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.
I was driving to work one morning On the highway, when I suddenly heard a loud sharp noise from the engine bay that followed with the engine and battery lights turning blinking on my display with sudden loss of steering. I panicked but quickly put my vehicle into neutral with my hazard lights on and slowly hit my brakes till I came to a complete stop on the highway. I got my vehicle towed back and upon further inspection saw that the idler pulley bolt snapped completely off. I researched and saw that this bolt has been recalled twice already with the same issue. If this was during a heavy traffic situation it could have been far worse.
Vehicle shudders and hesitates when making a hard left of right turn from a full stop. (ie. Turning right on red or pulling out of a place of business onto an active highway.) I read about 30 other complaints about the same issue - all pointing a faulty "transfer case". my vehicle 2011 bwm X5 35I has 76,000 miles. I do see a power train recall for the 2011 X5's but mine (for some unknown reason is not included and it is a 2011 (recall 17V138000) my mechanic said it was the transfer case and will cost $3,000 to repair.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X5. While driving in reverse, the steering wheel became hard to turn. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the power steering pump bolt on the pulley failed, which caused the steering wheel to seize and the alternator belt not to function. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V550000 (steering, engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Driving down street steering wheel locked up, car shut down, had it towed to BMW, they said engine, powertrain failed, warranty people refuse to pay to have fixed
- Greensboro, NC, USA
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2011 BMW X5 35I xdrive - my drive shaft broke (violent banging noise from the front of the car) while I was going 65 miles per hour on the freeway causing me to swerve to the left lane back over to the right lane. Super lucky that I barely missed hitting the cars next to me! I had hardly any control of the vehicle and the engine was still running while I coasted over to the side of the road / ditch. I lost almost 7 quarts of oil on the side of the road. My engine has a hole in it from the drive shaft. I did not receive a recall notice in the mail. The manufacture will be replacing my engine and some hoses that were destroyed. The dealer said this wasn't a recall, just an extended warranty since we have approx. 70,000 miles on the car. The dealer gave us a loaner car to use until our car is repaired. My concern is that owners should be notified immediately! had I known, I would of had my car inspected... now I'm out $325 dollars for towing expenses, a car that might not ever be quite the same, live 1hr 20 minutes from the dealer, and the memory of the dramatic event.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X5. While driving approximately 7 mph, a loud noise was heard from the engine compartment and the steering wheel lost power without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and replaced the belt bolt. The failure recurred after six months. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to a dealer. The dealer stated that a recall repair was already perfomed and could not be repeated. The vehicle was not repaired. The recall details were not provided. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
I purchased car 2011-sole owner dealer state replaces engine pulley bolt 2012? driving in dark and rain in mountains nc 1/24/17. All of a sudden lost ability to steer without a lot of force. Then got dash errors "charging malfunction", "engine overheating" transmission failure "no ABS" "drive cautiously ""turn off engine". I could not turn steering wheel hard enough to get off road. Pulled barely to side and turned engine off. Completely stranded and scared to death. Same broken bolt to be replaced. This is lethal situation and I am stuck with a killer car. Cannot afford to dump it. This car has required towing several times for engine failure that was "repaired". but I don't know what was done. In prior separate incident I was driving along engine light came on car sputtered and stopped-required towing. And takata recall also still waiting for airbags shoot shards. BMW will not replace. They think it is not hot in nc. I call 104 degrees hot.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn after the engine and battery warning indicators illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle however the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and was examined by an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the idler pulley bolt had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 12V550000 (engine and engine cooling, steering) however, the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 11V332000 (engine, engine cooling). The failure mileage was unknown.
Traveling South on inside lane of 121 near grapevine, my X5 suddenly made a really loud noises from the front left side, started losing power, liquid was spewing behind me and smoke coming out from underneath. I pulled over and saw oil gushing from the bottom of my 2011 X5. I had my 8 month old infant and my wife in the car, had to rush them out of the infant seat to ensure car does not catch on fire. Spend 2 hours waiting for tow and in the end it ended up being an front driveshaft breaking puncturing an oil pan and cutting few hoses and lines. There is an active recall on that BMW for that exact issue...updated 07/30/15 updated 10/23/2017
It feel like the car was vibrating while I was driving on the highway I took the exit so I can pull over and it started making clanking sound under the driver seat...when checked under the car drive shaft is missing screw as it came off and hitting the ground and car is not driveable...not sure what causes it. It could've killed us if I didn't exit as the highway was very busy and I am glad I pulled over. Reading on internet hong kong and europe have recall on this but I didn't see any recalls for this us...updated 06/01/16 updated 9/26/2017
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X5. While driving 55 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and the engine stalled. The check engine and brake warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the idle pulley bar and belt needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,560.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X5. The contact stated that the steering wheel would sporadically become difficult to turn. Additionally, there was an electrical failure within the instrument panel. The failure was recurring. The check engine warning light was also illuminated whenever the contact reversed from his driveway. The contact also stated that the vehicle could not be shifted from park to reverse or drive. The vehicle was towed twice to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the idle pulley bolt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred twice. The authorized dealer replaced the idler pulley belt a third time and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
Our 2011 BMW X5D (diesel) started having steering issues in Jun of 2012. Multiple repair attempts have been unsuccessful. Later it was involved in a low speed crash, injuring the driver in Dec 2012 due to a sudden loss of power steering. This was just months before issuing a recall for the identical problem although BMW identified problems before the initial problem was noticed. The vehicle still to this day has a problem with the sudden loss of power steering, difficult low speed maneuvers and unusual tire wear. We do have a recording of a BMW of North America master technician admitting to the problem that BMW refuses to correct. In fact BMW refuses to even perform work on our vehicle even though it's advertised as "no maintenance for 4years/50,000 miles" this is at any dealership we have gone to due to a note in the database from BMW of North America. Also vehicle service history has been fraudulently erased from their database and BMW refuses to further investigate the safety of this vehicle which was purchased new in 2010 and is still under full factory warranty. They insist the vehicle is safe to drive officially, while unofficially admitting that it is dangerous.
While driving my engine suddenly shut off along with power steering and power brakes. It started again and I took it to a BMW dealer that said I needed a $325 software update. I asked if that meant my engine would shut off while driving should by software ever go out of date. They said yes, it happens but not on all software updates. They also said software update come out about every 3 to 4 months meaning my engine could be shut off again at any time. I felt I had no choice but to pay the money so my car would run again. I am concerned now about driving at any higher rate of speed considering I could lose my steering and brakes anytime someone decides I need to update software that I was never informed was out of date.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bixby, OK, USA