KnownCarProblems2004 BMW 530i Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 129 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 BMW 530i, most often about the air bags (38% of complaints, typically around 82,000 miles). It is the most complained-about 530i model year since 2000.
Most common 2004 BMW 530i problems
Air bags
49 complaints · 38%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Air bags problem on the 2004 BMW 530i, it indicates passenger side air bag is not working and light come out. Year ago I got bring to dealership because of I got recall on my car.
The contact owns a 2004 BMW 530i. The driver states for about 6 months he has been having air bag problems. The driver was driving at about 45mph when the air bag light came on. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for repairs and the owner was charged $100.00. The air bag light was turned off but it turned back on a…
Seats
29 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 94,500 miles. Parts named most often: front assembly.
Saturday october 3, 2009 at approximately 9:30am I turned on my driver side heated seat. After approx. 2-3 minutes I smelled something burning and then saw smoke coming up from around my steering wheel. I pulled over and got out and found my seat had a hole burned through it on the lower left hand side (door side).…
The front passenger seat occupancy detector has a fault which incapacitates the passenger front air bag. This creates an extremely unsafe passenger situation in the event of a crash. The BMW sbsr system shows fault 0095b8. This specific issue is a known BMW problem and has issued a recall, but BMW has indicated my VIN…
Electrical
28 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles.
The wiring inside the headlights are all crumbling and exposing the copper within creating an electroncal fire or shorting of the system. This appears to be very common on the e60 series BMW and should be addressed.
There was a burnt plastic odor, shortly after that smoke came out of the trunk. A cable connected to the battery came loose which cause the power module to burn out. There was a power outage throughout the car, the noticeable ones included; the radio (no image was displayed on the screen and no sound); the car alarm…
Transmission
11 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
Everytime, coming to a complete stop, transmission has a noticeable "bump"/rough shift into 1st gear, took the vehicle to BMW dealership for diagnosis/repair, problem was not solved time and time again. Now, approximately over a year later, transmission warning light on, transmission went into limp mode. BMW dealer…
BMW x5 accelerator failed to respond after stop at traffic lights. It moved forward slowly for about 20 yds. Before deciding to engage...this happened three times, consecutively, at the end of drive home. Around noon on tuesday october 14, 2008. The day before the internal door lock button failed to function. Called…
Engine
10 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 54,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
2004 BMW 530i with only 54,000 miles (6 yrs of ownership) - on sunday morning, my engine won't start on 1/31/2010 all of sudden. - called aaa for battery check and jump start but it was not a battery issue per aaa. - towed my car to my BMW dealer for check up - BMW dealer checked and told me my engine is dead and need…
Subject: 2004 BMW 535i on october 30,2012 just after hurricane sandy hit the east coast of new jersey, I had occasion to use my 535i. While driving I noticed various warning and fault lights flashing on the control panel, loss of power and the cabin began filling with smoke. With great difficulty, I managed to pull…
Steering
9 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 68,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system.
Active steering failure: hi, I've a 2004 BMW 530i and my active steering keeps failing and dealer is asking for $4,000 plus. I checked on internet and found this to a common issue with most of the bmws. Please investigate this as it is a serious flaw in design and consumers have to shed $4k plus and its still not a…
(note: this process does not list the 2004 BMW 745i) I purchased my 2004 745i as a certified pre-owned vehicle from a local BMW dealer in october 2007. Since then on 3 separate occasions the steering has totally locked. This has happened when entering or exiting a parking space and the steering wheel was turned…
Seat belts
8 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 114,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2004 BMW 530i. While operating the vehicle, the air bag sensor light and the seat belt sensor light would illuminate along with a message indicating that the front passenger seat restraint system was faulty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure…
Upon starting the vehicle the air bag and seat belt indicator lamp illuminated and the computer indicated a fault in the air bag system.
Body and structure
5 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: body.
I purchased a certified car from BMW on 11-17-06 with 49,761 miles. In addition I purchased the extended warranty on the vehicle for an additional 2 years or 50,000 miles for a total warranty of 6 years or 100,000 miles. At the time of delivery it was noted to the salesman that the front & rear window mouldings were…
The contact owns a 2004 BMW 530i. The contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the seat mat would have to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 08v384000 (air…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 BMW 530i recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Bmw airbag light illumination
Summary
Bmw is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. The specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/ 3-series with sport seats. In addition, bmw will extend the warranty coverage of the passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat to 10-year/unlimited mileage on approximately 120,000 remaining my04-06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05. The specific vehicles included in the extended warranty are my 06/ 6 series, my 06/ 3-series with standard seats, my04-05/ z4, my04-06/
Questions about the 2004 BMW 530i
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 BMW 530i?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (49 complaints, typically around 82,000 miles); seats (29 complaints, typically around 94,500 miles); electrical (28 complaints, typically around 98,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 BMW 530i have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2004 BMW 530i. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the BMW 530i?
- It is the most complained-about 530i model year since 2000, with 129 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.