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What 81 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Sedan Phev

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 (81)Crash / fire / injury (6)Electrical system (33)Engine & cooling (27)Engine (22)Airbags (12)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Fuel system (4)Fuel System, Diesel (3)Suspension (3)Tires (3)Lights (2)

1 of 81 complaints match · Engine & cooling · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 23, 2024Engine & coolingElectrical systemFire

The contact owned a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at 30 -35 MPH with the windows down, there was a smoke odor present. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and smoke was discovered coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle suddenly engulfed in flames as the contact was still seated in the vehicle. The contact was able to safely exit the vehicle. The fire department arrived on the scene and was able to extinguish the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. It was unknown if a fire report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the vehicle was destroyed and the cause was unknown since the fire destroyed the front end of the vehicle including the dashboard and both front driver and passenger side door panels were melted. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The failure mileage was 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11621539

Working with the data? Download all 81 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 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 2016 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Sedan Phev verdict →