1991 Bmw 850I problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
9 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
78,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1991 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Exterior Lighting:Headlights is the most frequently named component, appearing in 4 of 9 complaints (44.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 1 | 11.1% |
| Steering behavior | 1 | 11.1% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | 4 |
| Air Bags | 1 |
| 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 |
Exterior Lighting:Headlights: 4; Air Bags: 1; 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
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 8 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2002 | 4 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
1996: 1; 1998: 1; 2000: 1; 2002: 4; 2004: 1; 2017: 1
Pattern summary
Exterior Lighting:Headlights leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 534382 · 1998-04-20 (April 20, 1998)
BRAKES CONTINUE TO FAIL ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 534382 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11040836 · 2017-10-29 (October 29, 2017)
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.
Owner-reported narrative. 78,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11040836 at NHTSA ↗
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
9 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 342.9%ODI 11394846 · 8,000 miON OR ABOUT DEC. 3, WHILE DRIVING THROUGH JAMESTOWN, NC , NO VEHICLES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY AND WITH MY WIFE'S FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED. ONLY TIME IT HAPPENED. ON JAN. 14, 2021, WHILE PARKING THE AUTO AND WITH MY WIFE'S FOOT COVERING THE BRAKE PEDDLE, THE CAR SUDDENDLY ACCERATED INTO A BUILDING. AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AND WITH HER FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THE CAR NEVER SHUT OFF. IT JUST KEPT ACCELERATING INTO BUILDING. IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ON FIRE. BMW SENT A CORPORATE TECH TO EVALUATE. WITH NO LETTERS OR E-MAIL, WE RECEIV… |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System | 228.6%ODI 11396045 · 13,000 miBATTERY INSUFFICIENT CHARGE TO INITIATE REMOTE START. THE CAR AND BATTERY ARE NEW. ON THE DATE OF AUTO PURCHASE THEY NOTED THAT THE BATTERY HAD TO BE REPLACED WHICH THEY DID AT NO COST BUT NOW IT IS NOT RETAINING CHARGE IN COLD WEATHER IN MINNESOTA. |
| Engine | 228.6%ODI 114174522019 M850i XDrive. Consumer writes regarding unintended acceleration of vehicle. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE SURGED OVER A RETAINING WALL INTO THE SECOND FLOOR OF A BUILDING. SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. |
| Power Train | 228.6%ODI 11435507Behind the cupholder the shifting unit is unsealed and liquids spill are causing shifting issues to the shifting control module. Also the Airbag sensor is under the same gap which can cause airbag malfunction. There are numerous reports on forums with all model types 2019+, not limited to the 8 series. This is a design flaw on the new center console shifting seal. This is is a life threatening defect, already a open recall for the wire routing under the shifter for the 8 series, same area. |
| Unknown Or Other | 228.6%ODI 11526356The software update was transferred from phone to the car. But would not install on the car. The issue has been raised by multiple people on various BMW forums. The clutch appears to be from BMW servers and service locations instead of dealing with root cause are trying to charge customers 350 -450 dollar to manually load gbs software. As a purchaser of the vehicle with automated software updates it is unreasonable to charge for manual update where a over the air software should work Please contact me at [XXX] to discuss my issue and others wit… |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | Too few reports for a range | 78,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 11040836 · 78,000 miSTARTED 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. |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1995: 0 complaints · 2019: 4 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Exterior Lighting:Headlights | Air Bags | Engine And Engine Cooling | Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | Exterior Lighting:Headlights:Switch | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Suspension:Rear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 0 | 0 | — | 1ODI 718518THIS 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 REGISTER THE EMPTY AIR IN A NOW EMPTY COOLANT SYSTEM. IN MY OPINION THE TEMP GUAGE SHOULD TELL ME THE POSSIBILITY OF MY CAR OVERHEATING SO THAT I CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE($5,000 FIRST TIME) AND NOW AN ESTIMAT… | 1ODI 718518THIS 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 REGISTER THE EMPTY AIR IN A NOW EMPTY COOLANT SYSTEM. IN MY OPINION THE TEMP GUAGE SHOULD TELL ME THE POSSIBILITY OF MY CAR OVERHEATING SO THAT I CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE($5,000 FIRST TIME) AND NOW AN ESTIMAT… | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | 0 | 0 | 1ODI 718518THIS 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 REGISTER THE EMPTY AIR IN A NOW EMPTY COOLANT SYSTEM. IN MY OPINION THE TEMP GUAGE SHOULD TELL ME THE POSSIBILITY OF MY CAR OVERHEATING SO THAT I CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE($5,000 FIRST TIME) AND NOW AN ESTIMAT… | — | 1ODI 718518THIS 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 REGISTER THE EMPTY AIR IN A NOW EMPTY COOLANT SYSTEM. IN MY OPINION THE TEMP GUAGE SHOULD TELL ME THE POSSIBILITY OF MY CAR OVERHEATING SO THAT I CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE($5,000 FIRST TIME) AND NOW AN ESTIMAT… | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 0 | 0 | 1ODI 718518THIS 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 REGISTER THE EMPTY AIR IN A NOW EMPTY COOLANT SYSTEM. IN MY OPINION THE TEMP GUAGE SHOULD TELL ME THE POSSIBILITY OF MY CAR OVERHEATING SO THAT I CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE($5,000 FIRST TIME) AND NOW AN ESTIMAT… | 1ODI 718518THIS 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 REGISTER THE EMPTY AIR IN A NOW EMPTY COOLANT SYSTEM. IN MY OPINION THE TEMP GUAGE SHOULD TELL ME THE POSSIBILITY OF MY CAR OVERHEATING SO THAT I CAN SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE($5,000 FIRST TIME) AND NOW AN ESTIMAT… | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights:Switch | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Suspension:Rear | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.