2021 BMW M5

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. It has been recalled 1 time.

Most common 2021 BMW M5 problems

1 of the 3 complaints (33%) are about the electrical system.

ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Exterior Lighting · headlights1
000
Engine1
000
Electrical System1
010

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera20V598000
Filed Sep 30, 2020312 vehiclesBMW of North America, LLC

Defect. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk. If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

All 1 campaign on file, newest first.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed Oct 15, 2026MD

BMW Federal Emissions Recall Campaign - Delivery Stop: Replace Coolant Expansion Tank [B170324] The manufacturer's recall remedy replaces a defective, heat-compromised plastic coolant reservoir with an identical plastic component that is subject to the exact same thermal fatigue and catastrophic failure. I had the dealer replace the tank in March 2024 under this recall. This week, however, I noted coolant residue from the horizontal seam of the expansion tank. Furthermore, the dealership's primary diagnostic criteria (a cold pressure test) FAILED to detect severe, ongoing coolant leakage that was actively drowning the fuel injectors, nearly resulting in catastrophic engine failure. I demanded the bulletin be followed by removing the expansion tank based on the visual evidence alone. I further demanded bore scope photos as stated in the recall bulletin. These support the above claims that ALL FOUR injectors are contaminated with gross amounts of coolant which could have led to a catastrophic engine failure. BMW replaced my expansion tank in 2024 when I first bought the car with 13k miles on it with a tank that suffers from exactly the same design flaw. It is therefore no fix at all and all of these cars are all ticking time bombs unless a permanent solution is mandated.

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Jun 24, 2024GA

Car catch on fire and explode it with 2 ocupantes inside

Exterior Lighting
Filed Jan 1, 2021400 milesOH

THE REVERSE BACKUP LIGHTS AND CAMERA IMAGE IS SO DIM AND LIMITED AS BE UNUSABLE AND VERY UNSAFE WHEN BACKING UP AT NIGHT IN DARKNESS. DEALER SERVICE COULD NOT FIX AS DESIGNED IN! I BELIEVE SAME SYSTEM USED ON ALL 2021 SERIES 5 CARS. LEFT CAR AT DEALER WITH FOBS AS I AM REFUSING THE CAR CANCELLING SALE AS HIDDEN DEFECT UNSAFE AND NOT FIXABLE PER DEALER SERVICE MGR. ATTACHED PHOTOS ARE ACTUALLY BRIGHTER THAN WHAT DRIVER SEES. VIEW IS FROM MY GARAGE AND DRIVEWAY TO BACKUP. RED TINT IS BREAK LIGHTS STRONGER THAN WEAK BACKUP LIGHTS ALL VERY ABNORMALLY DIM WITH VERY RESTRICTED ILLUMINATED VIEW.

All 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2006
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20260100Routine
20251200Routine
20221000Routine
2021 — this page3110Routine
20202300Routine
20198300Routine
20186300Routine
20161200Routine
20153100Routine
20142100Routine
201310210Do not drive
20101200Routine
20090200Routine
20086220Routine
20076100Routine
200639100Routine
20033100Do not drive
20026200Do not drive
20014300Do not drive
20004211Fatalities reported
19950100Routine
19940100Routine
19930100Routine
19920200Routine
19910300Routine
19900100Routine

Compare every M5 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 30, 2020. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.