2001 BMW M5 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 2001 BMW M5, 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
- Airbags375.0%
- Tires & wheels125.0%
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW M5. WHILE PARKED, THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V421000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW M5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V421000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 66,800.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
HI, I PURCHASED A PAIR OF MICHELIN PS2 HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES FOR $600 FROM TIRERACK.COM AND NOTICED THAT THE LATERAL TREAD / GROVES ARE BLOCKED WITH EXCESS RUBBER THROUGHOUT BOTH TIRES. THEY WERE INSTALLED ON 12/06/2008. I RECEIVED DOCUMENTATION FROM ANOTHER TIRE MANUFACTURER THAT STATES THE LATERAL GROVES PLAY AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION TO DISPERSE WATER TO MINIMIZE HYDROPLANING. CURRENTLY, TIRERACK DENIES MY CLAIM FOR AN EXCHANGE. I CONTACTED MICHELIN AND THEY REFERRED ME BACK TO TIRERACK. HTTP://WWW.YOKOHAMATIRE.COM/CUSTOMER_SERVICE/CONSTRUCTION_TREAD.ASPX THE BLOCKAGE IS DIFFICULT TO REMOVE AND WOULD REQUIRE ME TO USE A SHARP UTILITY KNIFE TO MY TIRES. I AM NOT SURE WHAT MICHELIN WOULD SAY IF THEY KNEW I TOOK A KNIFE TO MY TIRES. TIRERACK SO FAR HAS DENIED MY REQUEST FOR AN EXCHANGE CLAIMING THE PROBLEM IS COSMETIC AND WOULD GO AWAY. I DIFFER BECAUSE THE PROBLEM BLOCKS A FUNCTIONAL SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE AREA OF THE TIRE AND PREVENTS ITS ABILITY TO DISPERSE WATER. TIRERACK'S WRITTEN WARRANTY POLICY STATES THAT THEY WOULD WORK WITH ME AND THE MANUFACTURER TO RESOLVE A CLAIM. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED ACCORDING TO MY KNOWLEDGE. I HAVE EVEN SUBMITTED A VIDEO AND PICTURES. I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE AS A CONSUMER WHO PAID A PREMIUM FOR THE MOST EXPENSIVE AND HIGHEST PERFORMANCE TIRES AVAILABLE, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE PIECE OF MIND THAT THEY WILL NOT FAIL... AND WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY, A CONSUMER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CONTEMPLATE IF, WHEN OR THE LIKELIHOOD AN ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR - EVEN IF ONE PERCEIVES THE LIKELIHOOD TO BE LOW. I'D RATHER NOT TAKE THAT CHANCE AND IT ONLY TAKES ONE EVENT TO CHANGE SOMEONE(S) LIFE FOREVER. I THEREFORE FEEL THAT TIRERACK HAS DELAYED THIS ISSUE FOR OVER A MONTH AND HAS NO REGARD FOR MY SAFETY OR THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS ON THE ROAD BY MAKING A SWIFT EXCHANGE. TIRERACK HAS SO FAR ONLY SHOWN SIGNS OF ONLY WANTING TO MAKE MONEY IRREGARDLESS OF SAFETY. PLEASE FOLLOW UP ON MY CONCERNS. *TR
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 .