The BMW M550i has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2018–2021. On average a defect was admitted 0.4 years after the car was built, the slowest took 1 years. The most recalled system is Back Over Prevention (3 campaigns). Owners also filed 28 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the BMW M550i
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Back Over Prevention 3 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le, 745Le xDrive, X5 xDrive45e, X3 xDrive30e, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, M760i Drive, M760Li xDrive, 750Li xDrive Alpina, Alpina B7 xDrive, and 2021 4 Series Coupe…
Risk. If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk. If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted…
Risk. The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 0.4 years |
| Slowest campaign | 1 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | —% |
| Campaigns on record | 3 |
Which M550i years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Back Over Prevention | |
| 2020 | Back Over Prevention | |
| 2019 | Back Over Prevention | |
| 2018 | Back Over Prevention |
Check your own car
Each of these 3 campaigns covers a range of production, not every BMW M550i ever built — two cars of the same year can differ by a single week at the plant. Whether yours is among them, and whether the free repair was already carried out, NHTSA's own VIN lookup or any BMW dealer can tell you. Decode this M550i by VIN to see its year, engine and every recall for that model year.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Every recall for that model and year, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | NHTSA's own VIN lookup or a dealer shows if this car was fixed |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
A campaign on one model says little about the brand as a whole — see how the BMW M550i compares in the full recall check by make and model →
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the BMW M550i have?
3 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2018–2021. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my M550i still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above to see every recall for its model year. Whether the repair was already done on that exact car, NHTSA's own VIN lookup or any BMW dealer can tell you.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 0.4 years, and the slowest campaign came 1 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.
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