Home · 2011 BMW 550i Xdrive · Complaints

What 165 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 BMW 550i Xdrive

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (165)Crash / fire / injury (16)Tires (42)Engine (35)Electrical system (26)Transmission & drivetrain (24)Steering (22)Fuel system (19)Wheels (9)Engine & cooling (7)Airbags (6)Speed control (6)

2 of 165 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 3, 2014Electrical systemAirbagsSeat beltsCrash

INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. OTHER VEHICLE GOING SOUTHBOUND CROSSED OVER MEDIAN STRIP OF HIGHWAY, HIT THREE CARS GOING NORTHBOUND, MINE WAS THIRD CAR TO BE STRUCK. OFFENDING CAR DID A 360 IN FRONT OF ME, I SLOWED TO ABOUT 25 AND HE MOVED INTO ME. I STRUCK HIS REAR PASSENGER SIDE CORNER. I HAD FRONT END DAMAGE OVER $5K. NO AIRBAG, BUT DEFAULT MESSAGES AND AN AIRBAG ICON CAME ON THE VIDEO SCREEN AND THE FRONT INSTRUMENT PANEL. IT STATES "DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAG OR RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION." *JS

NHTSA ODI 10661924

Dec 31, 2013AirbagsBody & structureElectronic Stability Control (esc)Crash

I WAS REAR ENDED ON THE LEFT SIDE EXITING THE FREEWAY WHEN MY CAR SPUN TO THE RIGHT INTO A GUARDRAIL HEAD ON AND CONTINUED INTO A 360 DEGREE MOTION. THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. AFTER MY VEHICLE STOPPED SPINNING MY VEHICLE HAD A MESSAGE STATING RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE AND THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. THE IMPACT OF HITTING THE GUARD RAIL WITH TREMENDOUS FORCE SHOULD'VE DEPLOYED MY AIRBAGS. MY BUMPER, WHOLE FRONT GRILL, AND HEADLIGHTS WERE SHATTERED ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY. MY WHOLE BACK LEFT SIDE IS DENTED IN AND MY WHEEL IS TILTED. I WOULD LOVE TO POST PICTURES IF POSSIBLE AND YOU WILL WONDER HOW COULD THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOY. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM BMW. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10558040

Working with the data? Download all 165 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 BMW 550i Xdrive verdict →