Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2019 BMW X5 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
* Intelligent Braking system. * yes it is available for inspection * I was inches from colliding with the vehicle in front of me when my car finally stopped. * Yes local official BMW dealership inspected and diagnosed the IBS module is defective. * there was no prior warning.
Parking brakes can only be applied but cannot be released due to faulty design of the parking switch. This will cause the vehicle not able to move or be towed in an emergency especially when an engine failed to start. This problem confirmed by an independent repair shop and also has highlighted in several BMW group chats.
I bought the car 8 months ago from Fred Anderson Acura in Greenville was told the car was inspected and serviced and I’m was in great condition. 8 months later I have 10 thousand worth safety issues wrong with the car that I have to fix .
Attached is a detailed description of my complaint. I'm attaching it because it is more than 2,000 characters.
I was turning left on a residential street when the steering wheel locked, the brakes would not work to stop the car from going straight and the engine would not turn off when I attempted to stop the engine once realizing that everything was failing. The electrical panel went black and I collided with a residential home. Airbags deployed, EMS, fire and Police were called to the scene and the Tow truck driver noted that all systems had failed and the car basically shut off all functionality. They had to manually push the vehicle onto the flatbed tow truck. I am concerned as this issue was a safety concern while I was driving the car and it seemed all systems failed.
Traveling west on I-70 at the Eagle Colorado exit the brakes failed as we pulled off the highway the brakes failed. Went up the ramp at 50-60 MPH. Missed the cars waiting to enter the round-a-bout and went over a decorative divider about 3 feet high. Went in the air and was then traveling on the wrong side of street. Saw a fireplug and hit it at 20-30 MPH and that stopped us. No airbags deployed at either hit. Four in the car and no serious medical issues, just soreness. Had police and fire test the brakes to show they didn't work. Obviously the air bags Hadn't deployed. Filed police report with Eagle City, 2021-000417 and AIG insurance report 80255229. Car was declared totaled.
Over the 2 years of ownership I had about 5 incident where I lost control of my 2019 BMW X5 40i. The specific trim was XLine with standard brake option. It occurred rather randomly so I was not able to identify the pattern to reproduce. Right after the ignition to leave a parking space (and while still holding the brake since starting the car) the car would push my foot up and I would lose control of the brake. After a few seconds of desperate tries to press the brake, I was able to stop the car from drifting backwards as I engaged "Park" gear. Similar situation occurred and each time I was fortunate that there wasn't a car directly heading towards me. However I experienced this life threatening experience and BMW seems to acknowledge with their service bulletin of "SIB 34 04 19" but no fix was given to me.
WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ALONE AROUND 7:30PM 5/13/2021 ON THE WAY TO A RESTAURANT, AFTER I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL TO PASS ANOTHER CAR (ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 50MILE-55MILE/HR), THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN ACCELERATED ON ITSELF. I NOTICED RIGHT AWAY AFTER MY RIGHT FOOT MOVED AWAY FROM THE GAS PEDAL (FROM 50 TO 55 THEN UP TO 65MILE/HR, I STOPPED MY OBSERVATION SINCE IT WAS GETTING TOO FAST). I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL TO REDUCE THE SPEED FOR ABOUT A MILE OR TWO. AFTER I REACHED THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT, I HAD TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL VERY HARD TO MAKE THE CAR FULLY STOP, SO I DECIDED TO SWITCH THE TRANSMISSION FROM D TO P TO SEE IF IT COULD GET OUT OF ACCELERATION PROBLEM. ONCE I SWITCHED TO PARK, I TRIED TO SWITCH IT BACK TO DRIVE MODE, HOWEVER THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND AND STAYED IN PARKING MODE. I THEN TRIED TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND TURNED IT BACK TWO TO THREE TIMES, IT JUST DIDN'T ALLOW ME TO CHANGE BACK TO DRIVE MODE. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE CAR MADE A LOT OF NOISE SINCE IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I REALIZED IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO SIT IN THE CAR IN FRONT OF THE TRAFFIC LIGHT EVEN WITH THE EMERGENCY LIGHT ON. SO I DECIDED TO TURN IT OFF AND LEFT THE CAR. I SMELLED A VERY STRONG BURNING SMELL EVEN THOUGH I QUICKLY MOVED AWAY FROM THE CAR. I WAITED ON THE STREET SIDE FOR ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES AND WENT BACK TO THE CAR, I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO SWITCH TO D MODE AND DROVE AWAY SLOWLY. I HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM HAPPENED LAST YEAR AROUND OCTOBER FOR 3-4 TIMES (NOT AS BAD AS IT WAS TODAY, I CAN TURN ENGINE OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON, IT WILL RETURN TO NORMAL) AND I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO BMW DEALERSHIP (BMW AT GWINNETT PLACE IN DULUTH GA, WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN NOV 2019) AND THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO CREATE THE PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN JUST TOLD ME TO DRIVE SLOWLY (25-35MILE/HR FOR THE FIRST 3-4 MIN) EVERYDAY AT THE BEGINNING. I RECORDED TWO VIDEOS AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT.
MY BRAND NEW BMW X 5 COULD NOT BE STOPPED ON THE TRAFFICS TIME IN AM THIS HAPPENED TWO TIMES BMW DOESN'T WANT TO HELP ME THIS CAR NOT SAFE AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE MAKES A LOTS OF MOUNDED FROM THE ENGINE AND CANNOT STOP THE CAR
I WAS DRIVING ON 10 FREEWAY WEST 750 AM ON 2/23 THERE WAS TRAFFICS EVERYBODY WAS BEHAVING I WAS KEEPING DISTANCE OF AT LEAST 2-3 CAR DISTANCE ALL OF SUDDEN MY CAR ACCELERATED MAKING A LOUD NOISE FROM THE HOOD MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKES BUT I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR I HIT FROM CAR MY FOOT WAS ALTHE WAY ON THE BRAKES I LET IT GO AFTER THE IMPACT BMW DOESN'T NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY I HAVE A POLICE REPORT FROM ME AND FROM DRIVER THAT WE HAD A GOOD DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO CARS IT WAS AT THE BALDWIN PARK CITY ON 10 FREEWAY
WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT SUDDENLY FELT AS IF THE CAR DOWNSHIFTED AGGRESSIVELY AND AT THE SAME TIME I LOST POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND MY HUD FOR SPEEDOMETER, ETC. THE CAR DISPLAYED SEVERAL WARNINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY AS WELL.
#1: STEERING WHEEL JERKS FROM SIDE TO SIDE ALMOST LIKE A TWITCH IN VERY COLD WEATHER ON A COLD START. ALMOST FEELS LIKE DRIVING ON ICE. TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE AND THEY SAID "BMW IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND NOT SURE ON ETA FOR FIX". UNACCEPTABLE AND UNSAFE IN COLD CLIMATES. #2: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING DOESN'T WORK. I'VE HAD MULTIPLE INSTANCES WHEN THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. BOTH ON CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAY DRIVING
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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