Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports10 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

98 reports

7,500 miles · Feb 19, 2019

Unknown Or OtherFire

OUR BMW X5 2014 HAD A SUDDEN SPONTANEOUS FIRE WHICH ENGULFED THE ENTIRE CAR WHEN IT WAS DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ODI #11181234

55,000 miles · Jan 28, 2019

Fuel/propulsion SystemStructure

SUNROOF MOTOR SHORTED AND KILLED BATTERY AT 45,000 MILES. CAUSED DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. DOOR MOLDING ON REAR DRIVERS SIDE DOOR SEPARATING. FUEL INJECTORS FAILED (CYLINDER 4 AND 6) CAUSING DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION AT 55,000.MILES

NHTSA ODI #11172668

55,000 miles · Nov 7, 2018

Unknown Or Other

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH

NHTSA ODI #11150014

65,000 miles · Jul 21, 2018

Fuel/propulsion System

Read full complaint

THIS 2014 BMW X5 HAS A DIESEL ENGINE. THE FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED TWICE IN NINE MONTHS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY LOSE POWER AND COMPLETELY STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT A STOP LIGHT BOTH TIMES. HOWEVER, THIS CAN OCCUR WHILE IN MOTION AT ANY TIME. THIS DIESEL ENGINE FUEL PUMP FAILURE IMPACTS ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM WHICH REQUIRES A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT (PLEASE SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FIRST REPAIR. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT BMW SERVICE}. THIS PROBLEM WILL OCCUR AGAIN BECAUSE THEY KEEP USING THE SAME PARTS. I AM SURE WITH SOME INVESTIGATING YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS IS AN UNREPORTED PROBLEM WITH BMW. THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY IS AT STAKE AND BMW IS BEING COMPLETELY EVASIVE AT THIS POINT.

NHTSA ODI #11112799

45,000 miles · Jun 22, 2018

Structure

VEHICLE HAS COMFORT ACCESS SOFT CLOSE DOORS. WHILE DRIVING, 2 SEPARATE TIMES, THE PASSENGER DOORS BECAME UNLATCHED, OR OPENED BY THEMSELVES. IT HAPPENED ON BOTH FRONT AND REAR DOORS.

NHTSA ODI #11103512

41,000 miles · Mar 20, 2018

Structure

I HAVE THE SOFT-CLOSE DOOR OPTION AND ON THREE OCCASIONS MY DRIVERS REAR DOOR HAS UNLATCHED WHILE DRIVING. IT DID NOT OPEN BUT, RATHER, BECAME UNLATCHED RESULTING IN A WARNING.

NHTSA ODI #11080387

28,000 miles · Mar 20, 2018

Structure

BMW SOFT CLOSE DOORS CAME OPEN I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY YESTERDAY 3/19/2018 AND THE PASSENGER DOOR ON MY VEHICLE CAME AJAR. MY VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH COMFORT ACCESS AS WELL AS SOFT CLOSE DOORS AND THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THERE WERE PASSENGERS IN THE CAR. I AM UNCERTAIN AS TO WHY THE DOOR DID THIS, I WAS TR…

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NHTSA ODI #11080349

21,000 miles · Nov 21, 2017

Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Fire

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ON OCTOBER 18, 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:50PM, MY 2014 BMW X5 SPONTANEOUSLY IGNITED IN MY GARAGE - THE FIRE FROM THE EXPLOSION DESTROYED ALL CONTENTS IN MY GARAGE, INCLUDING A SECOND CAR AND THE FIRE AND SMOKE DAMAGE DESTROYED THE HOUSE AND MOST OF THE CONTENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND PARKED IN MY GARAGE; THE GARAGE WAS CLOSED. I PARKED THE CAR IN MY GARAGE AT 7:30PM AND THE EXPLOSION HAPPENED AROUND 7:50PM. THE CAR WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION, I HAD JUST PURCHASED IT ON JUNE 27, 2017, IT WAS CERTIFIED WITH 16,000 MILES ON IT AND I ONLY PUT 5000 MILES ON IT WITHIN THAT 3.5 MONTH TIME PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SIGNAL OR WARNING INDICATORS ON, EVER; IT WASN'T EVEN DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THE CAR DROVE FINE THAT DAY AND NOTHING WAS AMISS. THE FIRE INVESTIGATORS ARE FAIRLY CERTAIN THE ABS CONTROL UNIT (A PART MANUFACTURED BY BOSCH) WAS FAULTY AND SHORTED, THUS CAUSING THE FIRE. THE INVESTIGATOR SAID THIS IS THE 150TH CASE HE'S SEEN OF THIS SPECIFIC CONTROL UNIT STARTING A FIRE. I WAS IN THE SHOWER DURING THE EXPLOSION, MY TWO AUTISTIC CHILDREN, AGES 7 AND 10, WERE SLEEPING. (MY HUSBAND WAS NOT HOME AT THE TIME). THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE WITH MY CHILDREN UNHARMED. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY TRAUMATIC FOR MY TWO CHILDREN, BOTH OF WHOM HAVE SEVERE AUTISM. WE MOVED INTO A NEW HOME, BUT MOST OF OUR BELONGINGS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND WE ARE LITERALLY STARTING FROM SCRATCH. HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO THE NEWS REPORTS: HTTP://WWW.CBS8.COM/STORY/36634964/FAMILY-ESCAPES-HOUSE-FIRE-IN-CARMEL-VALLEY HTTPS://WWW.NBCSANDIEGO.COM/NEWS/LOCAL/HOUSE-FIRE-IN-CARMEL-VALLEY-451540633.HTML I WILL ALSO ATTACHED PHOTOS AND THE FIRE REPORT. THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI #11047671

48,500 miles · Sep 14, 2017

Structure

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AT 48,500 MILES I HAD A PASSENGER DOOR NOT CLOSED LIGHT COME ON. I HAVE THE OPTIONAL SOFT CLOSED DOORS. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GET IN RIGHT AWAY DUE TO SCHEDULING ISSUES AS THE NEAREST DEALER IS 60+ MILES AWAY. BY THE TIME I GOT THE CAR TO THE DEALER IT HAD 50,015 MILES. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT BMW WAS VERY STRICT ABOUT THE MILEAGE WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT FIX IT DESPITE THE FACT I CALLED TO MAKE THE APPOINTMENT THE WEEK PRIOR "WHILE STILL BELOW 50,000 MILES". I WAS TOLD I SHOULD HAVE FLAT-BEDDED IT IN AND I WOULD HAVE STAYED BELOW 50000 MILES AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED. THIS SEEMED A RIDICLOUS TO ME. THE ESTIMATED COST WITH DIAGNOSIS WAS $1,100 APROX. FOR WHAT APPEARED TO BE A DOOR LATCH SENSOR MALFUNCTION. AT 52, 500 MILES THE DRIVER DOOR IS NOW HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND IS AT THE DEALERSHIP. I KNOW BMW HAS HAD OTHER ISSUES WITH THEIR SOFT CLOSE DOORS AND WANT TO ADD MY ISSUES. MY VEHICLE IS A 2014 X5 35I XDRIVE. ORDER OF EVENTS, 5-17 48,500 APRX. FIRST ISSUE WITH PASSENGER DOOR (INTERMITTENT THEN CONTINOUS) SCHEDULED APPT 6-6-17 VEHICLE HAD 50015 MILES. 8-17 DRIVER SIDE DOOR LIGHT (INTERMITTENT AT FIRST THEN CONTINUOUS) IN DEALER 9 -10-17 FOR REPAIR. I DID CONTACT BMW ABOUT ISSUE AND THEY ARE LOOKING INTO OFFERING ME "GOODWILL" SERVICE!!

NHTSA ODI #11023406

Mileage unknown · Aug 29, 2017

Electrical System

DOORS RANDOMLY OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE IN THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE ISSUE FIXED.

NHTSA ODI #11020244

Official recalls

24V527000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Jul 11, 2024

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2015 6 Series Gran Coupe, 2014 5 Series Gran Turismo, 2014 5 Series Sedan, 2015 6 Series Convertible, 2015 6 Series Coupe, 2014 X5, 2013-2014 X3, 2014-2015 3 Series Sedan, 2014 4 Series Coupe, 2014 4 Series Convertible, 2014 3 Series Gran Turismo, and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe vehicles. Please see the recall report for the complete list of models. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury or death.

Remedy: The driver's front air bag will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

23V797000 · Air Bags:frontal

Nov 24, 2023

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014 X3 xDrive28i, X3 xDrive35i, X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive35i, and 2015 X4 xDrive35i vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's front air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

21V907000 · Fuel System, Diesel

Nov 19, 2021

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

21V586000 · Fuel System, Diesel:delivery:fuel Pump

Jul 29, 2021

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

18V755000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:gas Recirculation Valve (egr Valve)

Oct 25, 2018

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

16V683000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Sep 21, 2016

BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 BMW X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, X3 xDrive35i, X3 xDrive28d, X4 xDrive28i and X4 xDrive35i vehicles, and model year 2014-2015 X5 xDrive35i, X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, and 2014 X5 xDrive35d vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver's frontal air bag inflator that may have been improperly welded.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator housing could separate from the base plate and result in metal striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

15V147000 · Air Bags

Mar 13, 2015

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 BMW X5 xDrive 35d Sports Activity Vehicles (SAV) manufactured August 19, 2014, to February 16, 2015, and 2014-2015 BMW X5 xDrive 35i, X5 sDrive 35i, X5 xDrive 50i, Sports Activity Vehicles (SAV) manufactured August 28, 2013, to February 16, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the Head Protection System (HPS) air bag may not be securely connected to the air bag inflator gas generator.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without a secure connection to the inflator, the HPS air bags may have insufficient inflation during a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Head Protection System, free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

14V202000 · Latches/locks/linkages

Apr 17, 2014

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 X5 SAV vehicles manufactured December 12, 2013, through March 10, 2014, and equipped with the Soft Close Automatic (SCA) option. The rear side door lock mechanisms may not have been manufactured to correct tolerances and when the inside door handle is pulled, the previously engaged child safety lock can disengage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A disengaged child safety lock would allow the rear seat occupant to pull the door handle twice and open the door while the vehicle is parked or in motion, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear side door locks and any affected door locks will be replaced, free of charge. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA23001 · High Pressure Fuel Pump Failure

Opened Mar 17, 2023 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Diesel:delivery:fuel Pump

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both FCA and BMW, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by FCA and BMW.During the investigation FCA filed recalls 22V406, 22E048, 22V767, and 22E087 which include vehicles not identified in the initial subject population by ODI. ODI also received recall 21V586, involving loss of motive power due to failed CP4 fuel pumps on certain BMW manufactured vehicles. An information request letter response received from BMW indicated that failed pumps on their vehicles were caused by an interaction between pump internal components and US market diesel fuel, leading to increased slip and eventual particle-generating wear surface. Additional work will be done to identify whether a similar root cause is associated with the FCA recalled population and if similar wear dynamics occur on pumps supplied to vehicle manufacturers other than those included in the recalled population.ODI has upgraded this investigation to an EA in order to 1) determine engineering specifications of internal pump components that are correlated with pump failure leading to loss of motive power or other safety related hazards, 2) identify vehicle populations equipped with alleged defective pump variants, 3) assess if vehicles equipped with alleged defective pump variants result in an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety and 4) gather and review any other relevant information related to high pressure fuel pump failure associated with the subject populations of recalls 21V586, 21V880, 21E094, 22V406, 22E048, 22V767, and 22E087.Review of the above information will allow NHTSA to confirm root cause and recall remedy viability, and identify and evaluate vehicle populations equipped with pump components that may pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 11257550, 11351441, 11361603, 11361616, 11365300, 11365426, 11365858, 11366401, 11372337, 11373793, 11374797, 11376793, 11377871, 11378173, 11384377, 11386063, 11387018, 11399710, 11402550, 11415339, 11418868, 11418870, 11427075, 11434276, 11436807, 11437226, 11437249, 11437273, 11437292, 11437294, 11437394, 11437399, 11437403, 11437405, 11437423, 11437528, 11437565, 11437579, 11437580, 11437590, 11437679, 11437744, 11437781, 11437842, 11437993, 11438006, 11438008, 11438121, 11438138, 11438155, 11438392, 11438629, 11439359, 11439879, 11440397, 11443030, 11446542, 11448163, 11453556, 11458918, 11460558, 11469337

EA21002 · Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module