10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
60,252 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2010 BMW X5 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #20

Jun 302017

X5

  • miles

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

My vehicle is having engine light and stron fuel smell. I took vechie to BMW service center and been told that car has egr coolant problem. According to service center that repair for recall #11E-A03 for egr valve was perfomed in 2016 which I not been told. Now I am getting egr coolant issue and BMW is recognized that this is related to egr system related issue. It is common compliant among vehicle owners but BMW is not accepting that this manufacturing fault and may cause some terrible outcome if vehicle stopped while driving on the freeway. I am requesting NHTSA to demand BMW to recognize this issue and fix it as recall or under warranty.

- Secaucus, NJ, USA

problem #19

Apr 272017

X5

  • 91,500 miles
This car has an excessive oil consumption issue that the manufacturer was aware of which explains why they no longer make this engine. In a 30 day period I put about 2 additional quarts of oil in the vehicle. The tail pipe is smoking and liquid is coming out of it when the vehicle is running for a long period of time and is idle. The cost to repair it at a BMW dealer is $6,000. I have already paid $2,500 to replace the vaccum pump and O rings due to an oil leak. Also have also experienced a total engine shut down which cost me $3,300 to replace the belt tensioner and deflection pulley and ribbed V belt and air compressor. The car gave no warnings and it the engine just started stalling and then it just died and at that point a coolant light came on but it would not drive anymore at that point. This issue should be covered by the manufacturer. The entire engine needs to be replaced.

- Grovetown, GA, USA

problem #18

Feb 022017

X5

  • 92,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing chain fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.

- Diamond Bar, CA, USA

problem #17

Dec 142016

X5

  • 89,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and a fuel and smoke odor was present. In addition, black smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

- West New York, NJ, USA

problem #16

Dec 122016

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 66,000 miles
A known defect of an engine compartment partition/seal caused outside water to enter the engine compartment. The water drips and accumulates over the last fuel injectors, leading to an eventual short. When the short occurs, the vehicle looses all power. The engine shuts off preventing acceleration, power steering no longer functional, power brakes no longer assisted. The short occurred while driving through an intersection. The car stalled in the middle of the intersection and needed to be towed. Fortunately, traffic was minimal and other vehicles were able to slow down and drive around my vehicle, preventing a collision.

- Fayetteville, NY, USA

problem #15

Oct 072016

X5

  • 90,000 miles
I had an issue with my 2010 BMW X5 concerning the engine stalling while in a parking lot after the check engine light illuminated. We had it towed to a BMW dealership to address the problem. After the dealer investigated the problem, they found that the vanos bolts to the exhaust camshaft had fallen out and caused the engine to shut down. After doing some online investigation, we soon realized that a recall had been initiated from BMW for this exact fault and all affected vehicles were to be brought to a nearby service center for repair. The recall number is 14V-176. The recall also specifically states that there is an extended warranty for any vehicle within this model year range and engine type. Due to the fact that this vehicle was purchased in germany from a us affiliated dealer as a us spec vehicle, this recall was never acknowledged because the vehicle was registered in germany and never warranty registered in the us. This vehicle is currently not operational and BMW corporate in germany does not recognize this vehicle for recall or warranty repairs because they do not recognize BMW usa spec vehicles. We cannot get this vehicle repaired unless we ship this inoperable vehicle back to the usa at our own expense. This is a huge loophole that our vehicle has fallen into and there are open recalls affected on this vehicle that we cannot get repaired until it is returned back to the usa. This is completely unacceptable that a major safety issue can go unaddressed and BMW will not honor it. There needs to be resolution on this from BMW to not only address this outstanding safety issue but to capture future recall concerns on other vehicles in this situation. As an Agency that enforces such regulations pertaining to these issues, I'm hoping that your organization will be able to help me. The vehicle stalled while traveling in a parking lot, we had just left the autobahn

- Apo, AE, USA

problem #14

Sep 292015

X5

  • 79,000 miles

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

BMW X5 diesel. My car has been in the shop for a week. BMW will not replace a part that was part of a voluntary recall. This is the second time. Scr metering valve - service action: Replace the selective catalyst reduction (scr) metering unit. Si B18 04 12 exhaust systems

- Vienna, VA, USA

problem #13

Jun 272015

X5

  • 66,000 miles
Passenger door got locked - unable to open. Deler had to take door out to fix. This major safety issue with very expensive repair from BMW dealer. Got engine light for diesel fuel tank sensor. BMW told me to take two month to get part from germany. Waiting for part and high repair bill. Again got engine light for other reason. I am com earn about safest of my 2010 BMW X5 diesel model and like help from NHTSA. Thanks.

- Hillsborough, NJ, USA

problem #12

May 092015

X5

  • 36,000 miles
On three separate occasions my BMW X5 has lost engine power on the highway. It has happened after driving a few hours. The engine suddenly loses power. The last time it happened the transmission problem light went on. Our car has now been at the fresno BMW dealership for one month. Nothing has been fixed and we are not getting any information from the service department. This car is unsafe to drive.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #11

Jul 052010

X5 6-cyl

  • miles
2010 BMW X5 diesel service date service issue 7/5/10 programming control units replacing charge-air temperature sensor 7/24/12 check engine light on 10/10/12 check engine light on - car failed sunoco emissions inspection 3X. Brought the car to BMW to figure out why. BMW sterling passed it. No reason answer provided for emissions failure 1/11/13 check engine light is on 2/5/13 check engine light is on 8/21/13 check engine light is on 11/28/14 check engine light is on 1/28/15 check engine light on service bulletins and voluntary recalls: One in particular: Si B18 05 12 exhaust systems NHTSA action number 10045284 and 10054008. There are several other sb's that relate, as well. Egr, scr cats, O2 sensors, airflow, charge air temp, intake temp sensor, software, etc, etc...all of it centers around the control and balance of emissions control. The problem has been ignored by BMW, for far too long. Jan. 2014 repairs: 1. perform carbon cleaning and replace intake manifold 2. carbon scrape, egr and manifold R&R (2nd time egr replaced) 4. BM11-12-7-796-378 profile-gasket 5. BM13-53-7-794-553 O-ring 6. BM13-53-7-787-236 O-ring 7. BM13-53-2-247-156 gasket ring 8. BM11-61-8-519-140 intake manifold with 9. BM11-71-8-517-217 egr-valve 10. Injectors 11. Catalytic converter and nox sensors were not replaced at this time, but should have been. April 2014 catalytic converter needs to be replaced now. Nox sensors are not failing, but need to be replaced because they are underperforming. Not covered under warranty, even though they were replaced once.

- Vienna, VA, USA

problem #10

Mar 212015

X5

  • 48,009 miles

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

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 #9

Jan 032015

X5

  • miles
While driving the engine loss power and put the car into neutral. All power steering was loss as well. Thankfully I was able to pull off the road safely. The car restarted once, then loss power when one tried to accelerate. The car would not restart. During this whole time no warning or service lights came on, the vehicle status said all systems were ok, when obviously they were not since the car just stopped working while driving.

- West Chester, OH, USA

problem #8

Dec 172009

X5

  • 100 miles
Continual problem - car hesitates when accelerating from a stop or low speed. There is a pause between stepping on the accelerator and response from the engine. Complained numerous times over the years to several dealers - some acknowledged the problem but stated that it was normal for that engine. They seemed to have fixed the problem in later models but did not even try in the earlier ones. It can be a serious safety issue when acceleration is needed.

- Celebration, FL, USA

problem #7

Aug 222014

X5 6-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
I was driving the car and I received an overheating signal on the dash. I turn car off and let it cool off but ut did not wokrd. I kept having the same overheating issued. I noticed there is a recall but BMW X5 2010 to 2011 for the same issued of the water pump. I took it to the dealership and the do not want to fix it stating my car is not part of the recall. I argued that is the same make, model and year of the recall. I was told there was nothing hey can do. I called BMW of America and stated the same problem but no help. My concern is if those 2010 to 2011 BMW X5 are having the same problem, why is mine not included in the recall when is has been clearly diagnotic by BMW that the water pump is the problem.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #6

Apr 222014

X5 6-cyl

  • 51,200 miles
My car stalls especially when starting to drive in the morning, or after stopping at a light. It runs on reduced power jerking for a few miles with the engine light flickering on and off at times. The dealership advised me to use only shell gasoline, never let the tank be less than a quarter tank, but that did not improve the problem.

- Olney, MD, USA

problem #5

Oct 022013

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 50,000 miles
I was told by BMW that it was the egr high pressure heater leaking, wherein the leak causes diesel exhaust fumes to enter the cabin while driving without warning. I observed this mostly as I pull back from my garage, when idling and randomly as I drive. I've noticed a strong noxious smell in the cabin, which gave me nausea and headache. I remedied it by venting the cabin then recirculating the air. It happens constantly except when I circulate the air in the cabin regardless of when I'm in the road or parked in front of my garage. (I figured this prevents the fumes from the hood entering the cabin).I am finally having it repaired for $800 maybe more as I will find out tomorrow the final cost. I've read in the forums that this is not uncommon even below 15K mileage X5S which is virtually new and has occurred in different vehicle mileages. This is potentially dangerous and a health hazard to drivers and infants. BMW should be shouldering this unacceptable hardware failure!

- Denton, TX, USA

problem #4

Jan 232014

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 72,000 miles
Exhaust is entering the cabin through the venting filling the car with harmful gases. I brought it to the dealer and they diagnosed it as a egr cooler/valve issue. There is currently an "open campaign" for the erg bracket to be replaced by BMW but no safety recalls on the egr cooler or valve. I am concerned about the safety of this issue since the leak starts off slow and undetectable at first then grows to be a serious burn in your eyes and nose. This could be especially harmful to families with young children.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #3

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 #2

Jan 212013

X5 6-cyl Diesel

  • 53,500 miles
2010 BMW X5 3.5 diesel was brought in for service to diagnose exhaust smell in the cabin. Diagnostics unveiled a cracked egr cooler that allowed raw exhaust fumes to enter the cabin, potentially resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning to driver and passengers.

- Lorton, VA, USA

problem #1

Dec 262012

X5

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was awaiting diagnosis. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 38,000.

- Longview, TX, USA

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