The Used Car Index

2021 BMW M550I problems

NHTSA lists 1 complaints for the 2021 BMW M550I, 0 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as BMW M550I.

At a glance

Complaints
1
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
27,720
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
165

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN1100.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure1100.0%1.00
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate1100.0%0.97

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 1 tagged complaints of 1 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

26V525000

Date: 2026-08-12. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2026 840i, 840i xDrive, 2021-2023 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, and 2024-2026 750e xDrive vehicles. The connection between the driveshaft and the rear differential may become damaged, possibly resulting in a loss of power to the rear wheels or a vehicle rollaway. (excerpt)

Consequence: An unexpected loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash. In addition, a damaged driveshaft can result in a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not applied, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the connection between the driveshaft and rear axle differential, and apply adhesive or replace the driveshaft and rear axle differential, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 2, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become search (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V096000

Date: 2021-02-19. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, (excerpt)

Consequence: If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V598000

Date: 2020-09-30. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa (excerpt)

Consequence: If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

165 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT73
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM64
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING13
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY13
STEERING11
EXTERIOR LIGHTING10
BACK OVER PREVENTION9
ENGINE9

11024203

Date: 2025-09-19. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ENGINE.

The Fuel Injector Condition-Specific Repair Coverage Program applies to qualifying repairs for the required replacement of one or more the fuel injectors which were determined to have failed due to a buildup of external corrosion in the enginea s center fuel injector bore area that resulted after t

11012076

Date: 2024-12-10. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

the Fuel Injector Condition-Specific Repair Coverage Program applies to qualifying repairs for the required replacement of one or more the fuel injectors which were determined to have failed due to a buildup of external corrosion in the enginea s center fuel injector bore area that resulted after t

10252031

Date: 2024-03-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

One or more of the LED daytime running lights are dim or discolored.

10249437

Date: 2024-01-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY.

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

10249027

Date: 2024-01-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle A A?A A A A discharged batteryA A?A A A A compl

10244237

Date: 2023-10-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material-

10242688

Date: 2023-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, POWER TRAIN.

?A software error may cause an unwanted pressure pulsation in the transmission during a "Remote Engine Start."

10242691

Date: 2023-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STEERING.

?Unusual noises occur only when operating the steering column in the axial direction.

10242694

Date: 2023-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SEATS.

?The front seat will not calibrate/initialize, and the stored faults cannot be deleted.

10242698

Date: 2023-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE, VISIBILITY.

?The sunroof will not operate in either direction.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
M550I1

Same model, other years

All model years | All BMW models

Other BMW models, 2021

Sources

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