10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,556 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 BMW X5 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2010 BMW X5 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Nov 302022

X5 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Sunroof drains - front and back overflow and drone down the pillars into the front and rear electronic boxes. A KNOW PROBLEM for this BMW. I want BMW to repair and fix this problem. Water damaged control boxes are thousands of dollars. This problem should be a recall! BMW was sued in 2018 and settled the case. I am unable to file a claim for this now. I recently moved from Southern CA to New Orleans LA. There is a lot mor torrential rain here. Never had a problem in Southern CA.

- Metairie, LA, USA

problem #21

Nov 212021

X5

  • miles
Headlight wiring loom insulation on both passenger and driver sides degrading heavily to the point of disintegration on touch. My driver side headlights have stopped working despite best attempts at isolating wires. I have received multiple headlight(low/DRL) warnings and errors because of this issue. It has been verified by countless independent mechanics and hobbyists on this generation of car with no aftermarket or OE solutions. I have since almost collided with objects in the road while driving at night due to this faulty manufacturing. I also fear for an electrical fire which is bound to happen due to exposed wiring. This has been happening for a few months with no improvement and further degradation. I have not had it inspected by BMW.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #20

Jun 012020

X5

  • 99,000 miles
My valve cover and crankcase are manufactured bad the crankcase it's cracked and licking, which it damage my valve covers, my car was driving good all of the sudden it doesn't drive smooth

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #19

Oct 302019

X5

  • 143,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I drove my BMW X5 to work was there from 1045 am to around 730pm drove to the store about a mile away then drove to the gas station put gas in, then drive to a near by outside mall. Went in for about 15 mins came out my windows were completely "fogged" open the door and smoke came rolling out. Open all the doors to locate the fire open the back and flames came shooting out from under the back panel. I open it and tried to put out the fire with some near by clothes. A bystander ran into the store to get a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. The fire department was called. Took pictures and said it was the battery that started on fire.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #18

Dec 232018

X5

  • 48,000 miles
Engine electric recall for electric water pump. Car was brought into service at tulley BMW in nashua for issue with water pump. Service advisor said " only need to replace a few bolts " I feel the car has only 46,000 and is overheating to excess showing temperature gage. Had vehical towed over 100 miles to local service station - failed electric water pump - " recall issue " dealer failed to service. Engine is overheating - dealer wants to charge $ $1,500 to repair

- Nashua, NH, USA

problem #17

Jun 302018

X5

  • 122,440 miles
Lost power steering as car was driving approx 50 mph on garden state parkway at top of bridge over the raritan river. Battery warning came on dash, car lost power and then stopped. No collision or injury. Car was towed and repaired by C&T towing and auto repair, rahway NJ. Damage observed was partially melted idler pulley and shredded drive belt. Repair included replacement of drive belt, a.C. stretch belt, idler pulley, drive belt tensioner and serpentine tensioner.

- Bloomfield, NJ, USA

problem #16

May 092018

X5

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The engine belt idler pulley bolt broke causing a sudden loss of power steering when the serpentine belt came off the alternator and power steering pump. This is the same problem associated with recall 12V550000 a few years ago. The dealer said the vehicle was fixed under the recall but it was before I owned it so I don't know for sure. I believe the recall should be reinstated. The vehicle was moving on a residential street at less than 25 mph and my mom was driving. If she had been going any faster she would have crashed.

- Boulder City, NV, USA

problem #15

Feb 062018

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the battery failed without warning. The failure only occurred when the vehicle had been parked in below freezing temperatures. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (sandia BMW, 6001 pan american fwy, albuquerque, nm 87109), but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 13V339000 (fuel system), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified and stated. The failure mileage was 57,000.

- Placitas, NM, USA

problem #14

Dec 292016

X5

  • 39,000 miles
My car sat in the driveway for a couple of days and when I went to use it, I discovered that the interior right rear quarter panel was melted and the interior was covered in soot. I contacted my insurance company and it was towed to a repair shop for evaluation. It was declared a total loss.

- Westfield, NJ, USA

problem #13

May 012014

X5

  • miles
I'm reporting a quality escaped issue on most of BMW cars equipped with rear view camera system. I'm mild to hot days, the camera starts to flicker rapidly and shortly it blanks off intermittently. It's more noticeable on hot days but normal during cold days. This issue is also on most of BMW cars and yet to be recognized nor recalled by the manufacturer. It's unfair for a consumer to pay so much money and can't can't be reimbursed for the fix this discrepancy. I believe the cost of this problem should be covered by a BMW dealer. I fell like I've been robbed out of my wallet paying so much for all these issues popping up from time to time on scar that was not even 75K miles. This is a serious defect that could lead to crash during reverse driving or during parallel parking

- Kenner, LA, USA

problem #12

Jun 062016

X5

  • 107,815 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car loss power and shutdown with me twice while driving on the highway. (95 North)error messages "electrical system malfunction continue driving is not possible. Have the system checked by the nearest BMW center", "transmission malfunction"," restraint system malfunction", "fault in passenger-restraint system" the second time that happened to me, I had the car towed by aaa at 5am after work. The car parking brake was luck, so aaa had to drag the into the flat bed, this is a serious issue BMW makes a lot of money therefore should be held accountable and fix the issue before someone get kill. The cause is water getting into the trunk and socking all the electrical wires in the truck of the car causing everything to go crazy. BMW is aware of the issue. I saw a few class action case against BMW for the issues I have here.

- Pawtucket, RI, USA

problem #11

Jan 012016

X5

  • 60,000 miles
While driving the vehicle on city streets I lost power steering and had to bring the vehicle to a stop. I was unable to steer the car and discovered the serpentine belt had come off. BMW had already done a recall for this and I did upon dealer inspection discover the same bolt sheared causing the problem. The original recall notice was 12V550. I'm being charged 700 hundred dollars now to have the vehicle fixed.

- Venice, CA, USA

problem #10

Jul 152015

X5

  • 68,000 miles
Ok, so I own my 2010 BMW X5 35D and pretty much since the ownership I found that back up camera I have is working pretty strange: With worm weather outside it shows fuzzy, static, jumping picture. The warmer is outside the more fuzzier it is. So, I took it to the dealer and they found that cable coming from camera to head unit is getting bad from rubbing from chassis! I went online and found tons of complains like that - in 2-3 years old car and up all over the place - bad cable. It turned out that location for it is very bad and it always rub on part of chassis. Definitely bad design issue. Further more, to fix it I was quoted $1200, no more no less, something that is badly designed should be fixed for free! this is definitely safety concern as main idea for that camera - safety, but having it faulty after few years doesn't follow it main goal. Please investigate this and recall for the cable should be good solution.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #9

Mar 212015

X5

  • 48,009 miles
I had this problem with my 2010 BMW X5 35D breakdown. It said the charging malfunction on the screen. Power steering was lost. Wheel steer was hard to maneuver. Hard to move. I almost got in an accident. The battery died. Everything just not function bc of lost in power steering. When I towed my car to BMW manhattan, the service advisor told me there was no recall for my BMW X5 35 D. she told me the dealer would charge me about $900 to replace pulley belt bolt and battery and etc. I told her it's one of recall. After that the service advisor told me that she will call me back on that which she never did, my car was still at BMW manhattan. It's been a week in the dealer. I'm still waiting to know what happen.

- New Yirk, NY, USA

problem #8

Mar 022015

X5 6-cyl

  • 62,000 miles
After changing the battery, the vehicle has no operating dash lights, gauge indications, turn signals, or bright lights. Additionally, the windshield wiper continuously swipes, but has no ability to spray washer fluid or change the speed of the swipe. These conditions render it difficult to drive and see through the windshield, especially at night, and prevents the operator from monitoring the vehicle, identifying ones speed, or signaling a turn. Moreover, the continuous windshield wiper action impairs one's ability to see and is also distracting; making it dangerous to drive the vehicle.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

problem #7

Jan 162014

X5

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.

- West Hills, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 092013

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 24,562 miles
Ignition failed to restart engine due to battery drain. In one instance, battery discharged despite car having been driven for >1hr and then stopped for less than 15 minutes before failure to restart. Two other occasions were failure to start on the morning after vehicle last driven. Average outside air temps 5-30 degrees F. vehicle had less than 25K miles at first occurrence and less than 34K at two most recent occurrences. Battery this new should not have issues holding a charge. Suspect diesel fuel filter heater failure to shut off, resulting in battery drain (see NHTSA campaign number: 13V339000). 3 occurrences to date, all were during cold temperatures when ffh would have been activated. Jan 2013, January 3, 2014 and February 17, 2014. Additional electrical system failures noted as a result of battery drain issues include multiple warning indicators (passenger airbag, diesel exhaust fluid indicator warning, brake pad warning, among others).

- Larchmont, NY, USA

problem #5

Aug 232013

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 40,000 miles
My BMW 2010 X5 diesel caught on fire in the center console area after only a few minutes after driving car. The source of the fire seemed to originate under the center console cargo area as a hole about the size of the quarter was burned up though the bottom of the cargo area. The initial indicator of the problem included smoke coming through vents. Additional problems occurred when attempting to stop the car as it was difficult to put it in park while it was on fire. When exiting the vehicle flames were coming out of the cargo area. The car was very good shape otherwise with no problems and the car has been in for service in the beginning of the year. The car is currently still under warranty.

- Washington , DC, USA

problem #4

Feb 192013

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 29,000 miles
I was driving my X5, 90 minutes from home, when I noticed my steering was unusually stiff. It was 5 degrees outside, so I assumed it might have been too cold. I was able to move over to the right lane, and turn onto the nearest side street. At that point I got a code saying "battery discharge". I assumed it had something to do with the keyless ignition, so I shut it off and tried to turn it back on. It didn't work, and it gave me the same warning again. In addition, the onboard system was giving messages of each of the systems that was shutting down, ultimately, with everything shutting off, including the emergency lights. I had to have the car towed. After the dealership looked at the car the next day, they told me this was part of a recall for the idler pulley bolt. I looked this up, and discovered the letter dated Nov. 26th describing this recall from BMW to NHTSA. We started the purchasing process of this vehicle on Nov. 26th, ultimately purchasing it on Nov. 30th. The carfax did not show this recall repair when we purchased it. My dealership is claiming they repaired it that week, before we picked it up, (again, no mention of a repair). My concern is this: If it was repaired in November, this repair failed. If they ignored this recall and sold me the car, that would be negligent. Furthermore, we had the car into the dealership in January 2013 for a tire issue. If they had not done the repair in November, certainly they were responsible to repair it then. Obviously they didn't. now, the car completely fails, and is in the shop. This repair took 3 days! I am unsure of the safely, as well as this failure being just a pulley bolt. I am aware of the most recent recall of Feb.19th, for electrical problems, but at this time, doesn't include the X5? the pulley bolt problem doesn't seem to fully describe the loss of steering and power I experienced.

- Twin Lakes, WI, USA

problem #3

May 012012

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 16,000 miles
After engine start, message displays on control display indicating increased battery drain and that the vehicle should be serviced soon. Display shows vehicle on what appears to be a lift. Contacted BMW at St. Albans who recommended that I purchase a battery charger so that I may charge the vehicle at night! problem has reappeared several times with no specific causal factor (leaving the ignition on after engine stop, leaving doors open, etc.)

- Ona, WV, USA

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