Home / Vehicle Problems / BMW / 5 Series

BMW 5 Series Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability

Year-by-year breakdown of safety recalls, NHTSA owner complaints, reported deaths, injuries, crashes, and worst problem areas. Updated daily from federal databases.

104
Total Recalls
2869
Total Complaints
106
Total Crashes
111
Reported Injuries
0
Reported Deaths
2011
Worst Year
2026
Best Year
0
Poor
Overall Reliability Score (0–100)
Accelerating +100%
Complaint Trend
12 last 24mo vs 0 prior 24mo
Feb & Oct
Peak Complaint Months
50% of complaints in these months

Recent Safety Incidents — Last 5 Model Years

3
Crashes Reported

Own a BMW 5 Series? Check your specific VIN for a full history report.

BMW 5 Series — Year-by-Year Problem Comparison

YearVerdictRecallsComplaintsCrashesInjuriesDeathsTop Issue
2026BestExcellentFull report →
2025Excellent4Full report →
2024Excellent5168Service BrakesFull report →
2023Excellent33Service BrakesFull report →
2022Good11849Forward Collision AvoidanceFull report →
2021Excellent4163Electrical SystemFull report →
2020Excellent31376Electrical SystemFull report →
2019Excellent12321Electrical SystemFull report →
2018Good26312Air BagsFull report →
2017Good13611Electrical SystemFull report →
2016Good6682Electrical SystemFull report →
2015Good3742Electrical SystemFull report →
2014Good5994EngineFull report →
2013Caution317244EngineFull report →
2012Caution419843EngineFull report →
2011WorstAvoid73391011EngineFull report →
2010Caution812754EngineFull report →
2009Good3671EngineFull report →
2008Avoid328823Electrical SystemFull report →
2007Caution419655Air BagsFull report →
2006Avoid625677Air BagsFull report →
2005Caution214752Air BagsFull report →
2004Avoid5238214Air BagsFull report →
2003Good47222Air BagsFull report →
2002Good66753Air BagsFull report →
2001Good45489Air BagsFull report →
2000Good45514Engine And Engine CoolingFull report →
1999Good25946Engine And Engine CoolingFull report →
1998Excellent2301Engine And Engine CoolingFull report →
1997Good275135Engine And Engine CoolingFull report →

30 model years shown. Crashes, injuries, and deaths from NHTSA complaint filings. Click any year for full details.

Most Common BMW 5 Series Problems

Air Bags
435
Electrical System
361
Engine
338
Power Train
229
Engine And Engine Cooling
220
Fuel/Propulsion System
154
Exterior Lighting
138
Unknown Or Other
115
Seats
104
Seat Belts
101
Steering
92
Tires
76

Based on 2,869 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across all model years.

Recent Safety Recalls — BMW 5 Series (20222026)

#22V0700002022
09/02/2022
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022 330i, 530i, X3 xDrive30i, and X4 xDrive30i vehicles. The mechatronics unit inside the transmission may not have been assembled properly, which could result in an internal leak.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the transmission mechatronics unit, free of charge. All of the vehicle population for this recall have been repaired. Owner notification letters were not mailed. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

#25V6360002022
23/09/2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 14, 2025.

#26V0560002022
30/01/2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDrive Convertible), 2021-2023 4 Series (Coupe), 2021-2024 3 Series, 2021-2023 X4, 2021-2024 X3 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all models. The engine starter may overheat and catch fire due to wear on an internal component.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. A letter informing owners of the safety risk was mailed on March 27, 2026. Owners will receive another letter once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 24, 2026.

#23V7000002024
18/10/2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:DRIVER MONITORING:CAMERA/SENSOR

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2023-2024 740i, 740i xDrive, 760i xDrive, i7 eDrive50, i7 xDrive60, i7 M70, 2024 750e xDrive, 530i, 530i xDrive, i5 eDrive40, and i5 M60 vehicles. The ground connection to the steering wheel may not have been attached correctly, resulting in an inoperative hands-on detection system.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and reattach the ground connection as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 8, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

#24V1040002024
12/02/2024
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2023-2025 BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The integrated brake (IB) system may malfunction and result in a loss of power brake assist or cause the Antilock Brake (ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) systems to not function properly.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between June and December 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls Royce customer service at 1-877-877-3735.

#24V6970002024
18/09/2024
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC):CONTROL MODULE

BMW of North America (BMW) is recalling certain 2023-2024 X1, 2024-2025 X5, 2025 X6, 2023-2025 X7, 740i, 760i, 2024 XM, 530i, 540i, i7, 750e, X2, 2024-2025 i5, 2024 Rolls Royce Spectre, 2025 MINI Countryman S ALL4, JCW Countryman ALL4, and 2025 MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, Cooper S) vehicles. Please refer to the recall report for the complete list of models. The welds in the servomotor of the integrated brake control module may break, causing a loss of power brake assist and rear brake function. In addition, the Antilock Brake System (ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system may not function.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 13, 2024. Owners can contact BMW Customer Service at 1-800-525-7417.

#24V7390002024
02/10/2024
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2023-2024 X1, X5, X6, X7, XM, 530i, i5, 740i, 760i, i7, and 750e vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The integrated brake (IB) system may malfunction and result in a loss of power brake assist or cause the Antilock Brake (ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) systems to not function properly.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the integrated brake module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed November 22, 2024. Second letters will be mailed once the parts are available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicles in this recall were previously repaired under recall number 24V-104 and will need to have the new remedy completed.

#24V8700002025
19/11/2024
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2025 530i and 540i xDrive vehicles. The air bag control unit may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in the air bags not deploying as intended.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The vehicles have not been sold from dealer inventory and therefore no owner letters will be mailed. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

#25V2020002025
01/04/2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2025 330i, 330i xDrive, 530i, 530i xDrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Convertible (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive) and X3 30 xDrive vehicles. The electrical connection between the starter-generator and battery may come loose.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the starter-generator and positive battery cable as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed May 28, 2025. Second letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Showing 9 recalls from 20222026 model years. See the full year-specific pages for older recalls.

Recent Owner Complaints

Direct reports filed with NHTSA by BMW 5 Series owners — 20222026 model years.

Unknown Or Other /Service Brakes /Fuel/Propulsion SystemCRASH02/07/2026

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.

Unknown Or Other02/05/2026

The center console screen has a default screen that in part includes interior fan speed temperature. To adjust the fan speed and other A/C settings, the driver has to click press a small button at the bottom of the screen to open a new window. This is very dangerous because it requires the driver to take their eyes off the road. The car should have physical buttons for the fan speed. Since it doesn't have physical buttons for the fan speed, the car should have permanent fan speed buttons at the bottom of the screen at all times. The bottom of the screen should include permanent buttons for air temperature, A/C on/off, and fan speed. BMW can easily do this with a software update. The car does include the ability to make these changes through voice commands, but the voice commands do not always work.

Electrical System11/10/2025

Booked the appointment with BMW of Portland for November, 10,2025 For 9 o'clock AM. Arrived at dealership, checked in and left vehicle. I was called about 45 minutes later and informed that they would not be able to preform the recall repair on my car due to parts that were needed and associated with the recall , asked me to pay for it which I refused since it is part of the recall repair. I have never come across a vehicle recall where parts were not covered with the recall. I find this very strange, please investigate.

Service Brakes / Hydraulic /Electronic Stability Control (Esc)04/07/2025

The contact owns a 2024 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Steering /Vehicle Speed Control /Service Brakes03/24/2025

Brakes did not work properly, brakes were hard and vehicle was not stopping, the vehicle was difficult to control because steering wheel was very hard too. This incident caused the vehicle to take a significant distance to stop and almost cause a crash with the vehicle in front. The incident was reported to dealer, dealer representative said there was a recall on the IBS and requested vehicle to be taken to dealership to replace defective part of the IBS. This recall was never notified to us (customers) by the manufacturer nor by the dealer. No warning messages or symptoms were presented before the brakes failure. Defective part was replaced by dealer at not cost to the us (customers).

Service Brakes03/24/2025

The dealer I bought the car from, BMW of Nashville (Brentwood) said they don't have parts to replace the faulty integrated brake module and refused to put me on a list to contact me when the parts come in.

Service Brakes / Hydraulic /Electronic Stability Control (Esc)02/25/2025

The contact owns a 2024 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Service Brakes / Hydraulic /Electronic Stability Control (Esc)11/22/2024

The contact owns a 2024 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Service Brakes / Hydraulic /Electronic Stability Control (Esc)10/29/2024

The contact owns a 2024 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Service Brakes / Hydraulic /Electronic Stability Control (Esc)10/29/2024

The contact owns a 2024 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called two other local dealers, BMW of Fort Lauderdale (1441 S Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316) and BMW of Pembroke Pines (14800 Sheridan St., Pembroke Pines, FL 33331) and was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Service Brakes / Hydraulic /Electronic Stability Control (Esc)CRASH10/16/2024

The contact owns a 2024 BMW 530i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control ESC, Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact was driving at approximately 10 MPH and slowing to park her vehicle. The contact stated that she had depressed the brake pedal, however the vehicle was not stopping. The contact continued forward and she swerved to avoid crashing into a wall and stopped the vehicle on top of bushes. The vehicle was not damaged. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the brake system was operating correctly. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the loss of braking power had occurred prior to her receiving the recall notice. The contact stated that she called the dealer and was advised that parts were not available. The failure mileage was approximately 3,600. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Unknown Or Other /Service Brakes /Forward Collision AvoidanceCRASH08/12/2024

I am a [XXX] physician who has been driving for about 30 years. Purchased this vehicle as a CPO with VIN as identified above. It is a 2024 BMW 530i X-drive from Faulkner BMW in Lancaster, PA. It was delivered on July 25, 2024. I have only put approximately 200 miles on in it since delivery. On Thursday, [XXX] there was catastrophic failure of the vehicle. At around [XXX] I was driving North on [XXX] about to make a right turn onto [XXX] for work at the Hospital System where I am employed. The traffic light was red and I was going about 5 miles an hour and attempted to brake the car. There was an 18 wheeler truck about 10 to 15 feet ahead of me. My car instead of braking underwent unintended acceleration. Despite my efforts to slam on the brake, the car was accelerating. None of the safety features including automatic emergency breaking were activated. Unfortunately I collided with the 18 wheeler. This was fortunate in some regards as I could have potentially struck a pedestrian or a motorcycle and have had a potentially fatal event. Please note that additionally my airbag did not deploy. The BMW dealership was contacted. They dropped off a loaner vehicle and picked up my vehicle in a flat bed for investigation. I was informed to contact BMW of North America which I did. Interestingly enough, there were no safety recalls on this vehicle on [XXX]. The car is at the BMW dealership in Lancaster PA for their internal inspection. I am being informed that the engineers are looking at the vehicle to find out what transpired. Interestingly enough, I did receive a phone call from the service manager advising me on August 9 that there was a safety recall as a relates to the brakes. As I review the NHTSA site, there is now a recall on my actual vehicle's braking system. I did a review of unintended acceleration and found multiple complaints. BMW is looking into this although into this, but external agency would be ideal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

12 total complaints retrieved from NHTSA for 20222026. For older model years, see individual year pages.

5 Series Years to Avoid

2011 5 Series
339 complaints · 7 recalls · 10 crashes
Details →
2008 5 Series
288 complaints · 3 recalls · 2 crashes
Details →
2006 5 Series
256 complaints · 6 recalls · 7 crashes
Details →

Ranked by combined complaints, recalls, crashes, injuries, and deaths.

Best 5 Series Years to Buy

2026 5 Series
0 complaints · 0 recalls
Details →
2023 5 Series
3 complaints · 0 recalls
Details →
2025 5 Series
0 complaints · 4 recalls
Details →

Years with fewest complaints and recalls.

BMW 5 Series Problems by Year

Select a year to see detailed complaints, recall notices, and safety incident data.

Frequently Asked Questions — BMW 5 Series Reliability

What year 5 Series has the most problems?

Based on NHTSA data, the 2011 BMW 5 Series had the highest combined complaint and recall count — 339 complaints and 7 safety recalls. See the full 2011 report for specific defects.

Is the BMW 5 Series reliable?

The BMW 5 Series has accumulated 2,869 owner-filed complaints and 104 safety recalls across all model years in NHTSA's database. The 2026 model year shows the fewest reported issues. Always run a VIN check before purchasing any used 5 Series.

What are the most common 5 Series problems?

The most frequently cited problem areas are: Air Bags (435 reports), Electrical System (361 reports), Engine (338 reports), Power Train (229 reports). Based on NHTSA complaints across all model years.

How do I check if my 5 Series has an open recall?

Use the vehicle's 17-character VIN at VinCheckEngine.com. Our free VIN report pulls the latest NHTSA recall data along with auction history, odometer records, and 30+ intelligence signals.

Check a Specific BMW 5 Series VIN

Model-level data shows what can go wrong. A VIN-specific report shows what has gone wrong with a particular vehicle — including auction history, odometer discrepancies, open recalls, accident records, and 30+ intelligence signals.

Run a Free BMW 5 Series VIN Report →

No account required · Instant results · Updated daily