2021 BMW X5 problems
NHTSA has received 175 complaints about the 2021 BMW X5, and 22% of them involve electrical system. Next are engine (18%) and drivetrain & axles (18%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 175 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 21 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 18,000 miles 41 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 | 21 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 41 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 18,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 49,000 miles (13 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 21 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 27 model years of the BMW X5 with enough data (175 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.
The contact owned a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that while sitting in the vehicle and with the vehicle running, it suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the vehicle jolted into traffic and collided first with a bicyclist before continuing on to collide with the rear of another vehicle. The bicyclist sustained minor injuries. A pedestrian later reported that they were also struck by the vehicle, but the contact stated that she was skeptical of the validity of their claim. The air bags did deploy.
2021 X5 M50i: The driver's knee airbag deployed in a crash and lacerated my left lower leg down to the muscle and abraded most of the layers of skin on my right shin. I was taken to the ER by ambulance. The laceration could only be partially sutured together. There was no shrapnel in the wounds. I have to go to a wound care center to treat the mentioned injuries. Everything else on me was fine, just some bruises and sore muscles; my car saved my life. I was not at fault.
My x5 was parked in my garage and started by itself while I was outside of my house with garage doors closed. I was able to stop the engine by using the BMW connected app. I did not have any scheduled or programmed start events.I called BMW corporate and was told to take the x5 to a dealer for a diagnostic scan which could not be scheduled for two days from now.
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for an oil change and the contact was informed that there was coolant leaking from the water pump and that the water pump needed to be replaced to prevent further damage to the internal components of the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.