Bmw 525i 2003
Model 525i made in 2003 by Bmw got 36 consumer complains as well as 3 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags and electrical system. Technical service bulletines regarding electrical system and exterior lighting. The car has one 2.5 engine.
Model 2003
| Engine [L] | Cylinders | Transmission | Drive | Estimate MPG (city/highway/combined) | Unadjusted MPG (city/highway/combined) | Fuel | Fuel cost | Class | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 | 6 | Lockup/automatic, 5 gears | R | 20/28/23 | 22.5698/36.0136/27.1266 | Premium | 1077 | COMPACT CARS | |
| 2.5 | 6 | Manual, 5 gears | R | 20/29/24 | 22.5761/37.5427/27.5115 | Premium | 1032 | COMPACT CARS |
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 120802 | 10/01/2002 | 10000372 | Engine wiring harness section replacement for ignition coils. *tt | 02/25/2003 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||||
| SIB-63-02-01 | 08/01/2010 | 10037025 | Ready | 04/27/2011 | |
| SIB-63-02-01 | 08/01/2010 | 10037025 | Bmw: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty. *rm | 04/27/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 06/04/2010 | 58000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. while driving approximately 60 mph the front and rear air bags on the drivers side deployed. prior to the air bags deploying he noticed the hazards lights began to blink and the check engine light began to illuminate on the dashboard. the vehicle was pulled over and shut off. the incident was reported to the police and the driver sustained injuries. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 58,000 and the current mileage was 59,000. the vin was unavailable. sm. | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Passenger seat air bag sensor failure, sensor in seat needs to be replaced or air bag will not function. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 05/30/2009 | 29600 | 1 | |
| I was driving along the freeway when all of a sudden my car engine started to run very rough and the service engine light came on. my car have to be towed to the bmw dealership and i was told the all of the ignition coils have to be replaced. my car then had only 29k+ miles. *tr | |||
| 10/24/2009 | 72690 | 1 | |
| Upon turning on the manufacturer installed drivers seat heater, the drivers seat heater shorted out causing extreme heat and smoke to rise from the left side of the seat. although this did not cause a fire, it was extremely close to causing a fire. the heater was turned off, and the smoke and heat subsided. there was a significant electrical burning smell. contacted a bmw mechanic who stated that this was a common occurrence and a known issue with bmw. he cited a case which caused a customers leather seat to burn and also burned his sports coat. the mechanic stated that this problem happens overtime do to the breakdown of the wiring which is caused by the driver getting into and out of the vehicle. over time, the wires rub bare causing the deterioration of the wiring and the insulation. the wiring in turn builds resistance with the in ability of the electricity to pass through the damage wiring, which causes the excessive heat. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the freeway and turned the seat heater on. after about 5 minutes into my drive, i started to smell smoke and then saw smoke in the car. i pulled over and saw that the seat was catching on fire. i turned the seat heater off and doused the fire with water. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 2 | 04/22/2003 | |
| 2003 bmw 525i died twice leaving the consumer stranded.***no answer required***.*mr the ignition coils failed on the vehicle. the consumer stated the vehicle made a terrible noise when it was first started, the dealer replaced numerous parts, but to no avail. *jb | |||
| 09/21/2004 | 12000 | 1 | 05/16/2003 |
| Repeated ignition coil failure on my 2003 bmw 525i series. the dealers has attempted to repair pair this same problem four times. i question the safety of this vehicle. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 2 | 04/22/2003 | |
| 2003 bmw 525i died twice leaving the consumer stranded.***no answer required***.*mr the ignition coils failed on the vehicle. the consumer stated the vehicle made a terrible noise when it was first started, the dealer replaced numerous parts, but to no avail. *jb | |||
| EQUIPMENT | |||
| 10/24/2009 | 72690 | 1 | |
| Upon turning on the manufacturer installed drivers seat heater, the drivers seat heater shorted out causing extreme heat and smoke to rise from the left side of the seat. although this did not cause a fire, it was extremely close to causing a fire. the heater was turned off, and the smoke and heat subsided. there was a significant electrical burning smell. contacted a bmw mechanic who stated that this was a common occurrence and a known issue with bmw. he cited a case which caused a customers leather seat to burn and also burned his sports coat. the mechanic stated that this problem happens overtime do to the breakdown of the wiring which is caused by the driver getting into and out of the vehicle. over time, the wires rub bare causing the deterioration of the wiring and the insulation. the wiring in turn builds resistance with the in ability of the electricity to pass through the damage wiring, which causes the excessive heat. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 02/12/2003 | 28500 | 04/01/2001 | |
| Bought car new in april of 2001. since that time, driver side headlight (low beam) has burned out 3 times. do not know if this is a safety defect or not, but thought i would report it just in case. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||
| 01/11/2013 | 1 | ||
| 2003 bmw 525i. consumer writes in regards to potential fire in tail light assembly. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle failed inspection, due to a faulty left tail light. the light was repaired. however, the entire tail light assembly/housing had to be replaced, rather than just replacing a bulb. the mechanic explained to the consumer that a connector has melted onto the tail light assembly and the wiring was damaged. *jb | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 12/24/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2003 525i bmw front passenger door jammed in double lock. this condition occurred without user involvement and could have left the passenger with no means of a quick exit in the event of an accident or other event requiring a quick exit. only means of egress was to crawl thought the window or over drivers seat. there is no way to mechanically overcome the problem, i.e., no key on any doors except driver's. *tr | |||
| OTHER | |||
| 04/24/2005 | 14500 | 1 | 10/04/2003 |
| While changing the tire on my 2003 bmw 525 car jack slipped out causing car to drop on my arm, breaking my arm. i believe the car jack for this car is poorly designed | |||
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/06/2011 | 100825 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle check transmission failsafe message illuminated. the contact stated that the transmission became stuck in third gear and decelerated until it stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised that they would contact him at a later date. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,825. | |||
| 10/06/2011 | 100825 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle check transmission failsafe message illuminated. the contact stated that the transmission became stuck in third gear and decelerated until it stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised that they would contact him at a later date. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,825. kmj | |||
| 10/06/2011 | 100825 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph the vehicle check transmission failsafe message came on the instrument panel. the contact stated that the vehicle transmission became stuck on third gear and decelerated until it stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who stated that they would contact him back at a later date. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,825. pm | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES | |||
| 02/19/2003 | 80000 | 1 | |
| The seat belt warning chime has a malfunction, that results in the chime remaining on even if the seat belt has been fastened. this is caused by a programming issue when vehicle was manufactured and cannot be fix, per dealership.*ak | |||
| SEAT BELTS - REAR | |||
| 03/08/2005 | 20000 | 1 | 02/17/2003 |
| On 8 march 2005 at approximately 3:20pm, kari kawakami (spouse) and sydney kawakami (4 year old child) were heading westbound on grand river ave. in novi michigan. sydney was secured in a graco booster seat in the subject vehicle in the rear passenger side. the graco booster seat was tethered to the rear bench seat per manufacturers instructions while sydney kawakami was held in the booster seat by bmw's shoulder restraint belt and secured into the oem latch. upon turning southbound onto taft road, the subject 525i bmw (vin wbadt43483gy99228) was struck in the rear passaenger side by a eastbound (grand river ave.) vehicle. the collision resulted in sydney kawakami becoming a projectile in the vehicle because the oem shoulder belt latch and clasp gave way not holding the child in the booster seat. the booster seat was still secured to the bmw rear bench seat. kari kawakami did confirm that upon initially securing sydney kawakami at the inception on the trip, she had latched the shoulder belt across sydney kawakami and the booster seat and tugged upon it as a force of habit to insure a proper latching action.*ak | |||
| SEATS | |||
| 10/24/2009 | 72690 | 1 | |
| Upon turning on the manufacturer installed drivers seat heater, the drivers seat heater shorted out causing extreme heat and smoke to rise from the left side of the seat. although this did not cause a fire, it was extremely close to causing a fire. the heater was turned off, and the smoke and heat subsided. there was a significant electrical burning smell. contacted a bmw mechanic who stated that this was a common occurrence and a known issue with bmw. he cited a case which caused a customers leather seat to burn and also burned his sports coat. the mechanic stated that this problem happens overtime do to the breakdown of the wiring which is caused by the driver getting into and out of the vehicle. over time, the wires rub bare causing the deterioration of the wiring and the insulation. the wiring in turn builds resistance with the in ability of the electricity to pass through the damage wiring, which causes the excessive heat. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the freeway and turned the seat heater on. after about 5 minutes into my drive, i started to smell smoke and then saw smoke in the car. i pulled over and saw that the seat was catching on fire. i turned the seat heater off and doused the fire with water. *tr | |||
| STEERING | |||
| 11/10/2008 | 39377 | 1 | |
| Began to hear a clicking noise under front end of vehicle. upon investigation, bmw service department determined rmfd hydro steering box defective and replaced it. service department stated noise would get worse if not replaced but couldn't advise me as to safety issue. vehicle meticulously maintained with under 40,000 miles. contacted bmw via email with no response. *tr | |||
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 10/14/2009 | 25000 | ||
| I was helping a passenger out of the passenger seat of my 2003 bmw 525i when the passenger accidently bumped the the auto-up window button. the door was open, the window was down, and i had finger in the way of the now closing window. all off a sudden the window chopped off a digit of my pinky finger. my finger was not recognized by the pinch protection safety feature. how this could have been prevented: if auto-up feature was deactivated when door is open, button to open close window could be designed so you have to pull up to close window, pinch-protection system that protects fingers, and perhaps a warning sign on the window that it is capable of cutting off fingers. | |||
| 06/09/2009 | 26000 | ||
| 2003 bmw 525i 11 months ago brought in due to water and mold in rear floor dealer found mold, door p anels crumbling from water and claimed needed to replace vapor barriers. wanted to charge me $4,000 or so i fought and bmw furnished parts i paid labor over 1200.00 when asked they claim never saw problem in past, and was due to poor adhesive on vapor barriers, now 2 weeks ago same problem. my wife has been having medical problems as well as i and they are due to toxic mold syndrome. dealer refuses to admit this is a major problem thru all model and years which i have researched and confirmed they demanded the loaner car back and now the rental car, they want my vehicle off their lot obviously, i simply wanted a written confirmation that their is no mold and they refuse, an investigator from bmw was there and head office claims his report will not reach them for 2 weeks... i now have lung issues as does my wife along with 8 syptoms documented since 2005 from physicians confirming toxic mold exposure and syndrome. the dealer and bmw refuse to admit and responsiblitiy or knowledge of this problem however looking on internet it is widespread, not even an apology. i have contact the epa and media to expose there total lack of ethics, honest and concern for the health of consumers | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | |||
| 02/23/2004 | 2700 | 1 | 12/03/2003 |
| While shifting gears from first to second, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle by engaging the emergency brake. the consumer pulled over to the shoulder and noticed that the gas pedal was stuck. consumer was able to release the pedal.*ak the vehicle was towed to the dealer and it took 5 days for them to replace the broken pedal. *jb | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD | BALTIMORE | RUSSELL BMW | ||
| MI | FARMINGTON HILLS | 48335 | ERHARD BMW FARMINGTON HILLS | 248-306-6800 |
| PA | WEST CHESTER | 19382 | OTTO'S BMW | |
| VA | ALEXANDRIA | BMW OF ARLINGTON | ||
| VA | FAIRFAX | 99999 | BMW FAIRFAX | 703-560-2300 |
| WA | SEATTLE | BMW OF SEATTLE | 2063282300 |