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ProblemsByVin Index / 2018-BMW-M550I / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2018 BMW M550i owner complaints

22 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

airbags 7 complaints shown

9 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
10/25/2024 ODI #11621999.0

Passenger restrained seatbelt signal. There is bulletin in google: SIB 72 04 17. There are recalls for this vehicle but dealer want accept it.

10/19/2023 ODI #11550749.0

The passenger restraint malfunction continues to alarm and the dealership states that it is a seat-pad sensor and want over $2000.00 to replace. From a number of BMW forums, it appears that this was a common problem with earlier models and a subsequent 15-year warranty extension was granted because of the safety concerns. My car is well cared for and has very few miles on it, so I truly believe that BMW needs to either recall this faulty SAFETY component or replace it free of charge. Please protect me and my family by holding BMW accountable.

09/08/2023 ODI #11543378.0

Passenger Restraint Warning Light has been coming on off and on and now stays on all the time. Dealer has confirmed car needs to have the OC3 mat replaced at a very high price. Car is a 2018 BMW M550ix. Apparently this has been a common problem with the BMWs.

08/15/2025 ODI #11680940.0

I’m getting a passenger restraint system malfunction message on my infotainment. Says: “Passenger restraint system limited. Increased risk of injury in case of a collision. Continue wearing safety belt.” This is the second time this has occurred on this specific vehicle. First time was in 2021 and was repaired. Now it came up again.

06/29/2024 ODI #11597615.0

Vehicle reported a Passenger Restraint Failure intermittently and upon getting diagnosed is related to a faulty seat occupancy sensor. If this sensor can fail ~4yrs of ownership with < 30k miles driven and it is critical to passenger restraint, it would seem that this should be fixed by BMW. With quick search, the problem doesn't seem isolated: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

05/29/2024 ODI #11591343.0

Passenger restraint system malfunction. I took it to the dealership and was told it will cost $3785.91 to replace the passenger seat mat. Looking online, this problem appears to be widespread with many individual car owners complaining of the issue. Given that this is a life safety system and its apparent prevalence, it seems appropriate to consider this for a mandatory recall.

04/30/2024 ODI #11586141.0

The passenger seat occupancy mat is faulty - same as in many other BMW models for which BMW has issued a 15 year warranty. The car chimes and states "fasten safety belt" for the passenger seat when the passenger seat is entirely empty. This error comes and goes, and stops when the belt is buckled.

electrical 4 complaints shown

4 total in this category · severe · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
11/27/2022 ODI #11495027.0

On vacation road trip driving for about 3 hours. Instrument cluster completely shuts off and goes to black. Screen, vehit speed and rpm and all adas systems stop working. Sometimes turning the car off and on will address the issue other times it will constantly restart the instrument cluster when driving.

08/22/2024 ODI #11610156.0

Excessive amounts of water accumulated at interior floors from the A/C drain unit. Water damage to all sensors and bad odor. Worried car may catch fire while driving. A/C will sometimes work.

08/22/2023 ODI #11540031.0

Passenger side sensor is faulty. BMW has issued Technical Service Bulletin to repair when found in warranty. The sensor will errantly warn airbag disable when person is not in seat.

04/21/2018 Fire ODI #11089242.0

On 4/10/2018 vehicle was parked caught fire tottal lose

other 3 complaints shown

09/06/2020 18,750 mi ODI #11353442.0

I was driving on the highway and the sunroof exploded out of no where, BMW said a rock hit it or something but I am 90% sure a rock didn't hit it. Did not see anything fly up towards the car. It sounded like a gunshot went off in the car and glass showering all over you because I had the shade open. Luckily it did not get into my eyes to cause another accident. Glass shattered upwards and from doing research it looks like it's a common problem

08/01/2024 ODI #11605826.0

The rear driver door does not open from the outside or inside of the vehicle. I had someone sitting behind the driver and they could not exit the vehicle, we had to assist so they can exit out the other side (passenger rear door). The handle on the outside of the car seems like if it is not connected to the door mechanism. This is a huge safety issue. I also took the car to the dealer to have the door covered under my extended warranty and they did not cover it under warranty.

03/29/2022 ODI #11458748.0

Sunroof on 2018 BMW M550i "exploded" while driving home from work. Weather was cloudy, light rain in the 50's, late March in northern California, USA. Sunroof was in closed position and cars HVAC was not being used to create temperature or pressure difference. Heated seat was being used. Had been parked outdoors under an awning during the day and had been on the road for less than 15 minutes. The automobile will be taken to the nearest dealership in the morning. Pictures were taken. Significant safety risk to occupants if glass shatters when the "slider" is in the open position.

wheels 2 complaints shown

10/14/2019 26,000 mi ODI #11268330.0

? This is my fourth car(BMW) because I big fun of it. Hoping for your kind consideration. Thanks,

06/13/2019 20,000 mi ODI #11219693.0

Vehicle was driving at moderate speed and hit a small pot hole creating a 3 inch cut where tire and rim lip meets. Damage to tire was not noticeable until one day later when tire was deflated. This could have caused potential danger to driver,passanger and to other oncoming vehicles.

tires 1 complaint shown

10/21/2024 ODI #11621119.0

In the last 8 months, I have experienced 3 blowouts on the same side of the car. The tires were Continental Procontact SSR 245/40R19. In each instance, the sidewall failed and blew out. This has occurred on the highway as well as at low city speeds.

visibility 1 complaint shown

08/18/2020 34,000 mi ODI #11350167.0

Due to weather change the sunroof can shatter. This could had injured to passenger and infants in car. BMW takes no responsibility on fixing it

body 1 complaint shown

08/01/2024 ODI #11605824.0

The rear driver door will not open. It seems the door handle does not open the door from the exterior of the vehicle. The door will also not open from the interior of the vehicle. It feels like the handle has come lose from the door latch mechanism to open the door of the vehicle. This is a big safety concern if there is a passenger sitting behind the driver and they cannot exit the vehicle.

Showing 300 of 22 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/BMW/M550i#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-07-26. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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