2005 BMW X5 problems
NHTSA has received 109 complaints about the 2005 BMW X5, and 16% of them involve engine. Next are air bags (15%) and brakes (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 109 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 89,000 miles 81 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 | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 22 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 81 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 89,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 83,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 89% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 25th most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the BMW X5 with enough data (26 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 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.
My father was sitting in his parked car in his driveway and his car caught on fire. A neighbor witnessed it she said it was engulfed in flames within seconds and my father died from smoke inhalation due to the fire. Aberdeen WA police department and fire department examined the vehicle and investigated the cause and determined it started in the vehicle engine. Also the coroner did an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
I noticed the recall on the brake system for 2007 -2010 BMW x5, but think they should include other years of same model. My brake light came on saying check brake linings. Had the brake pads redone and after leaving was almost in 4 accidents due to the brake boosters failing. After full analysts from BMW they said 1800.00 to replace, but have never had any problems with my brakes until they were replaced.
Leaving house we found the brake pedal not functioning properly and pedal going all the way to the floor before engaging. Brake lines damaged. Brake lines needed to be fabricated and replaced.