BMW X5 Complaints

420 consumer complaints on file.

#11519913May 1, 2023
AIR BAGS
Vehicle is designed where ACSM control unit of the airbags is located directly under the cup holder where moisture and any small leak can short it out. This has happened many times and as BMW will acknowledge the problem, they will not do any repairs under warranty to correct the issue. There is a class action lawsuit pending.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11517231April 15, 2023
AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY, ENGINE
In a parking garage I found a open space and slowly moving towards that to park, car was approaching space at about 10 ft from that, all of a sudden car accelerated and lurched forward and hit the parking structure wall. Airbags deployed for all three of us, one of my colleagues was in passenger seat, another in the back seat. There was no warning on no time to react, this happens in seconds.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515353April 4, 2023
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the sunroof inadvertently exploded. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515326April 3, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle rolled away after the driver exited the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake was not applied. This negligent design flaw is because BMW has chosen to not revert the vehicle to Park if the door is opened like other car manufacturers. A simple software update or design change could prevent a potentially fatal incident caused by BMW’s negligence in this matter.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515242April 3, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
While driving about 60 mph on a freeway, the vehicle rapidly flashed several "advanced driver system failure" messages, lost all power and came to a stop. It was not possible to prevent the vehicle from rapidly decelerating even by depressing the accelerator all the way to the floor. The vehicle rapidly decelerated, forcing other drivers behind to swerve to avoid a crash.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515134April 3, 2023
POWER TRAIN
1. Drivetrain Malfunction 2. It may cause danger while driving with limited power output, even stopping the vehicle in the middle of the road. 3. Still waiting for the dealer to diagnose the problem, but have found out that the same model has the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514660March 30, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My daughter was driving a vehicle and she was moving to another lane in the process. Car is capable and feature with automatic emergency breaking for front collision. During entire process she didn’t take action for some reason and car collided with another vehicle. Emergency brake didn't full stop vehicle. 10s of video recording was done during the collision.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514189March 28, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was trying to park my car on March 11, 2023 at noon, and I noticed a sudden uncontrolled acceleration even when my foot was off the accelerator pedal. Parking collision front sensors failed to provide an early warning, and automatic emergency brake did not engage leading to a minor collision with the vehicle parked in front. The situation occurred so rapidly that I did not have enough time to react quickly and apply brakes. I managed to apply brakes to avoid a serious incident, but it was not quick enough to even avoid this minor collision. I have reported this to BMW USA, however the car has not been inspected by a dealer or an independent service center after the incident. There were no warnings displayed prior to this incident, however I have had consistent issues pertaining to the operation of front sensors. I had BMW certified dealer inspect front sensors, and according to them the sensors do not provide an early warning as per the design but they have adjusted the sensitivity. The adjustment did not improve the situation, and I provided that feedback to the service center as well. The sensors did fail at twice prior to this incident, and the dealer inspected that as part of sensor sensitivity adjustment. I drove this vehicle to the BMW certified dealer more than twice to have the front sensors and other things inspected prior to this incident. Nevertheless, this uncontrolled acceleration is something that I have never experienced before, and I am traumatized to even drive this vehicle comfortably. All the automated systems designed to prevent or avoid collision did not engage leading me to not trust anything.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511804March 14, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I bought my 2023 BMW X5 brand new on 1/9/23- was driving through West Pam Beach on the way home from vacation and spilled a little water on my console. I immediately got a message on the dash that there was something wrong with the drive train. It then said not to turn off the car as it may not start again. Luckily I was 1.5 miles away from a BMW dealer and took it there where they said the water most likely seeped into the electrical compartment. After diagnostics were done, that was found to be the case and I was told I needed a new part but eventually was told that the part was 5 weeks out so they would take it out and dry it off and see if that works-which it did. My concern is that the electrical system is not protected at all. It sits under the shifter- right by the drink holders- and because I squeezed a water bottle and some water got onto the console it shut the car down. I believe this to be a safety issue. Once I got to the dealer the car would not shift into park.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511624March 13, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
The contact owned a 2022 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds in self-driving mode, it crashed into the rear of a disabled Ford Utility van. The contact sustained a cracked clavicle and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. All the air bags were deployed. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to an impound yard. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000. The insurance deemed the vehicle a total loss.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11510245March 5, 2023
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
The rear cross traffic warning basically does not work. This is very dangerous as I have been in the process of back out of a parking space and there will be a car right behind me or approaching very close to my car, and I get no warning at all. It also does not warn me where a person is walking behind my car. The BMW dealership said I needed a software update, but that did not fix the problem. The rear cross traffic warning has never worked. I had my car for almost one year and have never gotten a warning. After researching this issue online, I found out this is a common problem with all BMW owners. This is extremely dangerous! I have owned less expensive cars that had great rear cross training warnings. Very frustrating!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11509869March 2, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My X5 was accelerating on its own. I was able to control the speed with the brakes but once I took my foot off the brake the vehicle would accelerate again. It went as fast as 50 MPH. I did shut off the vehicle at a stop light to disengage any possible system. The car continued to accelerate once I let off the brake. Once home, my garage smelled horribly of burnt rubber from riding the brake pads. No system dash board notifications appeared. BMW dealership took the vehicle for inspection and couldn’t find an issue. National BMW then sent an engineer out. They told me there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and it was user error?! I refused to take back the vehicle. No one ever drove the car to try to reproduce the unintended acceleration issue. Overall, very concerning that the vehicle will be sold to an unsuspecting driver.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508613February 22, 2023
STEERING
High pitched squeaking noise when steering (at~800 mi) -> Inconsistent resistance (at~1,200 mi) -> Delayed Steering (at~1,600 mi). A high-pitched squeaking noise happens in steering every time driving over 15 minutes. I took it to the dealer for repair at ~1,000mi on 9/29/2022 and 10/4/2022. They confirmed the problem and recorded the noise. They said they couldn't fix the problem after some attempts. They promised the X5 is safe to drive while waiting for the parts. But the steering starts to show inconsistent resistance. On 11/9, I called the dealer, and they said BMW hasn't sent them the parts. I talked to BMW NA customer satisfaction for help. The representative said she will escalate the case, but nobody ever contacted me until I contacted them again on 1/2/2023. Then the representative told me to wait 20-25 days for their administrative review. But after 20 days, the representative suddenly told me the review required BMW engineer's inspection. I told them they're welcome to inspect the X5, but the engineer never contacted me. On 2/7, my mom experienced delayed steering, and she was terrified. We basically haven't driven the car for safety concern. Since the delayed steering happened, BMW NA suddenly changes their attitude and urges me to drive the X5 to the dealership. Should I wait for NHTSA to inspect the car? Or I can just give it to the BMW dealership?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507546February 16, 2023
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The active and passive safety systems would disable themselves and I would get the following errors from the vehicle. 1. Rear Differential lock 2. Four-wheel drive system 3. Chassis stabilization 4. Drivetrain malfunction 5. Reduced driver assistance 6. Traction control reduced or off 7. Dynamic stability control 8. Dynamic traction control When these errors came up on the multimedia screen it would say that it was ok to continue to drive and to call and make a service appointment, no need for BMW roadside assistance. The following systems would be affected or turned off automatically. 1. Lane keep/lane departure assist 2. Blind spot monitoring 3. Cruise control 4. Forward collision warning/braking 5. Pedestrian warning/mitigation 6. Auto hold 7. Auto high beam assistant 8. Remote start 9. Side collision avoidance 10. Intelligent safety 11. Drive recorder 12. Back-up assistance 13. Auto park assistance 14. Active protection 15. Dynamic stability control 16. Dynamic traction control 17. Hill descent control 18. Speed limit information 19. Speed limit assistance 20. Park distance control 21. Cross traffic warning The warnings for these systems could come on right after starting the vehicle or anytime you are driving. What happens when the above systems are not working properly is the car can and will cut the throttle, that can be a temporary event or during the entire drive. It has happened to me where the throttle pedal and throttle response was working as normal then getting onto the freeway the systems went crazy and the gas pedal stopped working. So either the car comes to a stop or you stop the car. When stopped you have to put the vehicle in park, turn it off, turn it back on and put into drive and hope this resolves the issue so you can continue to drive. Sometimes it works and everything will be fine the rest of the drive, other times it doesn’t.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507219February 14, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Sunroof spontaneously exploded, putting all occupants of the vehicle in danger of injury from the glass and/or collision as a result of the sunroof spontaneously exploding. As there have been several class action lawsuits filed against BMW over the past decade for similar issues, it is clear that the sunroof is defective in design, manufacturing, materials and/or workmanship. Furthermore, BMW has exhibited negligence as BMW has a knowledge of the defect in the sunroofs and never disclosed to owners or lessees that the defect exists or that drivers and occupants of the vehicles are at risk and that vehicles equipped with the sunroofs expose drivers and passengers to a risk of sudden explosion or shattering. This is a gross deviation from the duty of ordinary care owed to consumers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504169January 28, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car computer stopped working. Prior to this, computer would not recognize either of two keys.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503594January 25, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Drive Train Malfunction. At about 1500 miles on the vehicle, while driving on a highway, the vehicle automatically shifted to Neutral. The vehicle came to a full stop on a highway. This could have been a multiple car accident if the cars were going at highway speed. BMW SOS called me saying they received a Drive Train Malfunction alert. They had me pull over, asked me a few questions about the car and roads and let me go back on the road. I reported the issue to the manufacturer who inspected it but said the issue cannot be reproduced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502080January 16, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car's start and stop feature due to the way it is programed started up the car when it was already turned off in a garage causing carbon monoxide to fill up in the garage. There is no way to turn off the start/stop feature on the car to protect yourself or to make sure it's off. Very confusing and can create a risk of a person being hurt or killed due to the confusion of how the system works. This is a very dangerous situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501382January 12, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I purchased a 2022 BMW X5 on AUG 29th as a birthday gift to myself and never imagined that less than three months later, I would have a near mishap that could have ended my life and others nearby. On Nov 26th, as I was driving my vehicle, I received a notification not to proceed driving and to pull over because the system noticed a brake system malfunction. At that moment, I proceeded with caution to a safe location and the breaks begin to resist below my feet. I immediately called roadside assistance to send a tow truck. Afterward, I phoned BMW Honolulu to make them aware of my situation and asked for a loaner vehicle and was told I would not be able to get one. However, after stressing how important I needed one, I was given a BMW 340i series below the standards of my purchase. I was briefed that my brake booster needed to be replaced. Receiving this information caused me to lose confidence in the vehicle and the company's ability to provide me with a safe and secure product. To add, I was mentally affected given the critical severity this issue could have caused me, my family, and others. I scheduled a meeting with sales manager Wallace Ma at Bavarian Motoren Works Honolulu on Thursday, Dec 1st to make him aware of my intentions to involve the corporate office so I could give him an opportunity to make things right within the scope of his position. During our meeting, I stressed how important it was that I am given a new vehicle mimicking the same features while duplicating my initial agreement. On Dec 2nd Mr. Ma contacted me via phone to let me know he'll move forward with handling the issue locally in the dealership to avoid long delays and processes with corporate. On Dec 3rd, we agreed on the 2023 BMW X5 that mimicked my initial vehicle. However, once again, BMW failed and the new vehicle did not have all the same features. On Dec 21st, I contacted corporate and spoke with Destiny who informed me that corporate could not do anything.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499019December 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was accelerating from a green light in ELECTRIC only mode, once nearing 25 mph, felt a single strong jolt that caused acceleration to pause, the Hybrid mode automatically kicked in and acceleration continued under engine power. Received several warnings and alerts on the display- Stop Carefully: Power Supply Drivetrain Malfunction Continued Driving possible: Drivetrain Electric drive limited I was fortunate enough to continue driving the final 1/2 mile to my parking lot at work. After work, the engine started with the same errors as above and attempted to move, but the engine was making strange cycles of revving high and low. I called Roadside and as I idled waiting for a tow truck to arrive, the gas engine began revving high again, then low, then sputtered, then shut off and would not turn back on, leaving me in the cold. Fuel was about 1/2 tank, battery was at least 30%. Tow arrived and tried to restart to drive it up the tow ramp but the 12v battery ended up depleting in the process so it had to be winched. Jump box required to get it into Neutral.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to BMW X5