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1999 BMW 5 Series

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →
2Owner complaints

Model-year median: 5

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
0
19961
19970
19982
19992
20003
20017
2002
Compare all 5 Series years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Service Brakes, Air
1Service Brakes, Hydraulic
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 2 of 2 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes, Air. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

2 reports
82,200 miles · Jul 9, 2005
Service Brakes, Air

I HAVE A 1999 BMW 528I WITH INTERMITTENT ABS CONTROLLER ISSUE, WHICH ACTIVATES AT LOW RATE OF SPEED. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE ABS SENSOR. THE NEXT DAY IT ACTIVATED AGAIN. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC AND STATED THE ABS REPAIR KIT IS BAD. I ASKED WHAT IS THAT AND THEY STATED IT CONTROL…

Read full complaint

I HAVE A 1999 BMW 528I WITH INTERMITTENT ABS CONTROLLER ISSUE, WHICH ACTIVATES AT LOW RATE OF SPEED. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE ABS SENSOR. THE NEXT DAY IT ACTIVATED AGAIN. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC AND STATED THE ABS REPAIR KIT IS BAD. I ASKED WHAT IS THAT AND THEY STATED IT CONTROLS THE ABS SYSTEM ON MY CAR AND THE PART IS $1000. I AM A MEMBER OF ROADFLY.ORG, WHICH IS A NETWORK CONSISTING OF BMW OWNERS SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT ISSUES AND TIPS. MY CONCERN IS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE BMW (E39). I WOULD LIKE THE MANUFACTURER TO CHECK THE WWW.ROADFLY.ORG MESSAGE BOARD ON THE BMW E39 1997-2001.

NHTSA ODI #10128211

93,000 miles · Jan 9, 2005
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

ABS CONTROLLER FAILURE. VERY HIGH FAILURE RATE DURING THIS PRODUCTION PERIOD. SOME REPORTS OF UNCONTROLLED APPLICATION OF BRAKES AT HIGH SPEEDS. BMWNA SALES OF THE ABS MODULATOR AND/OR REPAIR UNIT WILL REFLECT THIS CLAIM.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10106020

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.