On July 8, 2026, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled while I was driving in the middle lane on the I-95 highway, creating a safety concern. There was complete loss of engine power and low power to steering. The vehicle had to be towed to BMW of Peabody, Massachusetts. The vehicle had 30850 miles during the incident. During the inspection at service centre, I was informed that the safety fuse box and 12V auxiliary battery had failed which stalled the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11749966 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a front differential/front drive axle failure and a separate steering wheel/steering column adjustment issue. The vehicle was brought to an independent BMW/German repair shop for a routine oil change/inspection. The shop advised me that the front differential/front drive axle assembly had failed or was severely damaged and needed repair/replacement. The vehicle/component is currently at the shop and should be available for inspection upon request. I am concerned this could put my safety and others at risk because the front differential is part of the AWD drivetrain. If it fails further while driving, it could affect drivability, traction, or vehicle control, especially at speed or in poor road conditions. The issue has been confirmed by an independent service center. To my knowledge, it has not yet been inspected by BMW, police, insurance, or government reps. A third-party warranty inspector may inspect it before repair. The exact cause is UNKNOWN. I was told BMW appears aware of this issue because the replacement part has a newer/superseded part number. This suggests BMW may have revised or updated the original part. I do not know if BMW has formally acknowledged a defect, but I am concerned this may be a broader issue given the low mileage. Separately, the power-adjustable steering wheel/steering column sometimes makes a grinding/vibrating noise when I start the vehicle and the wheel automatically moves out/down into the driving position. There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. The exact date it first appeared is UNKNOWN, but it has occurred more than once. I previously raised this type of issue with a BMW dealer and was told it was a known issue. The exact cause is UNKNOWN. I am concerned it could involve the steering column adjustment mechanism or related components. I am reporting both issues because the vehicle is low mileage and I am concerned they may be safety-related defects rather than isolated maintenance items.
NHTSA complaint #11749496 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Two nights ago I was at Domino’s Pizza. I put my car in reverse and the car died and the steering wheel locked up like the power steering was giving out I was able to start the car again, but still with no power steering assist and drove the car home about a mile away, but every time I slowed down or came to a stop sign or a stoplight, the car would die, and the battery light would flash on the dash and it would say charging malfunction once I got home we took a look at the engine and noticed that none of the belts were working at all and then I started to google what could possibly be the problem and a couple of different recalls came up recall number 12V550000 and that is engine and engine cooling engine diesel what the name of it is and the recall date is 1127 2012 and then the next one is 2012 BMW X5 diesel SUVs from the model year 2012 923 BMW X fives have been recalled because they have defective engine belt, tensioners and cracks that develop along the welds if the belt tensioner fails there could be a sudden loss of power steering assist that is sounds like exactly what happened to my car and then there’s another one recall number B121918 which is from September 2019 and it is called idler pulley bolt and come to find out that actually was a recall on my vehicle, but the previous owner is the one that had it repaired so I’m not sure if BMW is willing to repair it again but there’s not a lot of miles on this cards a 2012 I bought it with 95,000 miles on it and it currently only has 131,000 miles on it. I’m just hoping for some kind of resolution here this is the fifth Bmw that I bought in my lifetime and I for the most part I’ve had pretty good ultimate driving experience and good customer service and some good financing but I can’t see why just recall wouldn’t cover my vehicle. It’s currently in the shop. They’re doing a diagnostic on it and I will be getting that back later on today and I can report that back to you folks, hopefully it could be recalled. M
NHTSA complaint #11735154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Reduced steering effort error message. No accident or injuries. Seems to be a known issue on BMWs. Likely covered under warranty but I feel should be reported
NHTSA complaint #11732336 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Recall 19v-631, I am experiencing a faulty steering issue as reported in the recall. My vehicle was in production around the same time as the recall vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11706532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transfer case on 2019 X5,yes available for inspection upon request. At stop position making right turn or left turn the vehicle jutters,also in reverse. Yes - confirmed by the bmw service center who tried to charge for diagnostic fee. Manufacturer knows of issue on 2019 X5 models. Video of these transfer case issues all over online in videos. Issue started about 6 - 9 months ago.
NHTSA complaint #11705716 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact used force to pull over to the side of the road. The messages "Active Steering Inactive" and "Change of Steering Wheel and 4WD Malfunction" were displayed. The braking system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the foot module had failed. The foot pedal was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer three times. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an unknown failure. The cooling system was replaced. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 13V045000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, SERVICE BRAKES) and 12E029000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
NHTSA complaint #11690001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Steering the vehicle in a low gear causes the vehicle to tremble or shudder. The dealership identified the problem to be the transfer case fluid. In manufacturing, BMW put a fluid which did not meet the specifications of the vehicle. The transfer case fluid is documented in the manual of BMW X5 M50i (2021) to be something which does not require replacement in the lifetime of the vehicle. I raised this issue when the vehicle was under warranty, but the dealership ignored the issue. After the warranty period was over (62,000 miles), the dealer recommended that I replace the fluid to fix the shudder issue. It is a very well known issue, and there is a service bulletin issued to the dealerships to deal with this particular case (SIB 27 02 20). After the fluid replacement, the issue went away. This issue is widely known by the dealership, and it is a safety issue. I had to pay for the fluid replacement, and I believe BMW should have recalled this issue to replace the fluid for ALL X5s manufactured in 2020 and 2021. This is a safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11689259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Integrated Brake System and Dynamic Safety Control both malfunctioned, not turning on. The car is totaled, so I don't think anything is available for inspection. There was water on the highway, and the car ended up going off the road into the grass and rolled over a few times before landing at the bottom of the ditch 100ft away. The car was not inspected because I was not aware of the major recall until I started looking into it. There was a snapshot of the DTC codes two weeks before the incident and there were codes specifically for the IB system as noted in the recall. There may have been one or two times throughout driving the car beforehand that a error light popped up, but then it disappeared almost immediately after.
NHTSA complaint #11688104 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A car from the other side made an illegal left turn in front of me, and I braked very early, yet still slid into them. The car had been inspected at the time at the collision center, and had DTC codes from before repair and after repair, showing the Integrated Brake systems had failures before and after. There was no mention of the results of the inspection until I asked after another braking incident occurred two weeks later. There were moments where a light would pop up for a second, then disappear. It may have happened only once.
NHTSA complaint #11688105 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle only has 28,000 miles on it has a very loud rattling noise in the front end. My mechanic said the steering linkage is loose and the steering assembly is leaking. I see there are other similar recalls for this vehicle but my specific VIN isn’t coming up under those recalls.
NHTSA complaint #11671793 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Multiple issues with the software. 1. Since yesterday, [XXX] car failed to start with the message "software upgrade failed". Sitting like a brick now - engine doesn't start and can't get the car off parking mode. 2, Last week, the remote functions of the software as well as emergency call system stopped working. Called the local dealer BMW of North Canton on June 25, Ohio to check and fix and they scheduled it for Monday June 30. But car refused to start per point 1. 1. Couple of times got the message while driving that driver inability to drive detected and suddenly slowing down the car and veering it to a side. Transient actions. Took it to the dealership, supposedly a software bug was fixed but then the message flashed one more time recently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11669880 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving in the city, I came across a red light. When the light turned green, my car's engine shut off and the power steering turned off (unable to turn). The screen remained on but I could not start the car. This has only happened in the city when I am driving at a speed of up to 15 miles/hr. under comfort mode with the auto/stop feature on. This happened about 5 times on different dates where my car shut off but the screen was on. My car shut down in the middle of traffic, causing more traffic and an unsafe situation. Since then, I have turned off the auto/stop feature and have not yet encountered the problem again.
NHTSA complaint #11661202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an electrical burning odor inside the vehicle. The ABS, brakes, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was driven to the residence. On another occasion, the contact had to redirect the steering wheel into a different lane while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who changed the oil and replaced the alternator; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic and was diagnosed with multiple electrical failures. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and a diagnostic test was pending. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 193,000.
NHTSA complaint #11648331 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My relatively brand new BMW X5 with only 7,500 miles was parked in an enclosed parking garage with valet service. The car only had its warranty service about 7 weeks ago and was in fine condition. There were no issues with the suspension or steering. There was no accident and the car has never gone over a hard bump or pothole. The lower right front control arm snapped cleanly as if from metal fatigue as a valet attempted to retrieve my car. The car was rendered inoperable, and thankfully this accident did not occur on the road. The car was towed to the dealership where they informed me the damage would require $16k - $18k of repairs to the axle, steering column and a host of related systems.
NHTSA complaint #11563179 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving approximately 30 mph. As I continued to accelerate the fuel system light came on and the car shut off in the road. I had to have it towed to the dealership as it would not start. Gas fumes could also be smelled coming from the car. Once looked at by BMW service center I was told “ EKPS and the fuel pump are intermittently failing. I was able to able to verify the concern briefly. Vehicle may lose fuel pressure randomly. Upon removing rear seats and inspecting harness, I found the wires going into the EKPS to be burnt. The wires from the EKPS to the low pressure fuel pump will also need to be replaced.” I did research and saw that this was recall on other years of this model. Also the middle back seatbelt does not work. Also even after multiple alignments my car still pulls aggressively to the right causing near collisions and off roaring.
NHTSA complaint #11559361 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.