1.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
112,365 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.

2006 BMW 525 engine problems

engine problem

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2006 BMW 525 Owner Comments

problem #6

Apr 162022

525

  • 235,641 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 525I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, she noticed the odor of burning plastic. The contact stated that the check radiator light was illuminated. The contact stated that she drove the vehicle to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was with the PCV valve and replaced the PCV valve. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact was billed by the dealer for the repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 235,641. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Seaside, CA, USA

problem #5

Jan 032021

525

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 525i. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and added coolant in the vehicle. The contact then continued to drive. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The contact stated that he replaced the thermostat himself. However, the failure persisted and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Cottondale, AL, USA

problem #4

Feb 182022

525

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 525XI. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the thermostat and radiator were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the computer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- West Park, FL, USA

problem #3

Sep 232011

525

  • 96,000 miles

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

Several of the head bolts broke due to an engineering flaw. I was told by the BMW shop that because the head bolts were made from a different metal that they heat and cool at different rates and the bolts tend to break, they had seen it many times. When I contacted BMW they refused to admit that it was a common problem and would not accept responsibility for the repairs.

- Kingsport, TN, USA

problem #2

Jun 292011

525 6-cyl

  • 85,047 miles
I had a recent problem with our 525I. I was driving it and it lost power/died. When the vehicle died, I lost power steering and power brakes. The car would not restart and no error lights or messages were displayed on the idrive. I had the car towed home. After the initial check of the vehicle, it showed the crank sensor fault. I noticed a bunch of metal throw off in the oil filter and the vehicle did not have compression in cylinder 2 and 6. I was thinking catastrophic engine failure. Since I am very familiar with american/Japanese vehicles, I decided to look into the problem myself after getting no response from bmwna. The car is out of warranty with 85K miles. The metal throw off was due to the timing chain jumping off of the exhaust cam gear and grinding against the back of it. The cause of the problem was the two aluminum screws under the cam shaft gears. Both heads were broken off and one made its way up the chain getting caught in the chain and gear. These screws are aluminum. I don't know if this is a common problem but for the bolts to break it would be due over torqued/tighten bolts or extreme pressure from expanding/contracting of the magnesium vs aluminum. The other broken bolt head is still some where in the bottom of the oil pan. The exhaust cam gear was chewed up, but still serviceable. I re-timed the car and checked the compression. I got lucky and compression is good so no bent valves. I disassemble everything and now I patiently waiting for several parts. However, I'm still dealing with the broken head that is some where in the oil pan. This is a serious manufactures defect and I have retained all of the parts and including the oil.

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #1

Nov 012005

525 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,500 miles
Since purchasing the vehicle (10/12/2005) the vehicle alerts us that the oil level is low - do not continue to operate vehicle. The car was serviced each time the problem occurred by South bay BMW. Reprogramming, sensors and oil consumption tests have been done; however, whatever repairs are done, the problem recurs.

- Torrance, CA, USA

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