filings, followed by power train:driveline:driveshaft (1) and power train:automatic transmission (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 1997 528IA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20160211AIR BAGS
I BACKED UP MY CAR IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE AND WHEN I PUT IT IN PARK THE DRIVER DOOR AIRBAG DEPLOYED KNOCKING ME OVER , BRUISING MY LEFT ARM AND I STILL HAVE RINGING IN MY EARS.
Mileage: 144,000
20050912POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING DURING WET CONDITIONS, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SUDDENLY SHIFT FROM "DRIVE" TO "S" WITHOUT ANY OPERATOR INTERVENTION. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE CAR ABRUPTLY SLOWED TO ABOUT 25 MPH AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND THAT SPEED. I WISH TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED CHANGE IN GEAR SELECTION WOULD TAKE PLACE WITHOUT ANY OPERATOR INTERVENTION WHICH RESULTED IN A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT VISTA BMW IN COCONUT CREEK, FL ON 9/07/05 AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH AND THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $583.25. *JB
Mileage: 98,790
20010918ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING TO AN INTERSECTION, THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL POWER, DEALER THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY, BUT VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN, IT WAS THE OXYGEN SENSOR THAT CAUSED THE STALLING.*AK CONSUMER STATES THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THAT VEHICLE STALLED, ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, CONSUMER ALSO STATES THAT THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, AS A RESULT OF PROBLEM WITH DRIVESHAFT.*JB
20010918POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING TO AN INTERSECTION, THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL POWER, DEALER THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY, BUT VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN, IT WAS THE OXYGEN SENSOR THAT CAUSED THE STALLING.*AK CONSUMER STATES THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THAT VEHICLE STALLED, ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, CONSUMER ALSO STATES THAT THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, AS A RESULT OF PROBLEM WITH DRIVESHAFT.*JB
Compare 1997BMW528IA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1997 BMW 528IA have?▼
The 1997 BMW 528IA has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 BMW 528IA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 BMW 528IA is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 1997 BMW 528IA safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1997 BMW 528IA; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.