2026 BMW X5

2 recalls, 36 complaints - 4/5 safety rating

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Defect Description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2026 X6, X7, X5, and X5 Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The instrument panel may have been manufactured incorrectly and prevent the passenger-side air bag from deploying properly.

Consequence

An air bag that does not deploy properly can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the instrument panel trim, free of charge. The vehicles have not been sold from dealer inventory and therefore, no owner letters will be mailed. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searc... Read more

25 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Defect Description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2026 X5 Plug-in Hybrid, X5, and X7 vehicles. The windshield may not be sealed properly, which can allow water to enter the power distribution box or electronic control unit.

Consequence

Water inside electrical components can lead to electronic function failures, such as a loss of headlights, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, an electrical short-circuit may occur, increasing the risk of a fire while parked or driving.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the windshield seal. If any leaks are detected, the seal will be repaired and vehicle control units and wiring will be replaced as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

1,406 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC

Complaint Statistics

36 total complaints 3 crashes 3 injuries

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	6
ENGINE	5
SERVICE BRAKES	4
POWER TRAIN	3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	1
SUSPENSION	1
AIR BAGS	1
VISIBILITY/WIPER	1

Incident date: Sep 6, 2026

Emergency stopping system alerted me seconds before it shut the car down. Traveling on the highway at approximately 60 miles an hour car went into emergency stopping. Unassisted brakes were applied car pulled to the right and when it reached the brake down lane, it stopped. Hazard lights were engage... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The trim on the back of the exhaust is a rough manufactured cut on all their X5s and instead of filing the rough the edge BMW leaves this untouched. Was washing my car and ran my finger over the trim and it sliced my finger open like a razor blade.

Incident date: May 4, 2026

Incident date: Aug 29, 2026

Driving on highway using assisted driving pro (hands off steering wheel and feet off pedals). Speed set for 65 or 67. Driver's phone call came up on display screen. Passenger answered and hung up on screen. Driver did not touch wheel. Car started accelerating. Reached 93 mph before realized what was... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

On [XXX] as I was driving on [XXX] in Fl and got in to some traffic I noticed the car was shuddering a bit when I braked and I could here metal against metal coming from the brakes. I called SIXT 800 number and spoke to a Gentleman at their call center in Asia. He asked me why I needed brakes . I w... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

I was driving at 70 mph on the highway when the car suddenly and without warning went into neutral, lost all functionality, and displayed the warning "Drivetrain Malfunction--Stop Driving Immediately--Call Roadside Assistance." I had to drift (barely) to side of a busy highway and exit the vehicle t... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

Incident date: Jul 10, 2026

My 2026 BMW X5 xDrive50e experienced a serious freeway safety event involving loss of braking/brake power, loss of vehicle power/functionality, and multiple vehicle warnings/errors. The incident occurred while I was driving on the freeway and substantially affected my ability to safely operate the v... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Jul 10, 2026

1 injured

Incident date: Jul 10, 2026

1 injured

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneu... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

Crash

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

Crash

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

The brake calipers and brake rotators in the front are a safety concern. In other recalls the rear calipers and rotors have been flagged for recall. The front also has the same issue. Unrelated the visibility of the front windshield is extremely obstructed by the plastic body that surrounds the w... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

I was driving at approx. 40 to 45 mph and in the process of braking for slowing traffic and the vehicle slammed on the brakes and left a short skid mark. I was about 50 feet behind the vehicle and braking when this occurred. I was lucky that the car behind did not rear end me. The collision alert di... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

My husband was driving our family of 6 to [XXX] from the [XXX] area. We were on the highway in [XXX] when we heard a loud pop and the sunroof had randomly exploded. There's a thin cloth like screen between the glass and the inside of the vehicle. Luckily that screen was not open, otherwise, we would... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

Airbag sensor does not work. It is not activated when someone sits in the passenger seat. This was recalled in other Subaru Foresters but for some reason our specific vin number is not eligible for repair.

Incident date: Jun 21, 2026

Erratic uncontrolled phantom touches on the primary console screen create severe driver distraction, alter settings whuke driving, and that multiple dealer replacements (screen + head unit) failed to remedy the issue under warranty.

Incident date: Jun 21, 2026

Coolant intrusion with eco boost engine.

Incident date: Jun 21, 2026

The infotainment touchscreen in my 2018 Subaru Outback has developed severe internal delamination and persistent phantom or ghost touches. The screen randomly changes navigation routes, places telephone calls, changes audio selections, and moves between menus without driver input. These events creat... Read more

Incident date: Jul 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the engine running, there was an alert on the instrument panel that stating "Warning - System Overheating". The contact checked the coolant level, and the level was at the operational level; however, the ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 6, 2026

Stopped in heavy traffic in a four lane highway. Auto start/stop shut the engine down as expected. Traffic ahead cleared. I took my foot off of the brake to step on the gas. The engine didn't start up, and the radio and all lights inside went blank. Traffic behind me approached at about 45 mph. and ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 6, 2026

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

Driving my car, oil light comes on. I take to a local mechanic who said he sees this often, my engine is going to seize up and confirmed via VIN my car is affected by the Sonata Engine Recall campaign XXX. Vanessa At Hyundai said to take it to a dealership immediately for further inspection as it m... Read more

Incident date: Jun 13, 2026

Cluster that shows speed/gas/safety notifications has went completely black and will not turn back on. It has now been in the shop for 2 weeks and they cannot figure out why this is happening. This is the second time the instrument cluster has went out on the 2024 Kia Telluride.

Incident date: Jun 13, 2026

EXTENDED WARRENTY INFORMATION MERCEDEZ BENZ HAS ISSUED WARRENTY TO THAT APPLIE TO CONDISTIONS AS LISTED ABOVE (EXHAUST VALVE, CYLINER HEAD ) BACK 08/04/2023 THE CAR HAS IN MERCEDEZ BENZ AND HAVE FAILED TO PICK ON THE EXTENDED WARRRENTY REPAIRS AND WE NOW FIND OUT THIS CASED MORE DAMAGE TO THE ENGIN... Read more

Incident date: May 23, 2026

POWERTRAIN The vehicle will jerk forward when taking off from a stop. Happened 2 times today 6/7/2026 in the span of 1 hour. Both times within 1 minutes minute of driving amd gettimg to a stop. Safety at risk of i am teyomg to get into a road where traffic is coming. Has not been checked by a dea... Read more

Incident date: Apr 18, 2026

When taking off it will sometime have hard shifts, shuddering, and acceleration hesitation. While driving, it will do static jolts. Dealer couldn’t pin point problem and advised for a new transmission or we could drive it until it dies. Dealer didn’t recommend to change transmission oil in fea... Read more

Incident date: Feb 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a mechanical clunking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle, and the 4WD failed to engage as needed. The message "Service 4WD" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be di... Read more

Incident date: Feb 13, 2026

We have been waiting over a year now for the below to be remedied. Our ABS light goes off constantly and when it does, it causes cruise to stop working. There is a notification alarm (ding) that goes off and on while driving the truck. We pull a 41ft 5th Wheel and we were told it was okay to pull... Read more

Incident date: Feb 18, 2026

Routine Friday morning and just finished charging my 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 at Walmart. As I started my vehicle to finish my commute to work, the dreaded "Check electric vehicle system" warning light came on along with a red battery icon. There were no warning signs or anything that could have foret... Read more

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

IN THE EQUINOX LT, VIN [XXX] , THE TELEMETRY MODULE HAS AN ISSUE PER THE DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER DUE TO THE TELEMETRY MODULE ISSUE. THE PART IS ON ORDER AND AS OF JANUARY 16, 2026. IT WILL TAKE 4 TO 6 WEEKS TO ARRIVE. IN THE MEAN TIME I HAVE HAD TO CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TWICE IN TWO W... Read more

Incident date: Dec 28, 2025

This problem is extremely sporadic, and often remedies itself after car shut down, and sometimes require that the car sit for a period of time. I estimate the following issue happens ~1 time a month, or estimated 5% of the time. Weather (temperature specifically) does not appear to impact occuranc... Read more

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2026 BMW X5

2026 BMW X5 SUV N/A AWD

Category	Rating
Overall Rating	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash, Driver	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash, Passenger	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Side Crash	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Driver	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Passenger	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Rollover	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Rollover Risk	15.9%

Safety Technology

Feature	Status
Electronic Stability Control	Standard
Forward Collision Warning	No
Lane Departure Warning	No

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA Safety Investigations, BMW X5

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

RQ, Closed , Model Year: 2009

Idler Pulley Bolt Failure

In a May 23, 2018 letter, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a safety defect that may result in the loss of power steering assist in certain model year (MY) 2009 through 2013 BMW X5 xDrive35d vehicles (Recall 18V-336). The recall, w... Read more

BMW X5 - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the BMW X5 across all model years (1999, 2026).

194 Total Recalls

4,574 Total Complaints

1 Investigations

174 Reported Crashes

220 Reported Fires

8 Reported Deaths

BMW X5 - Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2026 (current)	2	36
2025	5	107	View
2024	8	253	View
2023	4	48	View
2022	1	118	View
2021	12	165	View
2020	11	155	View
2019	13	272	View
2018	5	101	View
2017	6	111	View
2016	5	113	View
2015	6	202	View
2014	8	130	View
2013	6	215	View
2012	10	374	View
2011	14	395	View
2010	14	190	View
2009	12	203	View
2008	10	319	View
2007	8	119	View
2006	2	221	View
2005	3	109	View
2004	4	93	View
2003	3	134	View
2002	3	136	View
2001	12	215	View
2000	6	37	View
1999	1	0	View

Other BMW Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
X3	155	2,661	View
330I	122	1,050	View
X6	110	293	View
328I	108	3,743	View
M3	95	550	View
325I	83	1,809	View
Z4	83	1,439	View
5 SERIES	78	557	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2026 BMW X5

Complaint Statistics

Top Reported Components

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2026 BMW X5

Safety Technology

NHTSA Safety Investigations, BMW X5

BMW X5 - All Years Overview

BMW X5 - Year by Year

Other BMW Models