FaultScore

BMW 5 Series airbag problems

96 of the 556 complaints filed about the BMW 5 Series are about the airbag system — 17% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2006.

96

Complaints

17%

Share of all complaints

6

Crashes

2

Fires

Airbags complaints by model year

1995 5 Series 1 1.0%

Median failure at 180,000 miles

1997 5 Series 1 1.0%

Median failure at 158,000 miles

2000 5 Series 2 2.1%
2003 5 Series 2 2.1%
2004 5 Series 31 32.3%

Median failure at 81,000 miles

2005 5 Series 10 10.4%

Median failure at 71,512 miles

2006 5 Series 37 38.5%

Median failure at 70,000 miles

2007 5 Series 7 7.3%

Median failure at 71,500 miles

2008 5 Series 2 2.1%

Median failure at 3 miles

2010 5 Series 1 1.0%

Median failure at 5,000 miles

2011 5 Series 1 1.0%

Median failure at 50,400 miles

2012 5 Series 1 1.0%

What owners said

2004 BMW 5 Series at 81,000 miles Whiteland, IN

AIR BAGS

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON.

NHTSA complaint #11169884 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 BMW 5 Series at 81,000 miles Whiteland, IN

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON.

NHTSA complaint #11169884 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 BMW 5 Series at 175,000 miles Lehighton, PA

AIR BAGS

PASSENGER SEAT/AIRBAG WARNING MALFUNCTION. THIS WARNING HAS BEEN ON SINCE I PURCHASED VEHICLE. IT IS OBVIOUSLY THE COMMON SEAT MAT SENSOR FAILURE. AND IT WOULD APPEAR THAT EITHER MY VIN ISN'T ON THE PREVIOUS RECALL OR IT HAS EXPIRED FOR MY YEAR AND MODEL. BUT MY WIFE SITS IN THAT SEAT AND IF WE HAVE AN ACCIDENT AND HER AIRBAGS DO NOT DEPLOY WHOSE FAULT WILL THAT BE?

NHTSA complaint #11130543 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 5 Series at 3 miles Hyattsville, MD

AIR BAGS

I WAS DRIVING AND BUMPED UP AGAINST A SIDEWALK CURVE AND MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AS WELL AS MY CAR SHUT OFF. IT WILL NOT START ANOTHER MORE AND THE HOOD UNDERNEATH WAS ON FIRE. (SMOKE WAS PRESENT).

NHTSA complaint #11043668 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 BMW 5 Series at 74,000 miles Reston, VA

AIR BAGS

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT HAD TO BE REPLACED AS IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THOUGH NOT IN PREVIOUS RECALLS IN SIMILAR BMWS AND SIMILAR YEARS, THE ERROR PRESENTED A SAFETY ISSUE THAT WOULD DISABLE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS AND INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY DURING A CRASH. WITH THIS ERROR, I WAS FORCED TO REPAIR THE SEAT MAT AND EXPENDED $1.5K TO REMEDY THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THIS SEAT MAT ISSUE IS A KNOWN BMW PROBLEM THAT BMW AND NHTSA HAVE NOT ADDRESSED. VIN: [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #11024085 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 BMW 5 Series Upatoi, GA

AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 5-SERIES. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 17V020000 (AIR BAGS) AND 17V138000 (POWER TRAIN). THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE DEALER, BMW OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, AND WAS INFORMED THAT PARTS WERE ORDERED FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V020000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, VIN TOOL CONFIRMS REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL. 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 HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE AND PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA complaint #10993684 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 BMW 5 Series at 69,000 miles Huntington Station, NY

AIR BAGS

THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG MALFUNCTIONED CASING THE SEAT TO HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND SENSOR REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS BUT MY CAR, AND 2 OF MY FRIENDS CARS WERE NOT INCLUDED ON THE RECALL, MY FRIENDS WERE CHARGED BY THE DEALERSHIP. MY ENGINE LEAKS OIL ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD CAUSING SMOKE IN THE CAB AND POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. ON EVERY BM I HAVE EVER OWNED THE RADIATOR LEAKS FLUID WHICH IS ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED.

NHTSA complaint #10939903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 BMW 5 Series Alabaster, AL

AIR BAGS

I'M GETTING THE RUN AROUND ABOUT REPLACING THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG IN MY CAR. I RECEIVED THE INITIAL NOTICE OVER 6 MONTHS AGO AND WAS TOLD THE AIR BAGS WERE RELEASED OVER A MONTH AGO BUT I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN A SECOND NOTICE. THE BMW DEALERSHIP SAYS THERE ISN'T AN ISSUE WITH THE BMW IT'S JUST PRECAUTIONARY BUT THEY STILL DON'T HAVE THE AIRBAGS IN.

NHTSA complaint #10898470 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 5 Series Roslyn Heights, NY

AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL. BMW IS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. I RECEIVED A NOTICE IN MARCH & 5 MONTHS LATER BMW DEALERS STILL DO NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO REPAIR THE AIRBAGS. HOW IS IT THAT THIS IS ACCEPTABLE?

NHTSA complaint #10892424 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 BMW 5 Series Springfield, OR

AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL - I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY VEHICLE, WHICH HAS BEEN MINE SINCE IT WAS NEW IN 2003, IS PART OF THE TAKATA RECALL AND HAS BEEN SINCE ALMOST A YEAR AGO. I NEVER RECEIVED A SINGLE NOTIFICATION IN THE MAIL. I HAVE LIVED AT THE SAME ADDRESS SINCE 2003, SO THERE SEEMS TO BE ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. WHEN I CALLED MY BMW DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE RECALL, I WAS TOLD THERE IS NO CURRENT REMEDY BUT THAT SOMEONE WOULD CALL ME BACK ABOUT MY OPTIONS. IT HAS BEEN ALMOST TWO WEEKS AND NO ONE HAS CALLED ME. I THEN SENT AN E-MAIL TO BMW, WHICH RESULTED IN A FORM RETURN MESSAGE. WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR SOMEONE WITH THIS RECALL AND NO REMEDY? I CAN'T SAY THAT I FEEL AT ALL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR, ESPECIALLY NOT WITH MY CHILDREN IN IT, BUT I APPARENTLY HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE AS I'M NOT IN A POSITION TO PURCHASE A NEW VEHICLE OR TO RENT A VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint #10865903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 BMW 5 Series at 80,000 miles Bakersfield, CA

AIR BAGS

MY PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT A MONTH AGO FOR APPARENT REASON AND STAY ON EVER SINCE. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL BMW DEALER AND WAS TOLD MY VIN WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED AND DONT UNDERSTAND WHY SOME CARS WERE ON THE RECALL AND SOME WERE NOT. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL BMWS AND A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THIS SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THE MANUFACTURE.

NHTSA complaint #10846358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 BMW 5 Series at 29,500 miles Princeton, NJ

AIR BAGS

ON THE MORNING OF 3/18/2015 AT 8 AM. I STARTED THE CAR AND RECEIVED A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM WARNING ON THE DISPLAY. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE.

NHTSA complaint #10701763 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 BMW 5 Series at 71,000 miles Evans, GA

AIR BAGS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 5-SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

NHTSA complaint #10695334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 BMW 5 Series at 92,000 miles Mobile, AL Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

WHILE TRAVELING AND SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN INTO A BUSINESS, THE CAR BESIDE ME (LEFT OF ME) MAKES A QUICK FAST U TURN AND ENDS UP HITTING MY CAR. AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, HITTING ME INTO MY FACE/HEAD VERY HARD. I HAVE BEEN IN TREATMENT SINCE. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MAJOR SURGERY ON MY NECK, STILL HAVE PROBLEMS AND MAY NEED MORE SURGERY. MY NECK WILL NOT BE THE SAME AND ALWAYS IN PAIN. I HAVE LOUD RINGING IN MY EARS THAT IS PERMANENT. I HAVE HEADACHES WITH SINUS PROBLEMS. I BELIEVE I WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE WITH MY SEAT BELT ON. I FEEL LIKE THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE NOT DEPLOYED UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. I NOW SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION, CAN'T WORK DOING WHAT I HAVE DONE FOR OVER 20 YEARS NOW AND ANYTHING ELSE VERY LONG WITH OUT BEING IN PAIN IN MY NECK. I AM VERY UPSET OVER THIS.

NHTSA complaint #10672002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 BMW 5 Series at 50,400 miles Mount Laurel, NJ Crash

AIR BAGS

INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. OTHER VEHICLE GOING SOUTHBOUND CROSSED OVER MEDIAN STRIP OF HIGHWAY, HIT THREE CARS GOING NORTHBOUND, MINE WAS THIRD CAR TO BE STRUCK. OFFENDING CAR DID A 360 IN FRONT OF ME, I SLOWED TO ABOUT 25 AND HE MOVED INTO ME. I STRUCK HIS REAR PASSENGER SIDE CORNER. I HAD FRONT END DAMAGE OVER $5K. NO AIRBAG, BUT DEFAULT MESSAGES AND AN AIRBAG ICON CAME ON THE VIDEO SCREEN AND THE FRONT INSTRUMENT PANEL. IT STATES "DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAG OR RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION."

NHTSA complaint #10661924 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 BMW 5 Series Miami Springs, FL

AIR BAGS

MY CAR IS NOT ON THE AIRBAG RECALL LIST BUT I HAVE HAD THIS ERROR FOR AWHILE NOW & IT APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE AIRBAG ISSUE (NOT SURE IF MY CAR HAS A TEKATA.) THE MESSAGE COMES UP ON THE SCREEN- PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM- FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER. CONTINUE TO WEAR THE SAFETY BELT. I ALSO HAVE A PICTURE OF THE ERROR.

NHTSA complaint #10659076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

1997 BMW 5 Series at 158,000 miles West Columbia, SC

AIR BAGS

WHILE STARTING THE CAR THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED.

NHTSA complaint #10649096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 BMW 5 Series at 85,000 miles Winter Garden, FL

AIR BAGS

BMW RECALLED 2004 BMW 525I AND OTHERS FOR THE SEAT MAT SENSOR. I HAD CALLED THEM (2012-13) AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE (BASED ON VIN) WASN'T PART OF THE RECALL. I INFORMED THEM THAT MY VEHICLE'S MAT SENSOR WAS ALSO DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THEM. THEY, BMW USA TOLD ME THAT MINE WAS NOT DEFECTIVE. I STILL CANT UNDERSTAND IF THE REST ARE DEFECTIVE, HOW COME MINE IS CONSIDERED NOT DEFECTIVE WHEN ITS INOPERATIVE AND SAME PROBLEM AS THOUSANDS OF OTHER 2004 525I.

NHTSA complaint #10629275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 BMW 5 Series at 110,000 miles Houston, TX

AIR BAGS

DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE ILLUMINATION OF BOTH THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT.

NHTSA complaint #10614605 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 5 Series Valdosta, GA

AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 5 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 13V5640200 (AIR BAGS). THE DEALER INFORMED CONTACT THAT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PART BEING UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT EXPERIENCE A FAILURE.

NHTSA complaint #10596450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other BMW 5 Series problems