2006 BMW 525XI Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2006 BMW 525XI, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags1338.2%
- Electrical617.6%
- Brakes514.7%
- Engine411.8%
- Interior & seats25.9%
- Seat belts25.9%
- Driver assistance12.9%
- Powertrain (other)12.9%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
COMPUTER DRAWING DOWN BATTERY AND CAR WILL NOT START SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE WHEN IT'S DAMP AND RAINING THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON BMW WOULD LIKE $2500. TO REBOOT COMPUTER I THINK ITS A SCAM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 525XI. WHILE AN OCCUPANT WAS SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THAT THE AIR BAGS AND SEAT BELT WERE INOPERABLE THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT DETECTION MAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300,000. UPDATED 03/03/17*LJ *TR
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 525xi. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the contact smelled the odor of burning coming from the vehicle, and the contact noticed smoke coming from the trunk of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and notice that smoking was coming from the battery. The contact was able to stop the smoke. The vehicle would not restart, and the vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 154,000.
PCV issue UNKNOWN
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 525XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.
THE BRAKE LINES RUSTED THROUGH AND LOST FLUID VERY QUICKLY AS I WAS DRIVING. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A GARAGE, DRIVING VERY CAREFULLY. WHY ARE THE BRAKE LINES MADE OF A MATERIAL WHICH RUSTS? THE GARAGE TOLD ME THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THE BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED. THE COST WAS $491.88.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
PCV issue UNKNOWN
The engine overheated on January 27, 2022 and a warning appeared on the dash to pull over and turn off the engine. It was then towed to a repair facility, where it was determined that overheating caused the failure of radiater hoses, loss of coolant, and other damages. Repairs cost $2574.56 on January 29, 2022. When I contacted BMW and the dealer, I was told that did not want to hear about it until they have determined what remedy was available for the recall, and they told me they would noot listen to any complaints about damages until then.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
Driver side Seat mysteriously burned. Not sure how. Seat warmers were not on at the time.
THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM ALARM CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME WHILE SITTING IN A PARKING LOT. BMW SAYS THAT MY VEHICLE, A 2006 BMW 525XI IS NOT CAPTURED UNDER THE CURRENT RECALL 13V564000, WHICH FIXES THIS PROBLEM. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 525XI. WHILE AN OCCUPANT WAS SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THAT THE AIR BAGS AND SEAT BELT WERE INOPERABLE THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT DETECTION MAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300,000. UPDATED 03/03/17*LJ *TR
I GET SEAT BELT/AIRBAG COMMUNICATION FAULT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN I CAME TO RED LIGHT AND WENT TO PUSH MY BRAKE A WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH WITH THE MESSAGE LEFT BRAKE LAMP MALFUNCTION AND MY BRAKE WOULD NOT PUSH DOWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE LAST WEEK AND I FOUND AN OPEN RECALL THAT FITS MY CAR EXACTLY BUT MY CAR IN NOT COVERED. WHY???? *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH SPEED LIMIT 70 MPH, A WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED TRANSMISSION FAILURE & REDUCE SPEED. THE CAR SLOWED DOWN ITSELF WHILE ONGOING TRAFFIC APPROACHED EXTREMELY FAST. MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE TO THE 5TH OR 6TH GEAR. I HAD TO I GET OFF THE INTERSTATE AS QUICKLY AS I COULD. IN A PANIC I CALLED AAA TO TOW MY CAR. THINKING THERE WAS TRULY SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY TRANSMISSION, ALTHOUGH I KEPT UP WITH MAINTENANCE. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS MESSAGE THAT POPPED UP WAS INCORRECT. THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY TRANSMISSION.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .