2021 BMW M5

Routine

Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails

Component	Reports		Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Exterior Lighting	1		0	0	0
Electrical System	1		0	1	0

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.

What owners reported

Newest filings

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.

2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2006

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Deaths	Assessment
2026	0	1	0	0	Routine
2025	1	2	0	0	Routine
2022	1	0	0	0	Routine
2021 — this page	2	1	1	0	Routine
2020	2	3	0	0	Routine
2019	8	3	0	0	Routine
2018	6	3	0	0	Routine
2016	1	2	0	0	Routine
2015	3	1	0	0	Routine
2014	2	1	0	0	Routine
2013	10	2	1	0	Do not drive
2010	1	2	0	0	Routine
2009	0	2	0	0	Routine
2008	6	2	2	0	Routine
2007	6	1	0	0	Routine
2006	39	1	0	0	Routine
2003	3	1	0	0	Do not drive
2002	6	2	0	0	Do not drive
2001	4	3	0	0	Do not drive
2000	4	2	1	1	Fatalities reported
1995	0	1	0	0	Routine
1994	0	1	0	0	Routine
1993	0	1	0	0	Routine
1992	0	2	0	0	Routine
1991	0	3	0	0	Routine
1990	0	1	0	0	Routine

Compare every M5 year →

Other BMW models

All BMW models →

X5 3,129 328i 2,576 X3 1,986 325i 1,368 Z4 1,280 3 Series 842 528i 830 330i 813 335i 809 X1 666

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.