2012 Bmw 550I - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 BMW 550 I 4 DR RWD has an impressive overall safety rating of 5 stars, indicating excellent crash protection for both frontal and side impacts. This luxury vehicle is equipped with electronic stability control as a standard feature, which helps maintain vehicle stability and prevent skidding. Additionally, it offers optional forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems, enhancing driver awareness and safety on the road.

Despite its high safety rating and advanced safety features, it is worth noting that there have been 45 complaints reported for this model, as well as 2 recalls issued. These numbers, while not unusually high, suggest that there may be some issues to be aware of when considering this vehicle. Overall, the 2012 BMW 550 I 4 DR RWD offers top-tier safety performance and a range of modern safety technologies, making it a solid choice for those prioritizing safety in their vehicle selection.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

45

Recall Count

2

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2012 BMW 550 I 4 DR RWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 BMW 550 I 4 DR RWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Optional

2012 BMW 550 I 4 DR RWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 BMW 550 I 4 DR RWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2011 Score 2012 Score 2015 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2011 Score 2012 Score 2015 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2011 Score 2012 Score 2015 Score
Rollover Rating 5 5 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 5 5 5

Complaints for the 2012 Bmw 550I

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"engine is available for inspection upon request. earlier this month, my 550i completely shut off at a traffic light. when attempting to restart the engine, the starter strained very hard and smoke came out of the engine. engine was immediately shut off and the car was towed to a local shop. in turn the shop replaced the starter the following day and heard knocking from the engine once it turned it over. upon examination the shop pulled open the oil filter and it was full of metal shrapnel. i feel fortunate the car was not in motion at the time of the failure, given the engine shut off with no warning this could have resulted in a catastrophic accident."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-02-05
Complaint:
"son was driving car and car just shut off in the middle of the road without any warning. car was towed to bmw dealership and they want to charge $3000 to tear down engine to see why engine locked up. car was bought 31 may 2019 and shut down after driving a little over 3,000 miles 12 october 2019. just a complete runaround with bmw offices."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2019-12-10
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 5501. while driving approximately 65 mph, the "service required soon" message illuminated on the message center and the vehicle stalled. the contact coasted the vehicle to the shoulder. the vehicle was towed to global imports (550 interstate north pkwy se, atlanta, ga 30339) where it was diagnosed that the engine seized and a new one was needed. the contact also stated that the vehicle was running oddly approximately a week before the failure, presumably due to oil consumption issues. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 49,479."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2020-02-09
Complaint:
"takata recall car uses excessive amounts of oil, a quart every week."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2018-01-09
Complaint:
"i was driving my car on a road when a warning light came on. i parked the car home, since i was close to home. the same week i took the car to a bmw specialist because there was a noise coming from the engine. after $467.00 spent on labor, just to tell me i need a new engine. this car has 72k miles. this is a car that i only drove on weekends and not every weekend. the car is now parked in my garage because to repair it it will cost me $11k. i have heard this complaint from several bmw owners. the car still runs but the noise will no go away."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2019-05-05
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 5-series. the contact stated that the vehicle excessively overheated without warning. the contact constantly had to exercise caution in the event that the vehicle may have reduced engine power and was uncertain if the failure would result in a fire. bmw gallery of norwood (918 boston providence hwy, norwood, ma 02062, (888) 441-2338) was notified of the failure, but had not specified if the failure was related to any recall campaigns or technical service bulletins. the dealer stated that further diagnostic testing was required. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2018-01-11
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 550i. while driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle shook. the contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. shortly afterwards, the engine malfunction warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle shook again. the contact pulled over a second time and turned off the vehicle; however, it failed to restart the second time. the contact had the vehicle towed to nally bmw in decatur, ga where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the oil and there was a loud knocking sound in the engine. the dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the vehicle was included in customer service recall number: n63. repairs needed to be performed to the engine in order to avoid the failures listed previously. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under the warranty and opened a case regarding the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 112,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2018-11-07
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 550i. the vehicle stated that while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle stalled as all the warning lights illuminated. the vehicle failed to restart after numerous attempts. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was hydro-locked. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 8,500. the vin was not available."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2014-11-09

Recalls for the 2012 Bmw 550I

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2011-2012 bmw 550i, 550i xdrive, 550i gran turismo, 550i gran turismo xdrive, 750i, 750li, 750i xdrive, 750li xdrive, 760li, x5 xdrive50i, x5 m, x6 xdrive50i, x6 m, activehybrid7, mini cooper s convertible, john cooper works (jcw) convertible, cooper s countryman, cooper s countryman all4, cooper s, jcw, cooper s clubman, jcw clubman, cooper s roadster, jcw roadster, cooper s coupe, jcw coupe and rolls-royce ghost, 2011 bmw x6 hybrid and 2012 bmw 650i coupe, 650i xdrive coupe, 650i convertible and 650i xdrive convertible vehicles. the electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat."
Consequence:
If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy:

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1-800-525-7417, MINI at 1-866-825-1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.

Component(s) Involved: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING > ENGINE > GASOLINE > TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Date of incident: 2018-04-18

BMW Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

BMW ranks 12 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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