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1998 BMW 528I

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1998 BMW 528I do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 46.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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

What owners reported most

All reported categories

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: 18 of 33 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.

  • Air Bags. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports

Power Train complaints

4 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2010
Power Train

MY 1998 BMW 5-SERIES 528I STARTED ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN WHEN I WAS DRIVING, AND I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND ALMOST RAN A FEW RED LIGHTS. WHEN I PARKED MY CAR I HAD TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO TURN IT OFF AND I TRIED STARTING IT AGAIN (WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE) AND IT ACCELERATED W/OUT BEING IN DRIVE. NOW MY CAR JERK…

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MY 1998 BMW 5-SERIES 528I STARTED ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN WHEN I WAS DRIVING, AND I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND ALMOST RAN A FEW RED LIGHTS. WHEN I PARKED MY CAR I HAD TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO TURN IT OFF AND I TRIED STARTING IT AGAIN (WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE) AND IT ACCELERATED W/OUT BEING IN DRIVE. NOW MY CAR JERKS EVERY TIME I'M DRIVING SLOW AND IT FEELS LIKE IT'S NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY ANY MORE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10320643

104,000 miles · Sep 14, 2009
Power Train

NO REVERSE GEAR. THE REVERSE GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10283907

82,000 miles · Feb 18, 2009
Power TrainSteering

TWO MAJOR COMPLAINTS: 1. TRANSMISSION OF THE CAR BROKE DOWN COMPLETELY WITHIN 82,000 MILES. I HAD TO SPEND A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. 2. POWER STEERING OF THE CAR HAD EXPERIENCED LEAK SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. STILL AFTER SO MANY YEARS THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN PROPERLY RECTIFIED DESPITE THE FACT TH…

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TWO MAJOR COMPLAINTS: 1. TRANSMISSION OF THE CAR BROKE DOWN COMPLETELY WITHIN 82,000 MILES. I HAD TO SPEND A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. 2. POWER STEERING OF THE CAR HAD EXPERIENCED LEAK SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. STILL AFTER SO MANY YEARS THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN PROPERLY RECTIFIED DESPITE THE FACT THAT I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER. 3. AFTER I GAVE MY CAR TO THE ANN ARBOR BMW DEALER, ONCE THEY REPLACED SOME UNRELATED MECHANICAL COMPONENTS THAT COST ME OVER $600. HOWEVER, AFTER PAYING THE MONEY WHEN I SHOWED THAT THE PROBLEM DID NOT SOLVE, THE MECHANICS ADDED SOME BRAKE FLUID AND THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY DISAPPEARED. THE DEALER DID NOT REIMBURSE THE MONEY FOR INAPPROPRIATELY CHANGING UNNECESSARY COMPONENTS. AGAIN AFTER A FEW MONTHS WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK WHEN THE PROBLEM RESURFACED DUE TO LOW BRAKE FLUID.R. AFTER I DROVE THE CAR OUT OF DEALERS PREMISE, THE ENGINE STARTED GETTING HEATED UP. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK AND LEFT IT WITH THE DEALER WHO CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY ASKING ME TO PAY ABOUT $250 TO CHANGE THE THERMOCOUPLE, WHICH I AUTHORIZED. HOWEVER, AFTER SEVERAL HOURS THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS STILL GETTING HEATED UP AND DEMANDED AN OPEN AUTHORIZATION SO THAT THEY COULD OPEN UP THE ENGINE. WHEN I ASKED HIM HOW MUCH IT COULD COST ME, THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD COST UP TO $5000. THE DEALER HELD MY CAR FOR OVER 14 DAYS WITHOUT GIVING ME A TEMPORARY CAR OR VERIFYING WHETHER THE ENGINE WAS REALLY GETTING HEATED UP AFTER HE CHANGED THE THERMOCOUPLE. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THE CAR IN THAT CONDITION. AFTER 14 DAYS, DESPITE WRITING TO BMW AMERICA AND THE DEALERS HEAD OFFICE, THE DEALER KEPT ON CLAIMING THAT I WOULD HAVE TO AUTHORIZE THEM FOR FURTHER WORK THAT MIGHT COST ME AT LEAST $1500. FINALLY, I DECIDED TO TAKE THE CAR FROM THE DEALER AND GIVE TO ANOTHER MECHANICS WHO FOUND OUT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. TILL NOW THE ENGINE DOES NOT HEAT UP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10259194

Mileage unknown · Feb 1, 1999
Power Train

SPEEDOMETER IS 3 MPH OFF ON ADJUSTMENT. MJS

NHTSA ODI #607832

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.