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EnginePart report

2012 BMW 550I Engine Problems

Complaints
13about this part
Share
37%of 35 total for the year
Median mileage
59,644miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the engine of the 2012 BMW 550I, 37% of the 35 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 59,644 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The car threw a drive train malfunction code which happens weekly on these engines and the car jumped a lane as it misfired and went into limp driving mode. If there was cars next to me there would have been a crash. Since then Bmw has issued a customer campaign on the n63 engine effecting thoughts of cars. They are changing tons of parts from injectors to fuel rails. It should be a full blown recall and the NHTSA should get involved on this. My car has been in the shop since 12/23 and still has not been repaired correctly. …”

NHTSA complaint #10676388, filed 2015-01, 40,800 miles

“Son was driving car and car just shut off in the middle of the road without any warning. Car was towed to Bmw dealership and they want to charge $3000 to tear down engine to see why engine locked up. Car was bought 31 may 2019 and shut down after driving a little over 3,000 miles 12 october 2019. Just a complete runaround with Bmw offices.”

NHTSA complaint #11277197, filed 2019-10, 78,771 miles

“I was driving when the vehicle engine randomly shut down with out warning I was on the freeway at the time and could have been hit by a car. I took thr car to an auto repair shop, had the problem inspected snddiagnosed and was told the engine was faulty. I had the engine replaced and the same issue occurred. There were no warning lamps, messages, or alerts prior to the problem occurring. The drivetrain malfunction light came on as soon as the engine cut off.”

NHTSA complaint #11542232, filed 2023-09

“My car died in an intersection unexpectedly as if my battery had died. My infant was in the backseat. This was suck a busy intersection that police dept had to park behind me to keep me from being hit. The car could not be put in neutral to move it out of the way. After over an hour we were able to restart the car and excessive battery discharge message displayed. This is on top of me taking it to the dealership for excessive oil consumption and BMW was aware my motor would eventually give out.”

NHTSA complaint #11440813, filed 2021-11

“The contact owns a 2012 Bmw 550I. The vehicle stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled as all the warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart after numerous attempts. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was hydro-locked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,500. The VIN was not available.”

NHTSA complaint #10633756, filed 2014-09, 8,500 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2015117%
2014117%
2013853%
20121337%
20113238%
2010436%
2008516%
2007514%
200629%

Other parts of the 2012 BMW 550I

Fuel system
13 complaintsTires
8 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 BMW 550I

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology