2011 BMW X5 problems
NHTSA has received 395 complaints about the 2011 BMW X5, and 30% of them involve engine. Next are air bags (18%) and drivetrain & axles (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 395 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 23
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 269 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 | 34 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 41 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 84 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 41 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 25 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 17 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 6 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 269 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 70,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 71,000 miles (102 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 23 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the BMW X5 with enough data (205 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 14 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.
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.
Electric water pump failed at only 40k-50k miles. Engine overheated and risky for safe driving. I checked online for any related recall and find the following, which is the same problem for my vehicle. But it was not covered by the recall. This recall should cover more vehicles. Electric auxiliary water pump report receipt date: oct 20, 2011 NHTSA campaign number: 11v521000 component(s): engine and engine cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW x5. While operating the vehicle, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine had overheated. Upon inspection, it was discovered that hot water had leaked from the engine area. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer (united BMW, 11458 alpharetta hwy, roswell ga) where it was diagnosed that the water pump and thermostat had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but while leaving the dealer, the vehicle began to violently shake and rattle.