The 2013 BMW 550xi has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 13,443 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2013 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, and ActiveHybrid 5 vehicles. The rear reflex reflectors may not reflect enough light. As such, the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard…
Consequence
The vehicle may be less visible to other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear reflex reflectors, free of charge. The recall began July 28, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
ENGINE
2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
1
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
Total complaints9
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 550xi. While the vehicle was stationary, the front passenger door would not unlock when prompted. During the first occurrence of the failure, the vehicle remote automatically unlocked the front passenger door. The failure recurred and, over time, the remote became…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 550xi. While the vehicle was stationary, the front passenger door would not unlock when prompted. During the first occurrence of the failure, the vehicle remote automatically unlocked the front passenger door. The failure recurred and, over time, the remote became…”
“I was driving my bmw 550 xi on the highway at 70 mph when I had what was termed by the bmw service technician as a "catastrophic engine failure". As I was driving down the highway at I suddenly lost all power to the drive train. I immediately had to take evasive action to avoid an accident as on a…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 550xi. While driving at any speed, the vehicle emitted smoke from the exhaust pipe without warning. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the bmw of roanoke dealer (2824 franklin rd sw, roanoke, va 24014, [REDACTED]) where it was diagnosed that the valve…”
“I would be driving the vehicle and at a random time it would jerk violently and then slow while in traffic on the freeway. The car would go into 'limp mode" and give a 'drivetrain malfunction' error. I researched this error online and it seemed it could be any number of things. The first couple…”
“High pressure fuel pump the car started shaking while driving lost power car went into limp mode and kept shaking. The car would not exceed 10 mph and created a safety issue”
“Sunroof exploded. Shattered with glass pieces everywhere. No stone or external object hit the sunroof.”
“Bmw 550 xi was traveling on pa turnpike when the sunroof exploded into tiny shards of glass. The car was going the speed limit, outside temp was 24 degrees, the shade was open when the sunroof exploded. There were no rocks or debris that hit the sunroof. There were no cars in front of me. I was…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2013 BMW 550xi as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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