124 of the
4,578 complaints filed about the BMW X5
are about the driver-assist systems —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2024.
124
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
29
Crashes
0
Fires
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance complaints by model year
Dear Sir/Madam, I am experiencing an issue with my BMW vehicle whereby, approximately 5 to 10 minutes after beginning to drive, the Driver Assistance System becomes disabled. As a result, both the Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure Warning functions are deactivated, and a warning message indicating that driver assistance support is restricted appears on the display. I understand that BMW has previously issued Service Action B66 20 19, which recommends replacement of the KAFAS (Camera-Based Driver Assistance System) under certain conditions. Based on my research, the symptoms affecting my vehicle appear to be consistent with those described in that service action. However, when I checked my vehicle information, I was unable to find any open recall or service campaign associated with this issue. While driver assistance technologies are intended to supplement, rather than replace, attentive driving, these systems are nonetheless important safety features that contribute significantly to vehicle safety. A malfunction that causes these features to become unavailable during operation may increase safety risks for drivers and other road users. I would appreciate your guidance regarding the most appropriate course of action to resolve this issue. Specifically, I would like to know whether my vehicle may qualify for repair under the referenced service action or whether BMW can provide additional diagnostic or corrective measures. Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.
NHTSA complaint #11763862 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dear Sir/Madam, I am experiencing an issue with my BMW vehicle whereby, approximately 5 to 10 minutes after beginning to drive, the Driver Assistance System becomes disabled. As a result, both the Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure Warning functions are deactivated, and a warning message indicating that driver assistance support is restricted appears on the display. I understand that BMW has previously issued Service Action B66 20 19, which recommends replacement of the KAFAS (Camera-Based Driver Assistance System) under certain conditions. Based on my research, the symptoms affecting my vehicle appear to be consistent with those described in that service action. However, when I checked my vehicle information, I was unable to find any open recall or service campaign associated with this issue. While driver assistance technologies are intended to supplement, rather than replace, attentive driving, these systems are nonetheless important safety features that contribute significantly to vehicle safety. A malfunction that causes these features to become unavailable during operation may increase safety risks for drivers and other road users. I would appreciate your guidance regarding the most appropriate course of action to resolve this issue. Specifically, I would like to know whether my vehicle may qualify for repair under the referenced service action or whether BMW can provide additional diagnostic or corrective measures. Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.
NHTSA complaint #11763862 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car braked without warning while going around a curve and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road with no good reason. Traffic going the opposite direction was heavy but no hazards on my side of the road. Cars behind me had to swerve and I was nearly rear ended and could have resulted in very serious injury.
NHTSA complaint #11763588 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2021 BMW X5 xDrive40i (G05) Mileage: 54,423 miles Component: Central Information Display (CID)/ MGU (Media Graphics Unit) Head Unit Safety Defect: The CID intermittently goes completely blank without warning. When this occurs, the backup camera is unavailable, creating a safety hazard when reversing. Navigation, radio, Apple CarPlay, and vehicle settings are also unavailable. Failure History/Diagnosis: The first failure occurred about one month ago while I was reversing. After several hard resets and leaving the vehicle unused for two days, the display began working again. The failure occurred again yesterday when my spouse started the vehicle. I took it to Bobby Rahal BMW of South Hills, PA. The BMW technician confirmed that the head unit (MGU) and RAM (Receiver Audio Module) are not communicating. The technician also found corrosion on the head-unit power connector and inside the head unit, suggesting moisture intrusion and/or an internal electrical short. The dealer recommended replacing the head unit, with the part costing over $4,000, plus labor and additional diagnosis to identify the source of the leak/moisture causing the corrosion. Inspection: The defect was inspected and confirmed by the BMW dealer. The failed component is available for inspection upon request. There were no police or insurance inspections. Warning Signs: There were no warning lights or messages before either failure. The display simply went blank. The failure is intermittent and unpredictable. Safety Concern: The CID can suddenly fail during operation, including while reversing, causing loss of the backup camera and other critical functions. Corrosion inside the head unit and on its power connector raises concern about a recurring moisture-intrusion or electrical/design defect. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this is a recurring safety defect affecting BMW X5 G05 vehicles and determine whether a recall or corrective action is warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11762076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle: 2021 BMW X5 xDrive40i (G05) Mileage: 54,423 miles Component: Central Information Display (CID)/ MGU (Media Graphics Unit) Head Unit Safety Defect: The CID intermittently goes completely blank without warning. When this occurs, the backup camera is unavailable, creating a safety hazard when reversing. Navigation, radio, Apple CarPlay, and vehicle settings are also unavailable. Failure History/Diagnosis: The first failure occurred about one month ago while I was reversing. After several hard resets and leaving the vehicle unused for two days, the display began working again. The failure occurred again yesterday when my spouse started the vehicle. I took it to Bobby Rahal BMW of South Hills, PA. The BMW technician confirmed that the head unit (MGU) and RAM (Receiver Audio Module) are not communicating. The technician also found corrosion on the head-unit power connector and inside the head unit, suggesting moisture intrusion and/or an internal electrical short. The dealer recommended replacing the head unit, with the part costing over $4,000, plus labor and additional diagnosis to identify the source of the leak/moisture causing the corrosion. Inspection: The defect was inspected and confirmed by the BMW dealer. The failed component is available for inspection upon request. There were no police or insurance inspections. Warning Signs: There were no warning lights or messages before either failure. The display simply went blank. The failure is intermittent and unpredictable. Safety Concern: The CID can suddenly fail during operation, including while reversing, causing loss of the backup camera and other critical functions. Corrosion inside the head unit and on its power connector raises concern about a recurring moisture-intrusion or electrical/design defect. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this is a recurring safety defect affecting BMW X5 G05 vehicles and determine whether a recall or corrective action is warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11762076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
COMPONENT / FAULT CATEGORY: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM / POWER TRAIN / BLIND SPOT WARNING SUMMARY OF THE DEFECT: On April 11, 2026, my 2019 BMW X5 suffered a sudden electronic system shutdown at highway speeds near the 210 exit, stranding the car on the roadway and requiring AAA towing. BMW of Ontario falsely blamed "liquid damage" in the GSW shifter and texted an inflated quote of $6,616.05, later reduced to $3,616.05 on Invoice #BFCS684959 before waiving fees for oil changing and so on due to communication errors. NO liquid spill occurred. The GSW module near cup holders suffers from an unsealed design defect where ambient condensation causes total drive power loss. DETAILED INCIDENT NARRATIVE: The center console in the BMW X5 (G05) lacks basic liquid/moisture isolation. Condensation or ambient humidity short-circuits critical shifting electronics, causing immediate loss of drive power on public roadways and creating an extreme crash risk. This incident is part of a clear pattern of systemic electrical vulnerabilities on this specific vehicle: 1. STARTER SAFETY RECALL & HIGHWAY SHUTDOWN: Last year, this vehicle suffered a sudden highway shutdown caused by a faulty starter. BMW failed to send a recall notice beforehand. After I was forced to pay out-of-pocket for emergency repairs at Coast BMW, BMW later recognized the recall and issued a full reimbursement this year. 2. BLIND SPOT WARNING SYSTEM FAILURE: The vehicle also suffered an unexplained, premature failure of the Blind Spot Warning system (quoted at over $3,000 to repair and left unaddressed), proving broader electronic/sensor vulnerabilities. Furthermore, dealership handling involved deceptive, erratic quotes ($6,616.05 texted initially vs. $3,616.05 on the invoice) to shift financial liability for a latent design defect onto the consumer.
NHTSA complaint #11761190 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We live in [XXX]. We own a 2021 BMW X5-45e. It has about 85,000 miles and has always been serviced by the BMW dealer here in [XXX] – Pierce BMW. On the evening of XXX I drove the vehicle home at 6:30PM after a 30 mile drive and parked the car outside in the shade of our house. The temperature at the time was approx. 95 degrees F. At 6:45PM we left the house and drove on the freeway and city streets of [XXX] about 8-10 miles to see a concert in downtown [XXX]. The temperature at that time was about 90-92 F. There was no wind. We then parked outside the venue for about an hour and watched the concert. We came out of the concert at about 8:30 and started the car. I drove about 200 feet to the corner and stepped on the brake. As the car slowly came to a stop the emergency/parking brake suddenly engaged at about 2-3 miles per hour. The car jerked to a very sudden and violent stop. To get the car going, I had to disengage the parking brake which was on with the indicated brake light. The engine was still on and there were no warning lights flashing. I turned the corner and accelerated again to about 15 miles per hour and touched the brakes to bring the car to a stop. The same thing happened. The car jerked to a sudden stop. To get the car going, I had to disengage the parking brake. The engine was still on and there were no warning lights flashing. It also happened a third time. That time, my elderly wife complained of pain in her back. After the third time, I turned the engine off and waited about one minute. I then restarted the car and drove it home with no problems. We have had no further issues, but this is a big concern as we no longer trust the car to perform as expected. This is a very worrisome issue and would like some answers, but apparently none are forthcoming. I took the car to Pierce BMW and they could find no fault code or problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11758372 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving eastbound on [XXX] on XXX between approximately 9:29 and 10:21 AM, the vehicle suddenly displayed a red warning instructing the driver to “Take over braking function immediately.” At that moment, adaptive cruise control braking and automated braking assistance disengaged without warning, requiring the driver to manually brake while in traffic. This created an unexpected safety hazard for the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists. Prior to this event, the vehicle had exhibited repeated Driver Assistance instability across multiple service visits, including inconsistent adaptive cruise control behavior, braking‑related restrictions, and GPS mislocation affecting ADAS functions. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer’s authorized dealer across five service visits, including replacement of the head unit and multiple software resets. The underlying malfunction has occurred repeatedly, but the specific braking alert has not been reproduced by the dealer. No crash, fire, or injury occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11757153 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving eastbound on [XXX] on XXX between approximately 9:29 and 10:21 AM, the vehicle suddenly displayed a red warning instructing the driver to “Take over braking function immediately.” At that moment, adaptive cruise control braking and automated braking assistance disengaged without warning, requiring the driver to manually brake while in traffic. This created an unexpected safety hazard for the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists. Prior to this event, the vehicle had exhibited repeated Driver Assistance instability across multiple service visits, including inconsistent adaptive cruise control behavior, braking‑related restrictions, and GPS mislocation affecting ADAS functions. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer’s authorized dealer across five service visits, including replacement of the head unit and multiple software resets. The underlying malfunction has occurred repeatedly, but the specific braking alert has not been reproduced by the dealer. No crash, fire, or injury occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11757153 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving eastbound on [XXX] on XXX between approximately 9:29 and 10:21 AM, the vehicle suddenly displayed a red warning instructing the driver to “Take over braking function immediately.” At that moment, adaptive cruise control braking and automated braking assistance disengaged without warning, requiring the driver to manually brake while in traffic. This created an unexpected safety hazard for the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists. Prior to this event, the vehicle had exhibited repeated Driver Assistance instability across multiple service visits, including inconsistent adaptive cruise control behavior, braking‑related restrictions, and GPS mislocation affecting ADAS functions. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer’s authorized dealer across five service visits, including replacement of the head unit and multiple software resets. The underlying malfunction has occurred repeatedly, but the specific braking alert has not been reproduced by the dealer. No crash, fire, or injury occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11757153 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1: The system calculated and executed a trajectory that steered the vehicle into the garage structure. First contact was at the driver side rear fender flare. Failure 2: No graduated proximity warnings sounded during the approach. The first and only sensor alert occurred simultaneously with impact. The alert at contact proves the sensors were functional, yet no advance warning was given. Failure 3: After contact was detected and the alert sounded, the vehicle kept moving. Automatic braking did not stop it. The scrape traveled forward along the entire driver side door and sheared off the driver side mirror before the vehicle stopped. At parking speed, stopping distance is inches; the continuous scrape from fender flare to mirror is physical evidence of sustained post-contact travel. The system requested driver intervention only after impact. I was actively supervising. The window from failure onset to impact was under one second, below human reaction time. No supervising driver could have intervened. Damage: driver side rear fender flare, door, and mirror. No injuries. No software changes have been made since the incident. A formal case and engineering investigation have been requested from BMW of North America, including written preservation of EDR, parking maneuver logs, sensor data, brake commands, and telematics. Servicing dealer: Crevier BMW, Santa Ana, CA. I believe this indicates a software defect in path planning, sensor logic, or post-contact braking that may affect other vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11756589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1: The system calculated and executed a trajectory that steered the vehicle into the garage structure. First contact was at the driver side rear fender flare. Failure 2: No graduated proximity warnings sounded during the approach. The first and only sensor alert occurred simultaneously with impact. The alert at contact proves the sensors were functional, yet no advance warning was given. Failure 3: After contact was detected and the alert sounded, the vehicle kept moving. Automatic braking did not stop it. The scrape traveled forward along the entire driver side door and sheared off the driver side mirror before the vehicle stopped. At parking speed, stopping distance is inches; the continuous scrape from fender flare to mirror is physical evidence of sustained post-contact travel. The system requested driver intervention only after impact. I was actively supervising. The window from failure onset to impact was under one second, below human reaction time. No supervising driver could have intervened. Damage: driver side rear fender flare, door, and mirror. No injuries. No software changes have been made since the incident. A formal case and engineering investigation have been requested from BMW of North America, including written preservation of EDR, parking maneuver logs, sensor data, brake commands, and telematics. Servicing dealer: Crevier BMW, Santa Ana, CA. I believe this indicates a software defect in path planning, sensor logic, or post-contact braking that may affect other vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11756589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1: The system calculated and executed a trajectory that steered the vehicle into the garage structure. First contact was at the driver side rear fender flare. Failure 2: No graduated proximity warnings sounded during the approach. The first and only sensor alert occurred simultaneously with impact. The alert at contact proves the sensors were functional, yet no advance warning was given. Failure 3: After contact was detected and the alert sounded, the vehicle kept moving. Automatic braking did not stop it. The scrape traveled forward along the entire driver side door and sheared off the driver side mirror before the vehicle stopped. At parking speed, stopping distance is inches; the continuous scrape from fender flare to mirror is physical evidence of sustained post-contact travel. The system requested driver intervention only after impact. I was actively supervising. The window from failure onset to impact was under one second, below human reaction time. No supervising driver could have intervened. Damage: driver side rear fender flare, door, and mirror. No injuries. No software changes have been made since the incident. A formal case and engineering investigation have been requested from BMW of North America, including written preservation of EDR, parking maneuver logs, sensor data, brake commands, and telematics. Servicing dealer: Crevier BMW, Santa Ana, CA. I believe this indicates a software defect in path planning, sensor logic, or post-contact braking that may affect other vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11756589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our 2025 BMW X5 50e was involved in an accident while slowly pulling into a parking spot at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. While turning right into the striped parking spot, the car suddenly accelerated, swiping the car parked to the right and continued on to break through a rung of the log fence barrier before manual hard braking stopped it from plunging into the canyon below. There was no audible alarm heard and apparently no emergency braking engaged to prevent impact with the other car or log fence. No airbags deployed. Emergency braking was enabled. Drive mode was Hybrid. With the grill damaged and a front sensor hanging below the damaged bumper. We are still awaiting the Park Ranger report.
NHTSA complaint #11753465 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our 2025 BMW X5 50e was involved in an accident while slowly pulling into a parking spot at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. While turning right into the striped parking spot, the car suddenly accelerated, swiping the car parked to the right and continued on to break through a rung of the log fence barrier before manual hard braking stopped it from plunging into the canyon below. There was no audible alarm heard and apparently no emergency braking engaged to prevent impact with the other car or log fence. No airbags deployed. Emergency braking was enabled. Drive mode was Hybrid. With the grill damaged and a front sensor hanging below the damaged bumper. We are still awaiting the Park Ranger report.
NHTSA complaint #11753465 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Summary of the Problem: Intermittently, after starting the vehicle, the center infotainment display becomes stuck on the BMW startup logo and never completes the boot process. The condition persists while driving. Safety Risk: When this occurs, the rearview backup camera is unavailable when the vehicle is shifted into reverse, reducing rear visibility and increasing the risk of a backing collision. Other infotainment functions are also unavailable. Frequency: Intermittent. The issue has occurred multiple times. Conditions: The issue occurs at vehicle startup. No specific weather or operating conditions have been identified. Troubleshooting Performed: * Restarted iDrive by holding the audio volume/power button for approximately 30 seconds. The system restarts but remains stuck on the BMW startup logo. * The only reliable recovery is to lock the vehicle and leave it undisturbed for approximately 30 minutes or longer. After the vehicle enters sleep mode, the system functions normally again.
NHTSA complaint #11751544 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
* Intelligent Braking system. * yes it is available for inspection * I was inches from colliding with the vehicle in front of me when my car finally stopped. * Yes local official BMW dealership inspected and diagnosed the IBS module is defective. * there was no prior warning.
NHTSA complaint #11747866 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
* Intelligent Braking system. * yes it is available for inspection * I was inches from colliding with the vehicle in front of me when my car finally stopped. * Yes local official BMW dealership inspected and diagnosed the IBS module is defective. * there was no prior warning.
NHTSA complaint #11747866 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle is at A&L Motors in Monroeville Pa. The vehicle has suffered a catastrophic, cascading electrical failure caused by a known manufacturing defect in the roof antenna seal. Rainwater entered the vehicle through the defective shark fin antenna seal and flooded the Telematics Control Unit(TCU). Because the TCU communicates directly with the main iDrive head unit via the vehicle's MOST/bus central data network, the water-damaged TCU short-circuited and flooded the network with corrupt electrical data, hard-bricking the iDrive system. A dealership engineer confirmed that water did not physically touch the head unit, eliminating user-error fluid spills. This cascading electrical failure has completely disabled vital safety systems, including the backup camera, forward collision driver-assist radar warnings, blind-spot monitoring alerts, and critical dashboard diagnostic notifications, creating an immediate highway safety hazard. Simultaneously, the active grille shutters (active air flaps) failed due to a defective internal actuator motor, creating a severe risk of sudden engine overheating and thermal shutdown. This component is under a 150K mile manufacturer warranty extension(SIB01 12 19 and later sib01 03 25). BMW of North America Claims Manager Joe 1-800-831-1117Ext1427 has issued an arbitrary final denial for these repairs based on a hearsay rock wedged/strike despite no apparent physical damage and zero photographic evidence. BMW is actively evading its extended warranty obligations for the air dam and a pending class-action settlement framework (Craft v. BMW NA) on the IDrive components. Additionally, this vehicle is actively subject to the critical BMW Starter Motor Overheating Fire Risk Recall NHTSA Campaign No.25V644/26V056. The dealership is unable to complete this urgent fire-safety remedy due to the same bricked Idrive unit. Grounding an owner in an un-safe car with a bricked safety display and an outstanding unremedied recall
NHTSA complaint #11746709 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Blind spot warning lights on both sides of the mirros are not lit consistently. It brings in some dangerous situation if we assume the warning light is always lit when there is a car in the blind spot. So I observed it on the highway several times, especally at night, where the warning light is mostly needed. The result is consistent. I was driving on the three-lane I95 and adaptive cruising control in the middle lane. The right-hand side blind spot warning light wasn't lit on all dark color cars to my right, and wasn't lit on 18-wheelers. It's lit on all light color cars, like white cars. The left-hand side blind spot warning light was lit most time. But there were still times that it's not lit, especially on dark color cars at night.
NHTSA complaint #11742608 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.