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What 15 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 BMW 550i

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 (15)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (8)Fuel system (5)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Seats (2)Brakes (1)Electrical system (1)Lights (1)Suspension (1)Tires (1)Wheels (1)

1 of 15 complaints match · Seats · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 19, 2018Seats1 injury

I STARTED THE CAR AND TURNED ON THE HEATED SEATS AND WENT INSIDE. I CAME BACK OUT A FEW MINUTES LATER AND SAT DOWN. I SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC AND COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT UNTIL MY BACKSIDE WAS BURNED BY THE HEATING ELEMENT. I HAD SECOND DEGREE BURNS FROM THE SEAT.

NHTSA ODI 11080253

Working with the data? Download all 15 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 2013 BMW 550i verdict →