2.0

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,889 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 BMW 530 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2004 BMW 530 Owner Comments

problem #7

Jan 132016

530

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Transmission goes into a limb mode when reaching 30-40 mph of slowing down from over 60 mph and a bang happens like it you get hit from behind the car would not switch gear and the engine would increase the RPM the car top speed would be 40 mph when it malfunctions this would happen in city streets and highways the car resets by turning the engine of waiting a while and restarting the engine

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #6

Dec 102014

530 6-cyl

  • miles
My transmission was replaced at 40,000 miles due to a fault. It would jump or bump every time I would come to a stop and it downshifts into 1st gear. I almost hit a vehicle because I did not fully stop yet and the car surged forward. It finally would go into fail safe mode or limp mode and the dealer installed a brand new transmission and the issue went away. I now have the same problem at 120,000 miles which is only 80,000 miles on the new tranny. I never had a vehicle where the transmission failed even one time let alone twice and they were all inexpensive cars/trucks. I will never buy a BMW again because they would not help me even when they know they have a defective product. 2 transmissions with the exact issues that won't even make it to 100,000 miles. I also see other complaints from others with the exact same problem and vehicle. Shame on you BMW na for not owning up to this issue and taking care of your customers. You have lost a good customer for life and I will tell everyone I know to steer clear of your products (pun intended).

- Davie, FL, USA

problem #5

Aug 022014

530

  • 60,000 miles
Everytime, coming to a complete stop, transmission has a noticeable "bump"/rough shift into 1st gear, took the vehicle to BMW dealership for diagnosis/repair, problem was not solved time and time again. Now, approximately over a year later, transmission warning light on, transmission went into limp mode. BMW dealer states, transmission has to be replaced at my expense due to 3-2-1 downshift. I am the original owner of this vehicle and vehicle since purchase has been maintained meticulously at the same BMW dealership.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 132010

530 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased a 2004 BMW 530I certified pre-owned with 29,000 miles on it. It came with a automatic tiptronic transmission. I drove it for approximately 10,000 miles and the transmission started acting up. I noticed when I used the sport mode and down shifted into first while coming to a stop the car would jerk or slam into 1st gear. I took it to the dealer (lauderdale BMW of pembroke pines) but they said they could not find anything wrong. I drove for another 50 miles or so and the car didn't want to shift and it gave an error on the main screen that the transmission had a fault drive moderately. It also stated to have the vehicle checked at the dealer. So I took it in again and again they said they could not find anything wrong. I was getting annoyed. I drove the car for another 30 miles and the fault came back but this time it the car would not shift at all and I couldn't drive over 35 mph. I took it back to the dealer and they said I needed a new transmission. I was shocked because the car was fairly new. They replaced the transmission with a brand new factory one and it was under warranty. Fast forward to today the same senario as above happened all over again, I had about 85,000 miles on the new transmission and I noticed the same exact symptoms. I was able to reset the car after each error until last week. The transmission finally failed and went into the fail safe mode and you can't drive over 35 mph. The dealer stated they needed to replace it again. I am now out of warranty and the cost will be around $6,000 to replace. I feel these transmissions fail because they are never serviced at 50,000 like all other transmissions. BMW claims that the fluid inside is a life time fluid that never needs changing.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

problem #3

Dec 122013

530 6-cyl

  • 142,000 miles
I was driving down he highway at a speed of 65 when I tried to accelerate to switch lanes and the transmission faut came on and it also stated to drive moderately. The car also went into a safe mode to were I couldn't accelerate and it wouldn't switch out of third gear. Car then was turned off and back on and code fault went always, two weeks later same thing popped up trying to get on highway and now won't go away.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

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problem #2

Jul 072011

530 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
I have been getting transmission error fault frequently and now seems to happen very often. You can stop the car and restart it and it will run but will generate the error in a month or two again.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #1

Jun 252008

530

  • 117,220 miles
2004 BMW 530I. Consumer states issues with transmission consumer sent additional letter on June 25, 2008 the consumer complained about the transmission indicator light being on. The vehicle had to be re-started to reset the light. The technician hooked the vehicle up to the diagnostic equipment and there were no faults found in the transmission control module. It was noted however, that the transmission pan was leaking and needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the transmission. July 15, 2008 the transmission pan was replaced along with the sealing sleeve. April 10, 2010, the consumer stated the transmission was operating in fail safe mode and the vehicle would not accelerate above 40 mph. The consumer took the vehicle back to the dealer and based upon the fault code that was found, the transmission was no longer operating properly and needed to be replaced. No repairs were made at that time.

- Stafford, VA, USA

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