ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
2006 BMW 5 Series
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 85 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2006 BMW 5 Series, most frequently naming the airbags, electrical and engine categories. 8 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 57 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2006 | 1 | 1 |
| Apr 2006 | 2 | 3 |
| Jul 2006 | 1 | 4 |
| Aug 2006 | 1 | 5 |
| Oct 2006 | 1 | 6 |
| Nov 2006 | 5 | 11 |
| Dec 2006 | 2 | 13 |
| Jan 2007 | 1 | 14 |
| Aug 2007 | 1 | 15 |
| Dec 2007 | 1 | 16 |
| Mar 2008 | 1 | 17 |
| Apr 2008 | 1 | 18 |
| Jun 2008 | 1 | 19 |
| Jul 2008 | 1 | 20 |
| Apr 2009 | 1 | 21 |
| May 2009 | 1 | 22 |
| Jun 2009 | 1 | 23 |
| Jul 2009 | 2 | 25 |
| Aug 2009 | 1 | 26 |
| Dec 2009 | 1 | 27 |
| Jan 2010 | 2 | 29 |
| Apr 2010 | 1 | 30 |
| Jun 2010 | 1 | 31 |
| Sep 2010 | 1 | 32 |
| Oct 2010 | 1 | 33 |
| Nov 2010 | 1 | 34 |
| Dec 2010 | 1 | 35 |
| Jan 2011 | 1 | 36 |
| Mar 2011 | 4 | 40 |
| Apr 2011 | 4 | 44 |
| May 2011 | 2 | 46 |
| Jun 2011 | 2 | 48 |
| Jul 2011 | 3 | 51 |
| Aug 2011 | 4 | 55 |
| Sep 2011 | 1 | 56 |
| Nov 2011 | 1 | 57 |
| Mar 2012 | 2 | 59 |
| May 2012 | 1 | 60 |
| Oct 2012 | 1 | 61 |
| Dec 2012 | 2 | 63 |
| Mar 2013 | 1 | 64 |
| Apr 2013 | 1 | 65 |
| Sep 2013 | 1 | 66 |
| Nov 2013 | 1 | 67 |
| Dec 2013 | 1 | 68 |
| Feb 2014 | 1 | 69 |
| Mar 2014 | 2 | 71 |
| Apr 2014 | 1 | 72 |
| May 2014 | 1 | 73 |
| Oct 2014 | 1 | 74 |
| Nov 2014 | 1 | 75 |
| Jan 2015 | 1 | 76 |
| Feb 2015 | 1 | 77 |
| Jul 2015 | 2 | 79 |
| Mar 2016 | 1 | 80 |
| Jan 2017 | 1 | 81 |
| Apr 2017 | 1 | 82 |
| May 2017 | 1 | 83 |
| Sep 2017 | 1 | 84 |
| May 2019 | 1 | 85 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Airbags3629.5%
- Electrical1915.6%
- Engine86.6%
- Visibility75.7%
- Brakes75.7%
- Exterior lighting75.7%
- Interior & seats64.9%
- Transmission64.9%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
8 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION
BMW IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN ON APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MY04 THROUGH MY06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05 TO CORRECT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AREMY04- 06/ 5-SERIES WITH STANDARD AND SPORT SEATS, MY04-06/ X3-SERIES AND MY06/ 3-SERIES WITH SPORT SEATS. IN ADDITION, BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT TO 10-YEAR/UNLIMITED MILEAGE ON APPROXIMATELY 120,000 REMAINING MY04-06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ARE MY 06/ 6 SERIES, MY 06/ 3-SERIES WITH STANDARD SEATS, MY04-05/ Z4, MY04-06/ 7 SERIES, MY 06/ X5, AND MY04-06/ 5-SERIES WITH COMFORT SEATS.THE AVERAGE FREQUENCY OF FAILURES AMONG THE EXTENDED WARRANTY GROUPS WAS LESS THAN 1/7TH OF THE RECALL VEHICLE GROUPS.PLEASE SEE BMW'S 08V-384 RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR FURTHER DETAILSDEPENDING ON SEAT CONFIGURATION AND VEHICLE GEOMETRY, THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT CAN FATIGUE DURING USE DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT.SPECIFICALLY, OVER TIME, MICRO-CRACKS COULD DEVELOP IN THE SIDE FLANKS OF THE MAT CAUSING A BROKEN CIRCUIT.A BROKENCIRCUIT CAN LEAD TO THE DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE ILLUMINATION OF BOTH THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT.
BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION
IN CERTAIN MY 2005 THROUGH MY 2006 BMW VEHICLES, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) FOR THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIRBAG MAY MALFUNCTION AND RENDER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG INOPERATIVE.IN JUNE 2006, BMW ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (SI B 72 02 06) REGARDING THE ILLUMINATION OF THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS LAMP.ILLUMINATION OF THESE LIGHTS WARN THAT AN OPEN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT MAY BE PRESENT WITHIN THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT SENSOR.WHEN BOTH OF THE LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED, THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN A FRONTAL CRASH.CERTAIN BMW VEHICLES IN ADDITION TO THE SUBJECT VEHICLES CONTAIN THE SAME SEAT MAT SENSOR.THESE ARE THE MY 2004 5-SERIES, 7-SERIES AND X3, THE MY 2004 THROUGH 2006Z-4 SERIES AND MY 2006 3-SERIES, 6-SERIES AND X5 VEHICLES.AN IMPROVED SEAT MAT SENSOR WAS INTRODUCED IN DECEMBER 2005 FOR THE MID-MY 2006 PRODUCTION.IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER, BMW PROVIDED 1,172 OWNER REPORTS AND 28,238 WARRANTY CLAIMS.INITIAL REVIEW OF THE DATA INDICATE THAT 280 NON-DUPLICATING OWNER REPORTS AND 13,051 NON-DUPLICATING WARRANTY CLAIMS MAY BE RELATED THE SUBJECT DEFECT ISSUE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLESTHIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION IS BEING UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA08-001).
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 5 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE LEAKED OIL AND THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS. THE BRAKES WORKED NORMALLY WHEN APPLIED AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT A NEW POWER BRAKE BOOSTER AND VACUUM PUMP NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,932. *DT
- NHTSA ID
- 11209794
- Incident
- May 22, 2019
- Mileage
- 104,932 mi
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT HAD TO BE REPLACED AS IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THOUGH NOT IN PREVIOUS RECALLS IN SIMILAR BMWS AND SIMILAR YEARS, THE ERROR PRESENTED A SAFETY ISSUE THAT WOULD DISABLE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS AND INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY DURING A CRASH. WITH THIS ERROR, I WAS FORCED TO REPAIR THE SEAT MAT AND EXPENDED $1.5K TO REMEDY THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THIS SEAT MAT ISSUE IS A KNOWN BMW PROBLEM THAT BMW AND NHTSA HAVE NOT ADDRESSED. VIN: [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 11024085
- Incident
- Jun 21, 2017
- Mileage
- 74,000 mi
NAVIGATION DISPLAY REBOOTS CONSTANTLY. WORKS PERIODICALLY. THIS DISPLAY GIVES ME ACCESS TO ALL OF THE CARS FEATURES INCLUDING WARNINGS AND MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE VEHICLE. IF THE DISPLAY WORKS WHEN THE CAR IS ON IT MAY NOT WORK IF YOU TURN OFF THE CARD AND TURN IT BACK ON.
- NHTSA ID
- 10984319
- Incident
- May 2, 2016
- Mileage
- 200,000 mi
HEAD LIGHTS ANGLE LIGHTS WIRES GETTING VERY DRY FROM THE HEAT OF THE LIGHT AND THE INSULATION COMING OFF THE OPTICAL WIRES, LIGHTS GO OUT, POSSIBLE SHORTING AND BECOME VERY UNSAFE.
- NHTSA ID
- 10979421
- Incident
- Apr 1, 2017
- Mileage
- 140,000 mi
THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG MALFUNCTIONED CASING THE SEAT TO HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND SENSOR REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS BUT MY CAR, AND 2 OF MY FRIENDS CARS WERE NOT INCLUDED ON THE RECALL, MY FRIENDS WERE CHARGED BY THE DEALERSHIP. MY ENGINE LEAKS OIL ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD CAUSING SMOKE IN THE CAB AND POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. ON EVERY BM I HAVE EVER OWNED THE RADIATOR LEAKS FLUID WHICH IS ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED.
- NHTSA ID
- 10939903
- Incident
- Feb 26, 2014
- Mileage
- 69,000 mi
MY PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT A MONTH AGO FOR APPARENT REASON AND STAY ON EVER SINCE. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL BMW DEALER AND WAS TOLD MY VIN WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED AND DONT UNDERSTAND WHY SOME CARS WERE ON THE RECALL AND SOME WERE NOT. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL BMWS AND A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THIS SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THE MANUFACTURE.
- NHTSA ID
- 10846358
- Incident
- Jan 12, 2016
- Mileage
- 80,000 mi
AIR CONDITIONING STOP WORK CAUSING MOTOR TO HEAT
- NHTSA ID
- 10744826
- Incident
- Mar 1, 2015
- Mileage
- 103,000 mi
STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTION LOCKS PREVENTING THE VEHICLE TO START STEERING WHEEL LOCKS WHILE DRIVING
- NHTSA ID
- 10744822
- Incident
- Feb 1, 2015
- Mileage
- 100,000 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle âÂÂdischarged batteryâ complaints.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low CDA594 - Message (- 0x33E) missing, receiver DME, transmitter TFE
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT
Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicleâÂÂs equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additionally, the red anti-theft alarm LED in the interior mirror does not briefly flash every 2 seconds, indicating the alarm is armed.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE; LANE DEPARTURE; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (ADCAM system) can lead to customer complaints.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle "discharged battery" complaints. In order to properly repair the vehicle the first time in the workshop, it is very important that the diagnostic test plans are performed to completion, with all results taken into consideration. Without performing the energy diagnosis test plan, the root cause of the discharged battery cannot be identified. This increases the chances of a repeat repair.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 31.2 |
| 2011 | 81 | 4 | 0 | 46.7 |
| 2010 | 6 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 105 | 4 | 0 | 48.3 |
| 2007 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 39.7 |
| 2006Viewing | 85 | 8 | 2 | 55.9 |
| 2005 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 58.8 |
| 2004 | 64 | 8 | 1 | 58.9 |
| 2003 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 49.5 |
| 2002 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 1997 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.