2012 BMW X5 problems
NHTSA has received 374 complaints about the 2012 BMW X5, and 28% of them involve engine. Next are air bags (24%) and drivetrain & axles (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 374 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 13
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 221 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 | 33 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 38 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 59 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 34 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 18 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 18 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 9 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 221 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 70,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 73,000 miles (77 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 13 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the BMW X5 with enough data (204 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 10 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.
The vehicle reverse unexpectedly resulting in crashing the owner when unloading grocery. The owner of the vehicle in hospitalize and underwent surgery. The owner broke both of his femur bones and right knee cap.
I was hit by a car turning left in front of me. Left front side and door hit. Wheel knocked at angle under car. Steering wheel airbag burned my right hand when it deployed.
Takata recall I still own my car and it is a group 7 repair that was supposed to receive a final remedy letter on or before january 2017. We have not received any such notification at this time. This needs to be fixed and BMW is not complying with the federal order! What can we do to get this repair completed?
Right inner brake light assembly on hatchback is prone to water damage which resulted in corrosion of LED contacts resulting in failure of the assembly. Loss of function was evident as this taillight went entirely dark and required replacement