BMW X5 Complaints (2021)

102 consumer complaints on file.

#11671793July 7, 2025
STEERING
My vehicle only has 28,000 miles on it has a very loud rattling noise in the front end. My mechanic said the steering linkage is loose and the steering assembly is leaking. I see there are other similar recalls for this vehicle but my specific VIN isn’t coming up under those recalls.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667027June 15, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In the middle of a busy intersection, the car just completely shut down. The car only had ~35,000 miles on the odometer and has been serviced only by BMW. It turned out that the water pump broke, which led to downstream impact on additional surrounding systems. BMW X5’s up to model year 2019 had recalls due to faulty water pumps. From an independent search online, it appears there are many owners of 2021 BMWs who have experienced water pump failures like I did. This could have led to a major safety incident as my husband nearly avoided an accident. If this had occurred suddenly on a highway, for example, that could have resulted in a multi-car accident as the car very suddenly died and came to a stop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656386April 23, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I was driving and I heard a huge explosion so I pulled over and found that the panoramic sunroof had exploded.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652031April 1, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the starter failed to respond. The vehicle displayed three different messages repeated start attempt, Auto Start/Stop flash stop deactivated, and the drive train service technician required. The vehicle intermittently displayed various messages, and the vehicle struggled to start or there was a delay while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the starter was cleaned, and the contacts were cleaned. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. On another occasion, the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine starter failure. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because it was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 62,300.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11641978February 11, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the Auto START/STOP feature activated and the engine was turned off; however, when the light turned green, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to restart as designed. The contact stated that an unknown warning light illuminated but then went off. The contact stated that several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure and the contact was provided a fee for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,200.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11641690February 10, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic; however, the contact used an OBD scanner, which diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 72,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636035January 15, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
Starter problem . When starting the start button , we have to do couple times .i saw recalls for starter problems on ur website and internet too
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634565January 7, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for an oil change and the contact was informed that there was coolant leaking from the water pump and that the water pump needed to be replaced to prevent further damage to the internal components of the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633410December 31, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle starter fails intermittently. I have to also keep it out of start/stop mode for efficiency due to this starter issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624148November 8, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start immediately and required several attempts before starting. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the starter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V761000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11609974August 21, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Water pump failure. There is no damage and coolant system prematurely failed. Car is 3 years old with about 65-70k miles:
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11608194August 13, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The starter for my 2021 bmw x5 recently went bad and had to be replaced. The defect with the starter ruined my battery as well. Leading up to the starter not working, I received warning messages that the car could not be driven. The BMW representative at United BMW (Alpharetta, GA) stated the starter issue seemed to be a problem as many were needing to be replaced. I am submitting this information because of the recent recall related to the 2020 model staters. It seems it should be investigated whether the 2021s also have problems.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607331August 8, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Started car and 2 error messages popped up, one for powertrain warning and one for battery charging system. contacted dealer and was informed as long as vehicle drives it is ok to bring it in however on the way to the dealer car died and would not start. Dealer mentioned they charged the battery and reset system however could not find any other faults with the car. approximately 1 month has gone by and the exact same warning appeared. Had vehicle towed to a different dealer and they said they will once again be resetting the system to see if that fixes the issue. Car is still under warranty but near expiration
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604703July 26, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Unintended acceleration when slowing to a stop. Car accelerated requiring significant brake pressure to avoid hitting the stopped car ahead. This has happened on two separate occasions. Checked to see if carpet or any other physical interference could have caused the issue. No issues found. Cruise control was lot activated and incident was a low speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603532July 20, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
You get no warning when backing out of a parking spot all features are on but no warning
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11596219June 24, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Instrument panel went blank while driving on interstate. This happened 4 times. Had to reboot vehicle computer/idrive to restore instrument cluster. BMW reloaded software but still occurred 3 times after reload but problem is intermittent
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590006May 21, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
Rear cross traffic alert does not work in the subject car. BMW Owners' Manual describes a system that should alert from two parking spaces away while backing out, the system gives no alert as described. What follows is my post to a BMW Owner's group where members are discussing similar issues with their vehicles. This problem is a large one and needs to be investigated. Rear cross traffic alert is a critical safety system. "Regional field service rep spent several hours last week with the car. Made some updates/integrations and declared the systems now working. I did some controlled testing in a parking lot in reverse with both brake applied and rolling in reverse. ZERO visual or acoustic alert from the rear cross traffic alert system. I am convinced BMW and the dealers are trying to cover up this colossal failure of a very important and basic safety feature BMW says they sold us! I will give corporate one more try and then will report to NHTSA that BMW has a major defect in their cars." I am scheduled to talk with the regional BMW engineer in the next two weeks. Is there a means for me to update this submission?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11568493January 29, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that while reversing at night, there was not adequate lighting to view the surroundings behind the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who stated that the battery was low. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11561951December 26, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, shortly after 8:30 p.m., I turned into the driveway for my Columbia residence and proceeded with caution toward my carport. The weather was clear, with no rain or ice, and my driveway was free of all obstacles. My 2021 BMW X5 began to accelerate and move forward at a dangerous speed. Though I applied the brakes, they were unresponsive, and the vehicle collided, with force, into the brick steps at the carport entrance to my home. Upon impact, all airbags in the vehicle deployed, and the emergency response system was activated. Prior to impact, none of the vehicle’s safety monitoring features responded. These would include the system by which the vehicle’s speed is regulated whenever a vehicle on the roadway, in front of the X5, slows down or brakes. Neither did the warning system activate – the system that monitors the presence of obstacles in front of or behind the X5. The 2021 BMW X5 sustained significant front-end damage in the collision, and my residence was also damaged by the vehicle. I deny that the incident was operator error and believe it to have been the result of a vehicle or computer malfunction. Interestingly enough, the X5 had been serviced by BMW of Columbia on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. That routine service included a brake flush.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11553579November 4, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, SEAT BELTS
UNKNOWN
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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