The 1991 BMW 850i has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 415,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING98V1780001998-08-04340,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF A COOLANT SYSTEM COMPONENT, SUCH AS A THERMOSTAT, WATER PUMP, OR FAN BELT, CAN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED COOLANT TEMPERATURE AND SYSTEM PRESSURE. IF THE INDICATIONS OF A CRITICAL OVERHEATING CONDITION IS NOT NOTICED BY THE DRIVER, IT IS…
Consequence
IF A CRACK WERE TO FORM OR A SEAM WERE TO SEPARATE IN THE HEATER CORE END PIECE, HOT COOLANT COULD SUDDENLY BE EXPELLED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY TO A VEHICLE OCCUPANT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN RADIATOR CAP TO CONTROL PRESSURE AND PROVIDE GREATER COOLANT OVERFLOW IN THE EVENT OF OVERHEATING.
AIR BAGS96V1100001996-07-0175,000 affected
Defect
THE AIR BAG CONTACT RING LOCKING TAB LOCATED IN THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY CAN BREAK WITHOUT WARNING.
Consequence
IF THIS HAPPENS, THE CONTACT RING WIRING COULD EVENTUALLY BREAK. THE AIR BAG READINESS INDICATOR LAMP (SRS OR AIRBAG) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WILL ILLUMINATE, AND THE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A FRONTAL IMPACT VEHICLE COLLISION.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOCKING TAB WITH ONE OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN.
Complaints by component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
4
AIR BAGS
1
1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
1
SUSPENSION:REAR
1
Total complaints11
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Started my bmw 850i, drive half a block down the street, the airbag blow , burn my hands. I can take picture of the broken airbag in the steering wheel if needed.”
“The driver noticed that the headlight adjuster was broken. This caused poor visibility while driving at night. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the headlights adjuster needed to be replaced. *nm the headlights were not high enough to shine on the road to allow the…”
“After failure, bmw tells you to buy new headlight buckets for $650 with new adjusters in them, which will fail again after two to four years, depending on the mileage. After failure the lights shine extremly low without covering the street in front of you, resulting in a real safety hazard.”
“Headlight housing broken. Points downward.*ak”
“This car loses coolant, overheats, and blows a head gasket, and now possibly needs new cylinder heads. Bmw mechanic states that the temperatute gauge is not supposed to tell you the engine is overheating if the coolant has already completely leaked out of the system. That the gauge does not…”
“This car loses coolant, overheats, and blows a head gasket, and now possibly needs new cylinder heads. Bmw mechanic states that the temperatute gauge is not supposed to tell you the engine is overheating if the coolant has already completely leaked out of the system. That the gauge does not…”
“This car loses coolant, overheats, and blows a head gasket, and now possibly needs new cylinder heads. Bmw mechanic states that the temperatute gauge is not supposed to tell you the engine is overheating if the coolant has already completely leaked out of the system. That the gauge does not…”
“Shock support came completely out of the body of the vehicle on two occasions.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1991 BMW 850i as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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