1998 BMW 528I
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 1998 BMW 528I. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
33 complaints2 involved a crash1 involved a fire1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 1998 BMW 528I. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated five years ago. The contact attempted to use a code reader to diagnose the defect, but no code was discovered. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
- Seats
The left side of the driver seat only tilts forward and backward a little and the other side stays stationary. All other seat functions work except that.
- Air bags · Electronic stability control (esc) · Service brakes · Vehicle speed control
-Takata -ABS module malfunction due to module being fried by excessively engine heat -dsc system failure due to poor wiring and heat from poor placement in engine bay this has caused multiple issues with drive ability and safety I've been complaining for quite awhile that the car has been having safety issues and BMW ignores me and my complaints. *tr
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 1998 BMW 528I. The contact stated that after engine start up, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the air bag sensors needed to be reset. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 93,000.
- Electrical system
The wiring harness that enters the trunk lid that supplies the lights for the rear license plate and the trunk lid release has frayed at the exact point where the harness enters the trunk lid. The wiring comes in direct contact with the sharp edge at the opening in the trunk lid, and several of the…
The wiring harness that enters the trunk lid that supplies the lights for the rear license plate and the trunk lid release has frayed at the exact point where the harness enters the trunk lid. The wiring comes in direct contact with the sharp edge at the opening in the trunk lid, and several of the wires have broken at this point, resulting in failure of the license plate lights. In addition, the dashboard indicator shows that the trunk lid IS open even though it's locked. I performed an internet search and this seems to be a common problem with several BMW models.
- Power train › Manual transmission
My 1998 BMW 5-series 528I started accelerating on it's own when I was driving, and I had to keep my foot on the brake and almost ran a few red lights. when I parked my car I had to put it in neutral to turn it off and I tried starting it again (with my foot on the brake) and it accelerated w/out being in drive. now my car jerks every time I'm driving slow and it feels like it's not shifting properly any more. *Tr
- Power train
No reverse gear. The reverse gear in the transmission stopped working. *Tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission · Steering
Two major complaints: 1. Transmission of the car broke down completely within 82,000 miles. I had to spend a large amount of money to replace the transmission. 2. Power steering of the car had experienced leak since I bought the car. Still after so many years the problem has not been…
Two major complaints: 1. Transmission of the car broke down completely within 82,000 miles. I had to spend a large amount of money to replace the transmission. 2. Power steering of the car had experienced leak since I bought the car. Still after so many years the problem has not been properly rectified despite the fact that I brought this to the attention of the dealer. 3. After I gave my car to the ann arbor BMW dealer, once they replaced some unrelated mechanical components that cost me over $600. However, after paying the money when I showed that the problem did not solve, the mechanics added some brake fluid and the problem temporarily disappeared. The dealer did not reimburse the money for inappropriately changing unnecessary components. again after a few months when I brought the car back when the problem resurfaced due to low brake fluid.r. After I drove the car out of dealers premise, the engine started getting heated up. I brought the car back and left it with the dealer who called me the next day asking me to pay about $250 to change the thermocouple, which I authorized. However, after several hours the dealer claimed that the engine was still getting heated up and demanded an open authorization so that they could open up the engine. When I asked him how much it could cost me, the dealer told me that it would cost up to $5000. The dealer held my car for over 14 days without giving me a temporary car or verifying whether the engine was really getting heated up after he changed the thermocouple. The dealer claimed that it would be dangerous to drive the car in that condition. After 14 days, despite writing to BMW america and the dealers head office, the dealer kept on claiming that I would have to authorize them for further work that might cost me at least $1500. finally, I decided to take the car from the dealer and give to another mechanics who found out there was no problem with the engine. Till now the engine does not heat up. *Tr
- Steering
While driving down the highway (maricopa hwy) my steering wheel began to spin around and it had no affect on the steering of my BMW, in other words I could not or I have lost the steering capacity, the steering wheel just spins. *Tr
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 BMW 528I. the contact stated that the driver side door handle inside the passenger compartment would fall off in her hand. the failure occurred a total of eight times and prevented her from exiting the vehicle. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the contact…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 BMW 528I. the contact stated that the driver side door handle inside the passenger compartment would fall off in her hand. the failure occurred a total of eight times and prevented her from exiting the vehicle. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the contact repaired the failure herself on seven occasions because it would cost $249 to repair it at a dealer. the current mileage was 117,000 and failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
- Air bags
98 528I, airbag light flashed and remained illuminated. Repair made by BMW dealer as per tsb 61-2000. Defective wiring harness. Repair bypassed original configuration. Dealer and BMW n/a declined to cover repair although acknowledging defect in the wiring harness. Stated that there hasn't been a…
98 528I, airbag light flashed and remained illuminated. Repair made by BMW dealer as per tsb 61-2000. Defective wiring harness. Repair bypassed original configuration. Dealer and BMW n/a declined to cover repair although acknowledging defect in the wiring harness. Stated that there hasn't been a recall even though they have clearly identified a defect in the harness as outlined in the service bulletin 61-20-00 from 2003. *tr
- Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch · Structure › Body › Door
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 BMW 528I. while the engine was running, the contact smelled something burning. he discovered that the brake light for the window burned through the housing and fell into the trunk. the bulb landed by the fuel tank. no repairs have been made and the cause of the…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 BMW 528I. while the engine was running, the contact smelled something burning. he discovered that the brake light for the window burned through the housing and fell into the trunk. the bulb landed by the fuel tank. no repairs have been made and the cause of the failure was unknown. furthermore, the passenger and driver side handles failed to open the doors from inside the passenger compartment. the doors would only open from the outside. the failure mileage was 138,000 and current mileage was 166,000.
- Visibility › Glass, side/rear
1998 BMW 528I rear window exploded or internal motor went out**cc *jb
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to exit the vehicle, the interior door handles broke off both the driver and passenger side without warning. the dealership and manufacturer were notified however, no repairs have been made. Updated 03/03/06.
- Electrical system · Steering
The steering wheel intermittently moves up and down on its own while driving. in addition, the brake lights stay on constantly and the air bag indicator light on the dash comes on intermittently. *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Radiator assembly
Driving on entrance ramp to the freeway at about 10mph and saw white smoke coming from the driver's side of the hood. Pulled over and inspected coolant system and found that the neck had broken off the radiator(common problem with E39) allowing coolant to spray into the engine compartment. I was…
Driving on entrance ramp to the freeway at about 10mph and saw white smoke coming from the driver's side of the hood. Pulled over and inspected coolant system and found that the neck had broken off the radiator(common problem with E39) allowing coolant to spray into the engine compartment. I was lucky that I was travelling slowly and was able to pull over rapidly before car overheated. Could have caused a dangerous situation if it had occured at highway speeds. car was towed to mechanic, who replaced old radiator with an aftermarket brand that IS more robust than BMW rad. I was not comfortable using a BMW radiator due to their cheap and flawed design.
- Exterior lighting › Tail lights
Consumer stated tail lights warped, causing them to burn out prematurely. *ak
- Structure
The front driver side inside plastic door handle snapped. This caused the consumer to roll the window down to use the outside door handle to exit the vehicle. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak BMW considered the problem to be an integral part/trim and did not…
The front driver side inside plastic door handle snapped. This caused the consumer to roll the window down to use the outside door handle to exit the vehicle. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak BMW considered the problem to be an integral part/trim and did not honor the warranty. the driver door squeaked upon opening and closing and there was a squeak coming from the right side of the vehicle that would go up to 35 mph in which the dealer could not duplicate the problem. *sc *jb
- Air bags › Side/window
Air bag light came on while driving. This occurred because the rear passenger side airbag sensor module malfunctioned. The part was replaced, but the problem recurred. *Ak
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner
Air conditioner was not working properly. Dealer stated he knew what was the problem.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
After having the vehicle serviced and a powersteering hose replaced, the vehicle was loosing a lot of fuel in the engine compartment (7 gallons in 10 miles). it turned out to be a fuel line connection on the drivers side in the engine compartment that was not fully connected and sprayed fuel out.…
After having the vehicle serviced and a powersteering hose replaced, the vehicle was loosing a lot of fuel in the engine compartment (7 gallons in 10 miles). it turned out to be a fuel line connection on the drivers side in the engine compartment that was not fully connected and sprayed fuel out. the connection IS a factory standard quick connect type.. in my opinion, fuel lines should not be of this type of quick connection, since failure to properly connect the lines may have detrimental results. fuel lines should have threaded or similar type of connection. once disconnected they would require an effort in connecting and may not result in an inadvertant oversight. in my case, it just sprayed out lots of fuel in a short amount of time while driving.
- Air bags › Side/window
Consumer states while traveling 35 mph without any indication resulting in a vehicle crash. Upon impact, side air bags deployed, blowing door panel off, and causing injury to passenger's ribs. *Ak
- Wheels
BMW 528I sport wheels bend and warp easily causing vehicle to shimmy at various speeds. wheel repair specialist and BMW dealerships have indicated that the aluminum IS too thin and IS prone to warp. *jb
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Consumer smelled gas while driving,.took vehicle to mechanic ,and they stated that consumer hit something and it punctured gas tank, causing a leak. consumer was concerned about plastic gas tank. how easy it was to puncture it. please provide any further information.*ak
- Vehicle speed control › Linkages
While pulling into garage with foot off gas and on brake, vehicle accelerated unexpectedly into garage wall, placed car into reverse, then shot out of front of garage all without placing foot on gas.*ak
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10249437The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
- 10160287TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL-RELATED SHORT-TERM ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION AND CONSEQUENTIAL REPAIRS This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B01 31 18 dated October 2018.
- 10160244TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL-RELATED SHORT-TERM ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION AND CONSEQUENTIAL REPAIRS This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B01 31 18 dated October 2018.
- 10154816In an effort to improve the completion rate on Takata air bag recall affected vehicles; BMW NA has expanded the BMW Ultimate Rewards platform to include a new Recall Support page. This page will allow IRFs to check their customers VINs for open Takata recalls; and get rewarded for helping us with completing repairs.
- 10153726Takata class action settlement. Customer support program. Front driver side airbag modules.
- 10152674Radio / Navigation / Head Unit Identification Guide
- 10149557For the above-referenced vehicles with driver?s side airbag modules, BMW of North America, LLC (?BMW NA?) will provide a Customer Support Program as outlined in the Takata Settlement Customer Support Program Overview attachment. This ?component-specific? customer support program applies only if there is a defect in materials or workmanship of the Takata driver?s side airbag module in a listed vehicle.
- 10142928SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAM DME (FOR O2 SENSORS): Due to DME software error, the following oxygen sensors plausibility fault codes may be stored in DME 5.2.1 control module:
- 10135028SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAM DME: The incorrect dataset could be programmed into DME 5.2.1 control module.
- 604628Subject pertaining to dsp amplifier switching to
- 600874Information on evaporative emission control and fuel filler cap / filler door labels.
- 600873Subject on voluntary exhaust emission service action no. 98E-a01. Produced from 10/95 - 11/97 *yc*db
- 600531Information and procedures on the garage door opener.
- 600527Situation with the tension rod test gauge.
- 600434Experiencing an intermittent momentary event where the brake pedal does not immediatlely return. Models built prior to 3/97 *db*yc
- 600433New evaporative (charcoal) canister purge line. All E38 and E39 modele introduced into production approximately 3/97 *db*yc
- 600432Vehicle experiencing noise from front wheel.
- 600431Condition with brake pad warning stays illuminated after brake pad replacement.
- 600226Subject on tank ventilation leak couplers.
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