Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2001 record →
RADIATOR FAN HAD SHORTED OUT AND CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING 60MPH. AFTER STOPPING, HAD NOTICED SMOKE. ELECTRICAL WIRES TO RADIATOR FAN HAD MELTED. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC INDICATED TO OWNER A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WAS LISTED FOR VEHICLE.*AK
COOLING FAN COMES ON AND OFF WHEN ENGINE GETS TO A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE. ALSO, IF TEMPERATURE GETS TOO HOT VEHICLE CAN CATCH ON FIRE. CONTACTED DEALER AND DEALER STATED FAN WAS DEFECTIVE, BUT DID NOT HAVE SWITCH TO REPLACE. *AK *JB
ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN ON, BRAKING ACTION NORMAL. DEALER CANNOT REMEDY PROBLEM. VEHICLE AT DEALER SINCE 25 MAR 2001.*AK
MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE BOTH EXPERIENCED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WITH OUR BRAND NEW BMW X5. I EXPERIENCED THE BRAKE FAILURE TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO VOB BMW FOR WORK. VOB SAID THEY NEVER FOUND ANY PROBLEM, AND CLAIMED TO HAVE REPLACED THE HYDRALIC SYSTEM. THEY HAD THE CAR FOR 14 DAYS. WE PICKED UP THE VEHICLE ON A MARCH 15TH. THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN, WITH MY HUSBAND DRIVING ON THE 17TH. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO VOB, WHERE IT IS STILL SITTING TODAY 4/2/01. BOTH BRAKE FAILURES WERE SIMULAR. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE BOTH DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT. IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE ON, AND WE WERE BOTH DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED (APPROX. 35 MPH). NEITHER OF US WERE DOING HARD BREAKING, RATHER JUST TYING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. UPON PRESSING ON THE BRAKE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR IN BOTH CASES. THE DEALERSHIP STILL CLAIMS THEY CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FURTHER. WE HAVE SENT NUMEROUS CERTIFIED LETTERS TO THE MANUFACTURER, AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY, THAT THIS SAME SITUATION ACCOURED TO A DR. LIVING IN THE COLUMBIA MD AREA. HE WAS ISSUED A NEW VEHICLE FROM HIS DEALER. MY HUSBAND AND I ASSUMED WE HAD A LEMON ON OUR HAND, HOWEVER, NOW AFTER LEARNING OF THIS OTHER INCIDENCE I HAVE TO WANDER HOW MANY OTHERS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO.
IT TOOK 11 DAYS FOR BMW TO INFORM ME OF A SAFETY-RELATED RECALL (BETWEEN THE TIME RECALL APPEARED IN THE LOCAL PAPER (JAN. 31) AND NOTIFICATION I RECEIVED IN THE MAIL (FEB. 10). BMW SHOULD BE APPROPRIATELY "PUNISHED" FOR THIS INDIFFERENT ATTITUDE TO PUBLIC SAFETY. THANK YOU. P.S. THERE SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT TO PUT AN EXACT MAILING DATE ON THESE RECALL LETTERS. DR. CETINGOK. *AK
ENGINE WILL STALL AT LOW SPEEDS. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS DANGEROUS ON HIGHWAY, BECAUSE HAS TO STOP CAR TO START IT AGAIN. *AK
FRONT DOORS LOCK OCCUPANTS INSIDE OF VEHICLE AND CANNOT BE OPENED FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. OCCUPANTS MUST CRAWL OUT OF REAR OF VEHICLE TO EXIT. DOOR LOCKS APPEAR TO UNLOCK, AND HANDLES PULL, BUT THERE IS NO UNLOCKING OR RELEASE OF THE DOOR LATCH. *AK
BMW HAS A STALLING PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2001 3.0 LITER ENGINES ESPECIALY IN THE X5 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE. SUPPOSEDLY THERE IS A MODIFICATION TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM (WHICH OUR VEHICLE HAS HAD) BUT OUR VEHICLE STILL STALLS. I KNOW WE ARE NOT THE ONLY OWNERS WHO HAVE MADE THIS COMPLAINT. MAYBE A RECALL IS IN ORDER!*AK
THE NEW BMW X5 HAS DANGEROUSLY DESIGNED FRONT DOORS. THE JAMB OF THE DOOR SWEEPS BACK TO A VERY SHARP METAL POINT. WHEN YOU OPEN OR CLOSE THE DOOR, THE TOP CAN STRIKE YOU IN THE HEAD CAUSING INJURY. THIS IS BECAUSE WHEN YOU GRAB THE HANDLE, YOU DON'T REALIZE THAT THE TOP SWEEPS FURTHER BACK NEARER YOUR HEAD. I HAD POKED MY EYELID ON AUGUST 14TH AND CALLED BMW. I NOW HAVE SEVERELY INJURED MY EAR, GETTING 11 STICHES. I CALLED BMW ON 10/13/00 TO FILE ANOTHER REPORT. IF ONE IS SIX FEET TALL, THIS CAR WILL INJURE THEM.
THE BRAND NEW X5 HAS DANGEROUSLY DESIGNED FRONT DOORS. THE JAMB OF THE DOOR SWEEPS BACK TO A VERY SHARP METAL POINT. WHEN YOU OPEN OR CLOSE THE DOOR, THE TOP CAN STRIKE YOU IN THE HEAD CAUSING INJURY. THIS IS BECAUSE WHEN YOU GRAB THE HANDLE YOU DON'T REALIZE THAT THE TOP SWEEPS FURTHER BACK NEAR YOUR HEAD. I HAD POKED MY EYELID ON AUGUST 14TH AND CALLED BMW. I NOW HAVE SEVERELY INJURED MY EAR. GETTING 11 STICHES. I CALLED BMW ON 10/13/00 TO FILE ANOTHER REPORT. IF ONE IS SIX FEET TALL, THIS CAR WILL INJURE THEM. *AK *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*734326
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2001 BMW X5 → · Every X5 year → · How the figures are calculated →