BMW 530I fire or smoke problems

Filed Mar 16, 2026 · TX · fire

My 2020 BMW 530i caught fire while I was driving on March 13th. The car showed no signs of smoke. Another driver alerted me about smoke, I exited the vehicle, and within minutes the car was fully on fire. The vehicle is currently at a tow yard.

Filed Feb 7, 2026 · Brakes, Fuel system · NY · crash

I had stopped uphill, with my foot on the brake, heading East on the left lane of Pomona Road, at the approach to the Traffic Light Junction with Route 45, around 3.50 PM on Friday 1/23/2026. There were about 5-6 cars also stopped, ahead of me, at the Red Traffic Light and several cars behind me, when I heard my car engine rev up loudly. I kept applying the brake. I could hear my car tires spinning with a smell of burning rubber from the tires as they spun on the road, as my car lurched forward, and hit the rear of the stopped car ~ 5-7 feet ahead of me. I felt that I had no control of my car and turned the engine off after the collision. I called 911 twice at 3.55 PM and 4.12 PM and waited as advised, for the Police Officer who arrived about 30 mins later. I filed the report and the officer was able to retrieve my auto license plate which had fallen off from the road where I could clearly see the tire marks on the asphalt from the spinning tires at the time of the accident. The only message I recall receiving on the display was one that informed me that I had experienced a crash after the collision. I had never experienced this problem before. Later ,after the Police Officer had arrived and documented the accident, I was able to drive the car home. The burning smell from the tires persisted for some time. The next day I called the BMW dealer in the AM, and with great trepidation, drove the car to the BMW dealership. I explained to the Service Advisor on duty on the Saturday, what exactly had transpired during the accident. I also explained this later to the BMW Body Shop manager when I spoke with him. I requested a full inspection and investigation by BMW. I personally do not feel safe driving the car again after this most unnerving and frightening episode.

Filed Jul 10, 2025 · KY · fire

The vehicle caught fire on the highway / interstate. Completely burnt down. The incident has been reported to the insurance company. But still haven't had any feedback . The vehicle is located at the tow place. It is not drivable it's completely burnt. Pierce the fire started in the engine.

Filed Jan 25, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · 170,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from the hood. The "transmission overheating" message was displayed. The vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the PCV valve and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Aug 23, 2022 · Engine · 175,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 530I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the A/C vents. The contact also noticed the burning odor whenever opening the hood. The message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, he noticed smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road for a moment and then opened the hood. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred on two different occasions. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Apr 27, 2022 · Engine · 150,000 miles · VA · fire

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530i. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the contact observed an unspecified "yellow" warning light on the dash and heard a small explosion sound issue from the engine compartment. The contact stated that smoke began to come out from under the hood. The contact turned the vehicle off and set the transmission to "neutral" coasted off the roadway onto the left shoulder and stopped. The vehicle was on fire in the engine compartment. The contact extinguished the flames with a fire extinguisher. The contact had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact received a recall letter and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Oct 21, 2020 · Engine · 67,000 miles · OH

Smell burning or exhauste fume in the cabin during the first two miles of driving the car!

Filed Sep 27, 2019 · Electrical · 89,000 miles · NY · fire

Came out in morning after parking car in driveway and it wouldn't start. Smelled funny. Had it towed. Mechanic found my lcm had caught fire. All wiring and harness melted.

Filed Sep 11, 2018 · Body, Electrical · 215,000 miles · CA · fire

The car caught on fire on 9/4/18, and caused extensive damage inside the engine bay. Car was driven several miles to a store. The passengers were exiting the car when they smelled something burning. Then they noticed smoke and flames extending from the front of the car. The fire started in the passenger side and was extinguished before the drivers side also caught on fire. The insulation on passenger side wiring harness is completely burnt, and numerous other items including the fiberglass body. The vehicle had approximately 215000 miles on it, and was well maintained. No recent repairs had been made to the engine. No smells of gasoline, oil, or plastic burning were evident before the moment the fire started. The cause of the fire is unknown to us at this time.

Filed Jan 6, 2017 · Fuel system · MI

Fuel injectors leak in extreme cold temperatures. Exact temperature unknown but has been -5f for the past 3 days and the cabin fills with the smell of gas within moments and upon opening the hood you can see a mist of fuel from the injector. Tried it last night at 8f and no noticeable leak, although still faint smell. Researched online only to discover this appears to be a consistent problem with people who live in very cold areas as myself. I purchased it used from a much milder climate. Very thankful it didn't catch on fire with my kids in it. Car will remain parked until fixed. I really hope this get looked into. As an insurance agent this is very concerning to me, both on a personal level and as a professional responsibility. I am not very knowledgeable about cars and when I smelled it I thought it was an exhaustive leak or my fuel running too rich because of the cold, at first. But after getting a headache driving to work I decided it was more. Investigated trying to figure where it came from and once I discovered the smell was more intense under the hood I got worried. My husband investigated when I got home from work and thought I was overreacting since he only smelled a faint smell and looked everything over and saw nothing. This morning though, being cold and him running late for work, my car was running when he went to leave.he could smell it as he walked by. He opened it up and could see the mist of fuel. I have been driving my 3 kids to school the last two days with fuel spraying in the engine compartment. This is a potentially deadly situation, but because it only occurs in extreme cold it is easily overlooked and misdiaganosised. Especially as the vehicles are getting older, the drivers are more likely to overlook issues thinking they leaking in the exhaust or tank etc due to deterioration, as I did at first.