BMW X5 problems by year
4,402 complaints across 23 model years, 2001–2025. 2011 draws the most at 395; 2018 the fewest at 103.
Read this first
Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold as much as how reliable they were. A popular model year will always look worse than a rare one. Compare the dominant failure system between years rather than the raw totals.
Every model year
| Year | Complaints | Top reported system | Crashes | Fires | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 215 | Engine and engine cooling (16.3%) | 7 | 19 | 0 |
| 2002 | 136 | Engine and engine cooling (15.4%) | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 2003 | 134 | Engine and engine cooling (18.7%) | 5 | 20 | 0 |
| 2005 | 109 | Air bags (14.7%) | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| 2006 | 221 | Air bags (39.8%) | 6 | 17 | 0 |
| 2007 | 119 | Air bags (32.8%) | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2008 | 319 | Air bags (21.0%) | 4 | 19 | 0 |
| 2009 | 203 | Air bags (22.2%) | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 2010 | 190 | Engine (21.1%) | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | 395most | Engine (27.8%) | 9 | 23 | 0 |
| 2012 | 374 | Engine (24.6%) | 7 | 13 | 0 |
| 2013 | 217 | Air bags (23.0%) | 3 | 13 | 0 |
| 2014 | 131 | Fuel/propulsion system (16.0%) | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| 2015 | 203 | Engine (20.7%) | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| 2016 | 114 | Electrical system (20.2%) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 113 | Electrical system (15.0%) | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 | 103 | Electrical system (14.6%) | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 283 | Electrical system (25.4%) | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 162 | Electrical system (24.1%) | 6 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021 | 174 | Electrical system (21.8%) | 21 | 7 | 0 |
| 2022 | 124 | Power train (20.2%) | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 253 | Electronic stability control (ESC) (22.1%) | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 110 | Electronic stability control (ESC) (16.4%) | 19 | 1 | 0 |