10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
154,579 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.

2009 BMW X5 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2009 BMW X5 Owner Comments

problem #9

Dec 022019

X5

  • 85,000 miles

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

I own a 2009 BMW X5 diesel. BMW has recognized an issue with a sensor in the selective catalytic reduction (scr) active tank. The tank stores diesel fluid. Diesel fluid is added into diesel to reduce the amount of emissions that is released from the vehicle. BMW extended the warranty for this part but it is unknown how they determine the amount of this extension. My vehicle is over the extended warranty by 4 months but under the mileage limit by 40,000 miles. This issue should be a recall call and not an extended warranty with limited time to repair the issue. I attempted to resolve this with sean S. at BMW customer relations by informing him that this is my commuter vehicle and I have to drive this car every day. I also informed him that if not resolved this will lead to a large amount of pollution released to the environment. Sean S. acting as a representative of BMW North America stated they are only concerned about their business and their bottom line and only will assist me if I'm a loyal customer. They viewed me as not a smart business move to fix the issue and indicated they are not concern for the environment and ok for me to continue to drive this car that is putting out 10X the amount of pollution as gas. Researching the internet there are many BMW X5 owners driving their vehicle with this defective sensor and many using hacks to trick the ECU and many using alternative non oem parts and forcing a fitment. All of this is due to the limited time BMW is offering to fix this issue and the extreme cost of the repair at a BMW service center.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 272018

X5

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. The contact stated that she inadvertently placed the vehicle into reverse and the auto park function shifted into park. When the contact exited the vehicle, the auto park disengaged and the vehicle rolled backwards. The vehicle was taken to flow BMW (2565 peters creek pkwy, winston-salem, nc 27127, 366-788-3333) for diagnostic testing, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified and a field representative came to the contact's residence where it was diagnosed that there was water in the transmission case. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

problem #7

Jul 102017

X5

  • 99,000 miles
While driving at speeds up to 70 mph, the vehicle shuts off completely with no warning signs. When vehicle shuts off, all systems are completely off including power steering, antilock braking, the engine itself, all electrical systems, lights - everything completely powerless. The car will then not start for 10-15 minutes, but no check engine lights, and most importantly no errors logged in the computer. The first 2 times this happened was on a freeway at 60-70mph cruising speed. No sounds or warnings the X5 immediately shuts off. We have been fortunate enough to avoid a major accident or severe injury/death this could easily cause. This happened 5 times over a 14 month period, even after 2 BMW certified fixes. After the first incident, we brought it directly to BMW northwest in fife wa. The service department examined the vehicle, talked with BMW us headquarters - their recommendation was that we pay $800 to have the entire fuel system cleaned, and the cause of the problem was likely debris in the fuel lines. We consented to the fix and paid for the repair. After getting the vehicle back it happened 2 additional times. Once again on a freeway going 60 mph, another time on a side street going 30 mph. We then took it back to BMW northwest, they found that there were 3 parts in the fuel system that had not been 'recalled' but were under some type of warranty. Claimed it was a free $3500+ repair, we took it home after the 'fix'. 3 months later, the same issue occurred 1 time while driving the vehicle at about 35 mph. Took it back to BMW nw again, this time they are claiming 3 fuel injectors need to be replaced (but they recommend all 6, even though they were previously determined not to be the cause of the issue). They want to 'eliminate' the possibility with the said fix but believe that is likely not the cause and the root is electrical issues.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #6

Jul 012016

X5

  • 68,247 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. The contact stated that an abnormal noise could be heard from the rear of the vehicle while traveling various speeds. The failure occurred without warning. BMW of denver downtown (1040 S Colorado blvd, denver, co) diagnosed that the driveshaft was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,247.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #5

Jun 092015

X5

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. While driving, the contact smelled something burning from the air conditioning vents and smoke began to fill the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the failure. The failure occurred numerous times, which resulted in a crash. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The contact received a notice for NHTSA campaign number: 17V683000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer (BMW of South atlanta, 4171 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291 (770) 969-0755). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 160,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Tyrone, GA, USA

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problem #4

Feb 262017

X5

  • 121,000 miles
I was driving on the freeway and suddenly I felt a power loss. Shortly after I realized I had no power steering. Immediately, I pulled over and looked under the hood and saw the drive belt tensioner pulley was broken and was out of place.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #3

Apr 162016

X5

  • 80,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The steering wheel became difficult to turn and the gear selector shifted from the drive position to the neutral position. Afterwards, the engine light illuminated. The contact could not restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic, but was not able to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Davis, CA, USA

problem #2

Oct 162014

X5

  • 44,960 miles
Driving through the neighbor hood after some rain, ended up driving through a few inches of rain water, while the opposite traffic struck the same puddle, it caused the front of intake system right under the hood to suck in water causing the BMW SUV to light up multiple sensors, loose alot of power and 4X4 traction stability to act up. The rainwater that got ingested almost causing the engine to hydrolock or sieze up. The SUV became undepedable due to all the error codes acting lighting up and causing the SUV to run at low power.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #1

May 182013

X5 8-cyl

  • 640,000 miles
I was driving on the 95 South, between exit 28 to 39( willmington area, MA) yesterday ( 5/18/13) about 6:30pm. I was on fast lane, driving about 70 mph, suddenly the car lost power, the dashboard warning sign showing power output down. The speed of car suddenly dropped, I had to pull over to breakdown lane, but the cars behind me could not stop quick enough, it collided with my back bumper, luckily no personal injury, and the car only got slight scratch. Thanks to the cars behind me slowed down in time. It was so scare for me, never had such thing as loss of power before on highway. There must be something wrong with the BMW electronic design. To avoid other accidents, please investigate this thoroughly. It could cause fatal results if happens to someone else. Thanks.

- Andover, MA, USA

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