general problems of the 2006 BMW 530

The insulation on the internal wiring of the headlight (left and right) have fallen off the wiring leaving sections of conductor exposed creating shorts in the lighting system. This is a known problem in the BMW community (owners and BMW) since at least 2011. This is due to the use of bio-degradable wiring by BMW that breaks down prematurely. Replacement headlight assemblies (high intensity discharge xenon) are over $1,000 each. Both halogen high beam lights are inoperable which reduces driver vision at night on suburban roadways. Re-wiring with correctly specified wiring is possible but requires specific skills and experience. This is a known problem which BMW has hoped would go away as few of their cars of this age are on the road. This risk assessment driven policy should not shield BMW from fully addressing their failures in material selection which impact safe use of their cars.

Stalls out, skips, hesitates, etc. , pcv valve recall this occurs when driving the car on streets, highways etc. , when driving the car.

Car shut off middle of highway very dangerous and deadly all because key lost code. . . How if it's in the ignition and I've been driving over several miles.

My airbag light came on for no reason one day and will not go off I initially got a recall paper for it but was unable to take it to the shop I van no longer find the paper but the transmission is trash.

After a recent heavy rain the vehicle electrical dashboard instruments were erratic, the rear hatch opening/closing mechanism failed, and ultimately the rear air suspension failed with the car sitting on the rear bottoming stops causing difficulty in controlling the vehicle due to the severe bouncing. Further investigation reveled standing water in the spare tire and battery/electrical areas at the rear of the car.

My airbag light is on and my transmission has an issue as if it needs to be replaced after research I found out that mechatronics and other components to be an issue for instance if your trying to pass your car stalls and says transmission failure after shutoff message disappears car will go in limp mode and car starts out in 2nd gear instead of 1st and 1st gear will also lock itself. . . . . This is dangerous for a supposed high end well built performance vehicle. Tranny has no issues computer does that causes shutter and stall limp mode nearly could have died.

Tl-the contact owns a 2006 BMW 530xi. The contact stated that smoke emitted into the vehicle from the rear with no warning. The contact was able to pull over and noticed that the fire was coming from the trunk of the vehicle. The contact was able to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 12v126000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.

Speedometer, other electronic and sound indicators, and radio randomly turn off and on while driving. After taking it to several auto repair shops, a corroded computer component under the spare tire was found to be corroded due to water intrusion. Replacing the part made the problem mostly go away, but occasionally get engine and coolant problem indicators.

The micro power module in the trunk burned up, crashing the screen/audio/service screen. The car is drivable but I cannot access any features from the dash computer screen, none of it works. There is a distinct plastic burned smell in the trunk. I have since learned this is a common problem. . . When I called my BMW certified mechanic, I barely explained my issue and his response was "let me guess, you have an '05 or '06 BMW 5 series, correct? the microprocessors in the trunk are burning up. . . They've since moved them from under the tire". My car could have burned down. Clearly BMW knows they have a problem as they have since moved the processor. I shouldn't have to pay for this costly repair.

After traveling for several weeks, my 2006 BMW 530i was parked in my drive way. When I returned home, I opened by door to find mold growing all over the seats , interiors surfaces, and a bad odor. I opened the back door and found 4 inches of water standing in the floor board. I immediately used my wet/dry vac to suck all the standing water out. As I looked around mold had grown all over the leather seats, interior trim ,and carpet. I started to do some research on bimmer forums to see what might the culprit. This appears to be a common problem with many BMW sunroofs of this vintage. I was able to remove the back seat and I found that the cloth between trunk and rear seat was also saturates with water, mold, moisture. I had read to pull back the carpet and I found at lease 2 inches of standing water in both rear floor board areas. I also noticed many electrical components were under water. My alarm was constantly going off. I would reset it from the key remote and it would starting sounding off like the alarm was set off. I had to disconnect the battery terminal to get this to stop. So it is clearly a short in the electrical system. I am just returning form a business trip and plan to get it towed to a dealership to get an estimate to replace the carpet, deal with the mold that I am not sure how will be treated. And address all the electrical issues since I do not have a way to drive it now. I have owned 6 other BMW and this one for 5 years. I have never seen any kind of flooding like this.

The contact owned a 2006 BMW 530xi. While driving approximately 25 to 30 mph, the vehicle had an abnormal odor. The contact pulled the vehicle over at a fuel station, opened the trunk, and noticed flames. The fire was extinguished by a patron. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign numbers: 12v126000 (electrical system) and 08v384000 (air bags). The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

Inside headlight wiring insulation became brittle and falls off leading to potential shorts and equipment failure. Additional wiring throughout engine compart shows similar degradation and failure. Split wire housing to protect wires from engine heat also show signs of decay, exposing wires to excess heat and inducing failure of insulation. This is not a turbocharged engine and has lower engine compartment temperatures. This problem started 7-8 years ago and has gotten worse.

Tl - the contact owns a 2006 BMW 530xi. The contact stated that his main airbag sensor control unit light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed airbag sensor control. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer told the contact that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13v564000 . The failure mileage 93,661, and the current mileage was 95,000. Bt.

Have a problem with the right headlight in my 530i 2006 BMW. The angel light bulb burned out and when I went to replace it, the wire covers started to come off exposing the wires completely. After replacing the bulb (which was a bit difficult to do), most of the wires in the headlight have no protection and were completely exposed. I had to cover them with electric tape to prevent some shorts, but missed a section I guess, since now the computer is giving me a adaptive headlight warning message and the light is not pointing to the proper direction. I have done some research on line and found that it is happening to a lot of people. Contacted BMW of north America, and they said since my car is out of warranty, they cannot do anything about it. The material used to cover these wires is not correct, as it will break off just by lightly touching them. I feel this is a safety concern where there may be short circuits while the car is running and it would affects the car's computers. In my case, the light control module is also shorted and must be replaced. I would like to know if there is anything you can do to find out if this is a safety concern or not. I believe it is specially on a car still new. Let me know if you would need any further information. Thank you.

BMW is recalling 200,000 my 2006 3 series sport seat, my 2004-2006 5 series standard and sport seat, and my 2004-2006 x3 passenger vehicles. Depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit, small cracks have developed in the mat. If this occurs, the front passenger air bags, with the exception of the head protection system, will be deactivated and the air bag warning lamp as well as the passenger air bag "on-off" lamp will be illuminated. Consequences: in this situation the front passenger air bags will not deploy even if a sufficiently severe accident would occur and occupant protection provided by the system would not be possible. Remedy: dealers will rework the front passenger seat sensor mat so that external force application to the seat does not cause a crack to the mat. The recall began on November 6, 2008. BMW will also extend the warranty on these vehicles to 10 years from first registration without any mileage limit. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417. I have contacted BMW and they say my VIN is not part of this recall, however I am experiencing the same issue as the recalled vehicles. I am worried about passenger safety! please help!.

Passenger airbag sensor. Warning light system failure.

A recent rain storm flooded the spare tire well compartment and fried all the electrical components stored underneath the tire. Luckily I wasn't driving the wagon that day and the car was parked on the driveway. Otherwise, the car would had shut down if it was moving and could cause an accident (happened to someone as discussed in the bimmer forum). Apparently, BMW have known about this safety issue as well as the sunroof drainage & tire well design defects for quite some time. They even generated a technical service/service information bulletin (sib54-06-06 & 61-13-06 on special roofs) for their service department to use. However, BMW keeps denying any damage liability and refusing to admit any design defects. BMW na, public relations and the sf BMW dealership responded to me that it is due to "external factors" (rains) and thereby they have no responsibility to the damaged vehicle. The service adviser told me that the repair cost would run into $15k. I am filing the said complaint and am seeking an attorney for a possible class action suit against BMW na.

Ref NHTSA campaign number: 08v384000 while my vehicle is the same model year, model and specification listed in the recall, my vehicle's VIN is not "included" in the list of recalled vehicles. I have and am currently experiencing this exact seat sensor mat problem. BMW is unwilling to cover any warranty work as the specific VIN is apparently not affected despite the fact that clearly it is. I am concerned about the safety of the occupants of my vehicle based on the unreliability of this component and feel the recall should be expanded to include all vehicles that experience the same problem.

I contacted BMW north America by phone regarding a recall for this issue. They told me that my 2006 BMW 530xi was not included in the recall. Yet, my car exhibits the exact problems outlined in the recall. The front passenger air bags will be deactivated and the air bag warning lamp, as well as the passenger air bag "on-off" lamp will be illuminated. This includes a warning in idrive system stating "passenger restraint" system issue. How is it that other 2006 5 series vehicles were included and my car was not? the local dealer is saying this is more than $1000 to repair, not sure how they would know that without seeing the vehicle.