2001 BMW X5 problems
NHTSA has received 215 complaints about the 2001 BMW X5, and 13% of them involve engine. Next are electrical system (11%) and air bags (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 215 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 13% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 17 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 120 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 19 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 18 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 9 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 120 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 82,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 106,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 17 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the BMW X5 with enough data (120 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 12 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Vehicle experienced unexpected acceleration. Causing the vehicle to accelerate like a rocket. Consumer sustained burns vehicle crashed into wall. The consumer received burns on right from black powder unknown from where it originated from. Hand was near the cruise control.
Failure of driver seat heating mechanism. Hole burned in bottom seat cushion and burn to occupant's (me) leg. This appears to be due to a short or break in the heating element. On-line research I've done indicates this is a widespread problem with this vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 BMW x5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle surged forward until crashing into a house. The contact was taken to the hospital to treat injuries. The vehicle was in the process of being taken to an authorized dealer to have the failure diagnosed. The contact also stated that the vehicle had been experiencing the failure on an intermittent basis for the past two years, in which the vehicle would momentarily surge forward while driving at various speeds.
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 BMW x5. While driving approximately 45 MPH, smoke entered into the vehicle and both the passenger and driver side air bags deployed. Shortly after the contact exited the vehicle, it became engulfed in flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
Parked x5 at a ace hardware store, a person came running in saying a car was on fire! It was my x5 in glen ellen il total loss allstate insurance claim #0158238170kr.