2021 Bmw X5

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2021 Bmw X5 has 146 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.8x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (21% of all complaints), specifically: car had 2 alerts 2.5 hrs into journey, having gone i-675 to 16: 1. drivetrain malfunction 2. power supply. i had stopped for food. i got back in, turned on the engine, and these alerts came on immediately. i called bmw, they said car should not be driven. had it towed to hilton head bmw. they've h. ⚠️ 6 fire reports filed.

6 fire reports 18 crash reports 11 injuries

146

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.8x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

30 complaints

21%

• CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW X5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V601000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AN UNKNOWN DEA
• 2021 BMW X-5. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO EXTENDED BATTERY RANGE SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SOLD WITH A FAULTY BATTERY. *JS

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

27 complaints

18%

• CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H
• MY X5 WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE AND STARTED BY ITSELF WHILE I WAS OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE WITH GARAGE DOORS CLOSED. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE ENGINE BY USING THE BMW CONNECTED APP. I DID NOT HAVE ANY SCHEDULED OR PROGRAMMED START EVENTS.I CALLED BMW CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE X5 TO A DEALER FOR A DIA
• THIS IS A NEW BMW X5 2 MONTHS OLD WITH 2000 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED NOT RUNNING WITH NO POWER IN MY GARAGE. ON SATURDAY MORNING IT SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED INTO FLAMES. I HAPPENED TO BE NEAR THE GARAGE AND SPOTTED THE FLAMES 4-5 FEET TALL SHOOTING OUT FROM HOOD. I IMMEDIATELY RAN INSIDE TO

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 2 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

23 complaints

16%

• CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H
• DROVE AT THE SPEED OF 75 MPH IN THE HIGHWAY ALL IN A SUDDEN THE CAR LOST POWER UNTIL ITS SPEED DROPPED TO 62 MPH. IT IS A HYBRID. DASH BOARD SHOWED SOME RESERVED BATTERY POWER AND HALF TANK OF GASOLINE. IT IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. NEED TO FIND THE CAUSE OF IT.
• Vehicle was being driven and showed power supply issue and then flashed a drive train warning and lost propulsion power. The vehicle started hopping / jerking. The A/C stopped working and the center console became intensely hot to the touch; so much so it was uncomfortable to keep you hand on the ce

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

16 complaints

11%

• DROVE AT THE SPEED OF 75 MPH IN THE HIGHWAY ALL IN A SUDDEN THE CAR LOST POWER UNTIL ITS SPEED DROPPED TO 62 MPH. IT IS A HYBRID. DASH BOARD SHOWED SOME RESERVED BATTERY POWER AND HALF TANK OF GASOLINE. IT IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. NEED TO FIND THE CAUSE OF IT.
• My BMX X5 45e SUV shuts itself off once the driver's door is opened turning off the car and all systems, including the Air Conditioning. There is an option in the menu to NOT allow the vehicle to shut off when the driver's door is opened. That has no affect on the operation at all. As if there is a
• Previously reported that the BMW X5e, Plug in hybrid, shuts itself off once the driver's door is opened leaving anybody in the car at risk of serious health problems or even death! A menu selection option should disable this unsafe practice but it does not work. As if there is a software glitch. Ot

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“DROVE AT THE SPEED OF 75 MPH IN THE HIGHWAY ALL IN A SUDDEN THE CAR LOST POWER UNTIL ITS SPEED DROPPED TO 62 MPH. IT IS A HYBRID. DASH BOARD SHOWED SOME RESERVED BATTERY POWER AND HALF TANK OF GASOLINE. IT IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. NEED TO FIND THE CAUSE OF IT.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

16 complaints

11%

• System fails to notify me of pedestrians/cross traffic when backing out of driveway, parking lots, etc. Multiple near misses. Orange/red shadows on screen do not appear. Ditto for beeps.
• When reversing out of driveway/parking space, the rear cross traffic warning alert doesn't give any warning until my vehicle is inches from another vehicle. The system isn't sensitive enough.
• I was driving in the left lane of the freeway, and there was a k-rail to the left of the lane, because there was construction in the shoulder. At one point, there was a break in the k-rail, where it had an opening, and went away from the lane, then back about 20 ft later. The lane departure system j

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 6 crashes

“System fails to notify me of pedestrians/cross traffic when backing out of driveway, parking lots, etc. Multiple near misses. Orange/red shadows on screen do not appear. Ditto for beeps.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 146 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: CAR HAD 2 ALERTS 2.5 HRS INTO JOURNEY, HAVING GONE I-675 TO 16: 1. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION 2. POWER SUPPLY. I HAD STOPPED FOR FOOD. I GOT BACK IN, TURNED ON THE ENGINE, AND THESE ALERTS CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED BMW, THEY SAID CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. HAD IT TOWED TO HILTON HEAD BMW. THEY'VE H
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: DROVE AT THE SPEED OF 75 MPH IN THE HIGHWAY ALL IN A SUDDEN THE CAR LOST POWER UNTIL ITS SPEED DROPPED TO 62 MPH. IT IS A HYBRID. DASH BOARD SHOWED SOME RESERVED BATTERY POWER AND HALF TANK OF GASOLINE. IT IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. NEED TO FIND THE CAUSE OF IT.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)