RoadVitals

2008 BMW M5 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
6
Latest Apr 26, 2021
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
3
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Oct 6, 2014

What this page shows

Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 BMW M5. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–6 of 6

Engine
Filed Apr 26, 2021
Fire reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 BMW M5. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARALLEL PARK, THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED TO REVERSE AND A LOUD POP NOISE WAS HEARD AS FLAMES WAS SEEN COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SCREAM TO HIM THAT THERE WAS FIRE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PARKED, OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT WAS FILED. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND NO MEDICAL TREATMENT WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOWING YARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS NOTIFIED AND HE WAS AWAITING A DIAGNOSIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE MANUFACTURER NOR THE LOCAL DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE HAD REPLACED THE ENGINE WHICH WOULD HAVE HAD APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE'S ODOMETER WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000.

NHTSA ID
11413930
Incident
Apr 24, 2021
Mileage
45,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceSteering
Filed Jun 8, 2020

WHILE DRIVING MY BMW M5, THE VEHICLE BECAME MOMENTARILY UNSTABLE WHILE DRIVING ON STATE ROUTE 52 BETWEEN WALKER VALLEY AND ELLENVILLE AROUND A TURN @ ~50MPH. SHORTLY AFTER THE ABS AND DSC LIGHTS BECAME ILLUMINATED. I HAVE SEVERAL VEHICLES SO I DID NOT DRIVE THIS CAR AND COULD NOT GET REPAIRED IMMEDIATELY DUE TO COVID-19. I AM NOT SURE THE EXACT DATE IN WHICH THIS OCCURRED BUT DROPPED OFF TO ORANGE COUNTY BMW ON 5/19/2020. AFTER INSPECTION IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPLETE DSC UNIT (HYDRO / ELECTRIC) COMPLETELY FAILED. MEANING THERE WAS ALTERED STABILITY CONTROL, ABS BRAKING AND COME TO FIND OUT STEERING. THE STEERING SENSORS WERE DIAGNOSED AFTER THE NEW DSC UNIT WAS INSTALLED AND COULD NOT BE PROGRAMMED DUE TO FAULTY STEERING SENSORS. NOT ONLY WAS THIS SOMETHING EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO HAPPEN, IT WAS ALSO EXTREMELY COSTLY TO REPAIR. TO BMW'S CREDIT THEY DID COVER THE FAULTY STEERING SENSORS BUT THE DSC UNIT THAT KEEPS THE VEHICLE HEADING IN THE DIRECTION THAT YOU STEER THE CAR.....WAS NOT. I ATTACHED THE INVOICE FROM BMW CONFIRMING ALL THAT WAS STATED ABOVE. I AM SURE THIS HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THIS WAS DOCUMENTED. *TR

NHTSA ID
11327721
Incident
May 19, 2020
Mileage
40,480 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Sep 27, 2019
Fire reported

ALL WIRES LEADING INTO THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE DETERIORATED AND ARE BARE. IT KEEPS SHORTING OUT THE LIGHTS AND SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR FIRE HAZARD. THIS IS A GARAGE KEPT CAR WITH 80K MILES. APPEARS MANY MANY OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP.

NHTSA ID
11258658
Incident
Sep 1, 2019
Mileage
80,000 mi
EngineInterior & seatsPowertrain (other)
Filed Mar 25, 2018

VANOS, ENGINE

NHTSA ID
11081175
Incident
Mar 10, 2018
Mileage
86,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 8, 2015

THE SUNROOF DRAINS OF MY VEHICLE OVERFILL OR CLOG CAUSING WATER TO LEAK IN THE TRUNK AND WHEEL WELL. THE CARS WHEEL WELL HOLDS THE CARS BATTERY, RDC, AND PDC MODULES. SURROUNDED BY FOAM WHEN WATER REACHES THE MODULES THEY ARC AND SPARK CAUSING THEM TO HEAT UP AND MELT. ALSO LOCATED IN THE TRUNK IS SEVERAL OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS XM RADIO AMP, ETC. IF NOT CAUGHT IN TIME COULD CAUSE FIRE AND MAYBE EVEN DEATH. YOU CAN'T TELL WHEN THEY ARE OVERFILLED/CLOGGED UNTIL IT'S TO LATE. I HAVE REPLACED THEM 2 TIMES BOTH TIMES ALMOST CAUSING FIRE TO THE CAR. HERE IS A LING SHOWING THAT BMW ACKNOWLEDGES THE ISSUE AND IS NOT FIXING IT. FROM SOMEONE ELSE TOO. HTTP://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/ATTACHMENT.PHP?ATTACHMENTID=265090&D=1296781065 HTTP://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=259095&PAGE=1

NHTSA ID
10732757
Incident
Oct 30, 2014
Mileage
65,000 mi
AirbagsOther / unspecified
Filed Oct 6, 2014
Crash reported

ON SEPT 25, 2014, I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 BMW M5 AND TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN I WAS HIT FROM THE REAR, SHOVED ON TOP AND OVER A MEDIAN AND INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE WAS STRUCK FROM THE REAR AND THEN STRUCK AGAIN FROM THE FRONT. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST THE DRIVER THAT HIT ME WAS GOING, HOWEVER, NONE OF MY AIRBAGS IN MY VEHICLE WERE DEPLOYED. I AM UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE EXACT CHARACTERISTICS IN WHICH EACH AIRBAG WOULD BE DEPLOYED AND I REQUESTING THE NHTSA TO PERFORM THAT REVIEW. *TR

NHTSA ID
10641706
Incident
Sep 25, 2014
Mileage
70,000 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .