2024 BMW X5 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2024 BMW X5, 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
- Brakes8937.9%
- Driver assistance7933.6%
- Electrical239.8%
- Powertrain (other)156.4%
- Engine135.5%
- Visibility52.1%
- Fuel system41.7%
- Steering31.3%
- Airbags31.3%
- Exterior lighting10.4%
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
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that a message to complete the recall was displayed. The local dealer was contacted several times. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The failure involves the Integrated Brake System, which is subject to a manufacturer issued safety recall, and related braking components including a wheel speed sensor that is part of the brake and stability control system. The vehicle is currently back in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk due to sudden and unpredictable loss of braking capability while driving, including abrupt deceleration and stopping in traffic, creating near collision situations. The issue has been reproduced multiple times and confirmed through repeated service visits, with the first and second recall related repairs performed at BMW of West Houston and a third repair attempt performed at BMW of Houston Midtown, following which the vehicle was returned to me. The vehicle has been inspected by authorized BMW dealerships and BMW North America has been notified, though I have not received guidance from corporate BMW regarding a plan moving forward or instructions on how to proceed should a fourth brake failure occur. Brake related warning lamps and system messages appeared following both the first and second recall repairs, and after the October 30, 2025 recall repair the vehicle experienced a brake system failure within approximately 22 miles of driving despite the presence of warning indicators. Given the repeated failures after recall repairs, the prior warning messages, and the lack of direction from BMW North America, I am concerned about operating the vehicle, particularly for longer distances, due to the unpredictable nature of the brake failures and the unresolved safety risk.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The driver's odometer and vehicle status screen intermittently blacks out, whereby not showing the speed of the vehicle and any driver warnings. It appears that this may a design issue associated to thermal events (i.e., perhaps the screen is overheating when the outdoor temperature rises to 33 C or more). I have taken my vehicle to the BMW dealership in Chandler, Arizona, so they believed reprogramming was the solution. Shortly thereafter, the screen blackout condition manifested again. I strongly suspect that this is a design safety issue. I am very concerned that BMW didn't properly validate their design nor did have sufficient thermal relieve solutions for higher than normal temperatures.
While using the Park Assist feature on my 2024 BMW X5, the vehicle was under active system control during a parking maneuver. The system directed the vehicle in reverse and struck an object. I did not apply the accelerator. The vehicle was operating under Park Assist guidance at the time of impact. The collision resulted in damage to the rear bumper. I have reported this to BMW North America and requested a diagnostic scan to retrieve fault codes from the Park Assist module. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Park Assist system (automated parking assistance) malfunctioned during an active parking maneuver. While the system was in control of the vehicle, it directed the car in reverse and struck an object. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle moved autonomously and struck an object without driver input, resulting in a collision. A pedestrian, cyclist, or other vehicle in the path could have been seriously injured. The incident demonstrates the system cannot be trusted to safely detect and avoid obstacles while in control of the vehicle. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet. The vehicle is being brought to the selling dealer for a diagnostic scan to retrieve fault codes from the Park Assist module. This report is being filed prior to that inspection. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet. BMW North America has been notified. Dealer inspection is pending. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the incident. The system gave no indication of malfunction before directing the vehicle into the object.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
I purchased my 2024 BMW X5 new at BMW Alexandria, Virginia it’s have approximately 34,000 miles . I have taken X5 into dealer warranty repairs regarding malfunction emergency call system since May 2026. Total 3 visits to dealer to resolve this issues has been unsuccessful in resolving the issues . At the moment ,‘‘quote’’from dealership below: the shop foreman has opened the TASARA CASE on the vehicle....and has sent the information to the head engineer of BMW OF NORTH AMERICA. We are waiting on a response at to what to do with the issue that we have....it may need a new HUH module . On two additional separate visits 2 TCU or TSB modules and 1 wiring harness were replaced. On 06/30/26 dashboard warning emergency call malfunction REAPPEAR AGAIN. There are numerous complaints regarding this issues online forum . BMW should take responsibility in resolving this matter maybe it’s in need of a major recall . Furthermore , defects in the emergency call system may result in loss of life / injury what the system was designed features. When I made my purchase on this X5 BMW I was believing its was reliable and trustworthy had me thinking otherwise. 7/14/26 Gotten call today from service advisor they may not be able to resolve issue and mentioned option but didn’t go into details . Afterwards received 2nd text from my service advisor case would be expedited to head engineer of BMW . Wondering what next ??
The driver's odometer and vehicle status screen intermittently blacks out, whereby not showing the speed of the vehicle and any driver warnings. It appears that this may a design issue associated to thermal events (i.e., perhaps the screen is overheating when the outdoor temperature rises to 33 C or more). I have taken my vehicle to the BMW dealership in Chandler, Arizona, so they believed reprogramming was the solution. Shortly thereafter, the screen blackout condition manifested again. I strongly suspect that this is a design safety issue. I am very concerned that BMW didn't properly validate their design nor did have sufficient thermal relieve solutions for higher than normal temperatures.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought this car and started to have issues after a couple weeks. Because it is a hybrid model, it works perfectly fine when the car is running on the battery. Immediately the engine began to work, I get hesitation and the car drives rough. I took it to the first dealership that said there was water in the engine but they were proved wrong because what they show as water was apparently fuel that did not burn the right way in the cylinder. The dealership came with another excuse that the filter had traces of water which makes them to believe something was wrong. I took the car to another bmw dealership as I did not trust their diagnosis. The other bmw dealership performed some work on the car but then came to the conclusion that their hands were tied because of what the previous dealership reported to bmw north america. I called bmw north america and they told me to go back to the dealership after I had no success at the dealership. I believe this is a lemon case and also constitute a safety hazard because I nearly had an accident because the car switch from running on battery to combustion and immediately on the highway. The speed slows abruptly and car began to drive rough. I would appreciate any traction this can get from the board to resolve this with the manufacturer
2024 BMW X5 with 22k miles, leasing the vehicle. Had the vehicle in the dealer, Herb Chambers BMW of Boston a few months ago to fix a brake recall and change the oil. Dealer said they fixed both, and also said they needed the vehicle all day to fix the brakes, so they got me an Uber and then dropped off the vehicle when it was completed. Fast forward to today, October 2, 2025. Drive train warning came up when driving the vehicle, told to find a safe place to stop, within 10 seconds the vehicle lost most of engine power. Was able to stop in a safe location, contacted roadside assistance, numerous warnings came up on screen. Roadside assistance said to start and stop the vehicle and this cleared the message, said that vehicle was safe to drive, it was probably just a sensor issue that put the vehicle into some type of safe mode (what a horrible thing to do, an enormously unsafe as the operator should determine this). Two days later, another drive train warning and the vehicle on it's own moved the transmission into neutral while driving at 30mph. This issue with going into neutral on it's own, I found out through speaking with my wife, that this happened a couple of week prior as well. I called road side assistance and had the vehicle towed, called the dealer to get a loaner as this vehicle is not safe to drive in it's current condition. After this issue, I looked my vehicle up by VIN and saw that the brake recall wasn't fixed yet to my surprise. When I spoke to the dealer today as the vehicle was being towed there with this drive train issue, I said were my brakes for this recall fixed, they said the software issue was fixed, but not the mechanical issue. I said please fix this brake recall while in there looking at this drive train issue. Vehicle is clearly not safe to drive in this condition, and you can use your imagination if this happened while driving at highway speeds or various other scenarios, not good at all.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought this car and started to have issues after a couple weeks. Because it is a hybrid model, it works perfectly fine when the car is running on the battery. Immediately the engine began to work, I get hesitation and the car drives rough. I took it to the first dealership that said there was water in the engine but they were proved wrong because what they show as water was apparently fuel that did not burn the right way in the cylinder. The dealership came with another excuse that the filter had traces of water which makes them to believe something was wrong. I took the car to another bmw dealership as I did not trust their diagnosis. The other bmw dealership performed some work on the car but then came to the conclusion that their hands were tied because of what the previous dealership reported to bmw north america. I called bmw north america and they told me to go back to the dealership after I had no success at the dealership. I believe this is a lemon case and also constitute a safety hazard because I nearly had an accident because the car switch from running on battery to combustion and immediately on the highway. The speed slows abruptly and car began to drive rough. I would appreciate any traction this can get from the board to resolve this with the manufacturer
I purchased this BMW X5 xDrive50e vehicle from BMW showroom in kalamazoo, MI as a pre-owned vehicle. It looks like this particular vehicle had already reported an drivetrain issue based on the NHTSA complaint: [XXX] Looks like Drivetrain malfunction issue is a recurring one in BMW X5 50e and hit with the same issue on [XXX]. Here, i want to file a complaint regarding a safety issues with this 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e, which currently has 14,065 miles. Vehicle started showing 2 Error messages. (1) Drivetrain Malfunctions Error stating that driving is not possible and asking to call the roadside assistance. (2) Regenerative braking of the vehicle is disturbed. It is possible to continue driving and asking to schedule a service appointment. On seeing these messages, called the BMW SoS line and informed them about the issue and towed the vehicle to the nearest service center. After running the diagnostics on the vehicle, Service center confirmed that EGS diagnostics test is inconclusive and mechatronics parts require a replacement. Service center stated that some of the parts are available within the country and few has to be shipped from Germany. Currently, vehicle is in service center waiting for the parts to get replaced. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
On [XXX], while my 2024 BMW X5 was parked and stationary in an uncovered lot in Fort Lee, NJ, a large crack suddenly formed on the windshield. The crack originated at the top edge and extended approximately 8 inches. There was no impact observed, and the windshield had no prior chips or damage. The vehicle was exposed to sustained outdoor temperatures near 100°F for multiple consecutive days due to an extreme heat dome over the region. I suspect a thermal stress fracture possibly related to glass quality or installation. This type of failure raises safety concerns about the structural integrity of the glass. I have contacted BMW and am awaiting their response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH with no vehicles around, the sunroof suddenly exploded while the sunroof was closed. The glass fell on the driver. There were no reported injuries. There were chards of glass scattered throughout the vehicle. There were three-quarters of the glass missing. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact an unidentified object might have struck the glass. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle first reported a drivetrain malfunction and the message said to continue driving with reduced engine performance. The vehicle did get us home. I tested it the following day and received the same fault after a couple of miles of driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, a 50 mile trip. After a couple of weeks the dealer stated that the vehicle was ready for pickup. I got in the vehicle and 1.5 miles later received a drive fault warning me to stop carefully and turn off drive ready mode. I was driving on a very busy narrow road looking for a place to pull over when the vehicle lost all motive power. Having no choice but to try and pull over very quickly as we were going up a hill. The police had the vehicle towed and returned us to the dealer. Losing all motive power without warning is I believe a serious safety issue. The vehicle has been with the dealer now 5 weeks with no resolution of the problem. I’ve told them that I want a full root cause investigation in writing before the vehicle is released back to me. I have zero confidence in the vehicle now.
Four Check Engine lights and a Drivetrain Malfunction related to the high voltage hybrid system including problems with the battery cooling, continuing to charge instead of stopping at 100%, and high voltage faults. Coolant smell in the ventilation system in the cabin as well as hot electrical smell after charging and from the regenerative system on a long descent in the mountains. Has been happening multiple times and taken to the dealer multiple times over the past 10 months. The dealer has only replaced a part one time (the evaporative container), but typically just resets the system and sends it home. I have reported this to BMW NA and asked for a buyback, but so far it has been denied.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
A car from the other side made an illegal left turn in front of me, and I braked very early, yet still slid into them. The car had been inspected at the time at the collision center, and had DTC codes from before repair and after repair, showing the Integrated Brake systems had failures before and after. There was no mention of the results of the inspection until I asked after another braking incident occurred two weeks later. There were moments where a light would pop up for a second, then disappear. It may have happened only once.
The Integrated Brake System and Dynamic Safety Control both malfunctioned, not turning on. The car is totaled, so I don't think anything is available for inspection. There was water on the highway, and the car ended up going off the road into the grass and rolled over a few times before landing at the bottom of the ditch 100ft away. The car was not inspected because I was not aware of the major recall until I started looking into it. There was a snapshot of the DTC codes two weeks before the incident and there were codes specifically for the IB system as noted in the recall. There may have been one or two times throughout driving the car beforehand that a error light popped up, but then it disappeared almost immediately after.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car's information system was giving error stating: "Urgent interior functionality check up. The driver restraint system of your vehicle is malfunctioning. There is an increased risk of injury in case of a collision." Took it to the BMW dealer, they shared this info: Cause: Read out faults found fault 930949 knee air bag drivers short to negative need to replace harnesses as per SIB 65-27-24. Correction: Replace harness for knee air bags. The estimate for this is $2,013.72 which breaks down to parts at $288.96 and 7 hours worth of labor costing $1,724.76. This car is two years old. I would assume this is a manufacturing defect happening at only two years of age.
The contact owned a 2024 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH through an intersection, another vehicle ran a red light and t-boned the contact's vehicle on the front passenger side to the partial front rear door. The vehicle spun and crashed into a medium, causing the vehicle to come to a stop. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed and totaled. A police report was not filed. The contact received a concussion and injuries to their left arm that required medical attention. The contact was unsure if the other driver received any injuries or medical attention. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
It’s not a one time experience, it’s all the time. But I feel, and many, many other people (owners of the same car and other car enthusiasts agree) that the rear turn signals on the 2024 BMW X5 are not sufficient enough. I do not feel the illuminate properly and it seems as though they are malfunctioning when in use. BMW started using the sequential fading turn signals, which I don’t like, but they are bright and easily distinguishable in the front, but the back, it does not make me feel safe enough. I do not feel they illuminate correctly and feel they are not bright enough (even though there is nothing wrong with them). I feel as though the rear turn signals are confusing for other drivers and does not do a good job at letting other drivers know I’m turning. They pulsate and look like they malfunction. I’d rather they just be like a standard LED, that flashes straight on & straight off. Or better yet, have a separate LED amber strip in the middle of the rear taillight (like the European models have) which makes it easier to distinguish and allows other drivers to know when I’m turning. I do not feel safe with the current rear turn signals.
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 .