2003 BMW 525I: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 32 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (32% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 32 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was driving and antitheft system went off while driving. Then wiper failed to work. I was told by dealer mechanic that the body control module was failing and advised not to drive the car because the antitheft system may cause the car to stop and the wiper system will stop when raining causing multiple accidents.”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2021
“Abs module failure trifecta abs light traction amd brake light. Sometimes used to auto Accelerate when brake was pressed and cruise control doesnt work”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2020
“Module fails that controls windshield wipers. If raining, there would be no visiblity and would result in an accdent. This happened when the car was moving.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Aug 2016
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. While driving 40 mph, the driver veered and crashed into a curb. The driver side air bags failed to deploy, the passenger side door air bag deployed, but the passenger side head liner air bag did not fully deploy. The air bag warning light illuminated. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the air bags needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the vehicle was inspected by an engineer from the manufacturer who stated that the air bags worked as intended. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000. Updated 12/03/15*lj *cn”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2015
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The contact was not experiencing a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. Updated 05/11/16*lj *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2015
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v428000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 525i. The contact stated that while starting the ignition the air bag warning light illuminated until the engine was turned off. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2015
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 6 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, and 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity Vehicles. Please note that the 5-series and X5 vehicles are only included if they are equipped with the optional sports steering wheel. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Note: On December 17, 2015 BMW removed the model year 2004 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity vehicle from this recall. Those vehicles were mistakenly identified as including the air bags that are subject to this recall.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000-2003 525i Sedan, 530i Sedan, 540i Sedan, 2001-2003 525i Sports Wagon and 540i Sports Wagon vehicles, and 2000-2004 X5 SAV 3.0i, X5 SAV 4.4i, and X5 SAV 4.6is vehicles. This recall affects certain vehicles where the original steering wheel has been replaced with the optional sports steering wheel. The sports steering wheel has a frontal air bag inflator that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for an optional sports steering wheel with an affected inflator. Dealers will replace the air bag module as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2003 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact 525I by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2003 BMW 525I reliable?
NHTSA has 32 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2003 BMW 525I. The most complained-about area is air bags (32% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2003 BMW 525I problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 42,189 miles or less.
Does the 2003 BMW 525I have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.