"How reliable is the 2004 Bmw 525I?"

"Based on 123 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Bmw 525I has a median complaint mileage of 89627 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Bmw 525I?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Bmw 525I is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 123 total complaints filed."

2004 Bmw 525I: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 123 complaints

123

Total Complaints

89,627mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,000 25th Percentile

89,627 Median Mileage

132,059 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SEATS

SEAT BELTS

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

POWER TRAIN

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

ENGINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FAULTY AIR BAG SYSTEM.*MR THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE FIRST AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT WA A MONTH FROM THAT DATE. *NM"

"CONSUMER NOTICED HOOD MISALIGNMENT. ALSO, DEALER NOTICED A DEFECT ON THE SOS SYSTEM. (NAR) *LA *CB"

"WHILE SHIFTING GEARS FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BY ENGAGING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. CONSUMER PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RELEASE THE PEDAL. *AK *SC"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28