VehicleVerdict

2011 BMW 550i engine problems

The 2011 BMW 550i has 35 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 24% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

35

Engine complaints

24%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

550i engine complaints by model year35 complaints2006: 3 complaints2007: 6 complaints2008: 6 complaints2010: 4 complaints2011: 35 complaints2012: 14 complaints2013: 8 complaints2014: 1 complaints2015: 1 complaints2016: 1 complaints
550i engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

18V248000EngineApril 18, 2018 · 47,806 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat.

Consequence

If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1-800-525-7417, MINI at 1-866-825-1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.

What owners report

THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD MULTIPLE RECALLS. THE LATEST ONE WAS CAMPAIGN NO. 18V-248. BMW HAS YET TO DO ANYTHING FOR MY VEHICLE, EVEN AFTER IT BURNT ITSELF TO THE GROUND AND A PORTION OF MY HOME. THEY DID NOT ADD ANY EXPLANATION OR ATTEMPT TO INVESTIGATE THIS SITUATION. IT IS STILL UNDEFINED HOW THIS…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · May 19, 2016 · fire

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2011 BMW 550i have?

NHTSA has 35 complaints about the 2011 BMW 550i engine — 24% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2011 BMW 550i engine?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the engine: 18V248000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.