What BMW M5 owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See BMW M5 safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 114 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156 |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156 |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 208 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 213 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 273 |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 350 |
| 2013 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 383 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
The vehicle systems named most often in BMW M5 complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
2020 BMW M5 a metal-shavings engine failure at highway speed is a safety event. I had total catastrophic engine failure at less than 50,000 miles. No warning lights, found metal shavings in the engine system and engine needs complete replacement. I discovered that the very first and most important service at 1200 miles was never performed by BMW of [XXX]. It has been detailed by managers in writing. They still sold me the car XXX without disclosing the risks to purchase the car without this service being done. The repair is estimated to exceed $97,000 in repairs. I believe there was neglect, wrongdoing, and fraud done by BMW of [XXX] and BMW of [XXX] since they admitted to this neglect of se…
The passenger seat occupancy sensor, an electrocapacitive mat (ecm), is defective on a large number of cars on the g30/fop platform including mine. This leads to intermittent sensor faults which cause an airbag warning.
I had gotten into a head on collision in January. My insurance had refused to cover me because I had only been insured for a month. Now Iâm trying to get it fix out of pocket. Iâm finding out about more repairs needed ASAP. My engine might be gone.
The contact owns a 2019 BMW M5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under Technical Service Bulletin Number: SIB 17 03 24. The dealer replaced the coolant expansion tank; however, the vehicle experienced a coolant leak two months later. The message "Drivetrain Malfunction" was displayed, and the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the coolant expansion tank, 4 spark plugs, and ignition coils were replaced; however, upon driving away from the dealer, the message "Drivetrain Malfunction" was displayed, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to exceed 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was re…
The vehicles system saw a phantom pedestrian on the road and performed emergency braking. I double checked surroundings and there were no human present anywhere arround
The front windshield cracked in the middle from the top without any impact. It made a butterfly shaped crack going both sides symmetrically from the middle. I took it to BMW Casey in Newport News, Virginia. They looked at it and agreed that there was no impact. They kept the car for 5 days and then reported that BMW North America is not aware of any defect and that they would not cover the replacement. However, this problem seems to exist in multiple BMW vehicles reading the online forum. This is a big safety issue since this problem could have happened while on a highway and impairing driving vision, and worse shattering of the glass.
Engine coil and fuel injectors are bad. Injector 8 went bad, followed by 6&7. The next just went bad. Was told only so many available at dealership because of on going problems.
Despite following the manufacturerâs recommended maintenance schedule and having the car serviced at authorized BMW dealerships, I am facing an engine failure that BMW has quoted $44,000 to repair. BMW is only offering $4,000 towards this repair, leaving us with an overwhelming out-of-pocket expense. My insurance provider has informed me that they will not cover the cost of these repairs, placing us in a difficult financial position. Given the extensive history of issues and consistent maintenance of the vehicle, this situation is both unexpected and unacceptable. The car was even under the factory warranty when many of these issues were first reported. The vehicle has a documented history…
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
When pulling on the hood (highlighted inorange in the top photo) release lever (highlighted in orange in the bottomphoto; driverâs footwell shown ) , there is anoticeable lack of cable tension; and the hoodwill not unlock.
Due to unfavorable software, the Storage Management Electronics (SME) will not show fault codes that trigger the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) when performing ISTA Service Function "Display Permanent SAE Fault Codes." As a result, workshops will have to identify SME-specific permanent SAE (emission related) Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) stored in the vehicle during diagnosis or when preparing a vehicle for a State Emission Inspection and Maintenance through a workaround procedure.
After programming the vehicle via ISTA/RSUto I-level â¦26-03-5xx, some of the interiorambient lighting strips (arrows) may begin tofail sporadically after a deep sleep cycle.
Bonnet Release Holder
This Service Bulletin provides instructions to clean the intake valves using the BMW Carbon Blaster Tool P/N 81 29 2 208 034 and the S68T / XB1T Kit P/N 83 30 5 BAD 3D5. Refer to SI B04 12 11 for existing documentation about the carbon blaster tool and SI B04 02 26 for the S68T /XB1T tool kit.
This Service Bulletin provides instructions to clean the intake valves using the BMW Carbon Blaster Tool
Due to an implementation error in various OBD diagnostics in the vehicle's control units, in very rare cases itmay happen that stored fault memory codes (DTCs) and the MIL (warning light) are not automaticallydeleted even though the underlying malfunction has already been rectified. This does not comply with the statutory OBD specifications.
Due to an implementation error in various OBD diagnostics in the vehicle's control units, in very rare cases itmay happen that stored fault memory codes (DTCs) and the MIL (warning light) are not automaticallydeleted even though the underlying malfunction has already been rectified. This does not comply with the statutory OBD specifications.
The vehicle may experience various operational issues with Apple CarPlay Projected Modes such as: Dropped connections No automatic reconnection Display errors
The decorative trims on the head restraints ofthe driverâs seat and front passenger seatcause groaning noises on any route, at anytemperature, even in a slightly reclinedposition.
Expansion Tank Return
A possible âjerkingâ motion may arise when using the Parking Maneuver Assistant in purely electric mode in vehicles with 7 kW charging power and a programmed I-level starting from 25-03-500
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2010–2026, owners most often name: engine, air bags, power train. 37 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.
