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BMW · NHTSA safety record

2026 BMW X5

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 24 safety complaints about the 2026 BMW X5 with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 9 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and visibility.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 9 complaints, 38% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2026 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

24 complaints on file

24

Complaints

3

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

9

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 · 38%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 4 · 17%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 · 17%
ENGINE 3 · 13%
STRUCTURE 3 · 13%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 4%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 4%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 · 4%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 24.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2026 BMW X5, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV N/A AWD SUV N/A RWD
Overall Not rated
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover Not rated
Chance of rollover 15.9% —
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

25V837000 · December 4, 2025

The defect
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.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy properly can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
The 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 searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 4, 2025.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 25 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD:CRITICAL FASTENERS

25V556000 · August 27, 2025

The defect
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.
The risk
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.
The 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.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 1,406 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

8 injured · crash

I have a 2026 BMW X5 50E. I experienced the same malfunction twice in the same day. The first occurrence was when I was taking my husband to a doctors appointment. While parking the car and when I was almost at a stop the vehicle lurched forward and was stopped by the concrete curb. My husband asked me what happened and I said I don’t know. The second occurrence was about two hours later after visiting a second doctors office I headed to a lunch spot. I pulled into a parking spot and had come almost to a stop and once again the vehicle lurched forward with an even more powerful sudden acceleration. The vehicle struck a metal railing, bordering, an outdoor dining area. Once the railing was

NHTSA complaint 11754180, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

1 injured

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 vehicle. BMW Emergency Services subsequently towed the vehicle to Irvine BMW on 07/09/2026. Irvine BMW later attributed the event to Emergency Stop Assist (ESA) and the Driver Monitoring System (DMS), rather than identifying a mechanical brake failure. Its written explanation states that ESA can take over vehicle guidance and decelerate the vehicle using multiple short braking jolts. The

NHTSA complaint 11756626, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

crash

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 maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1: The system calculated and executed a trajectory that steered the vehicle into the garage structure. First contact was at the driver side rear fender flare. Failure 2: No graduated proximity warnings sounded during the approach. The first and only sensor alert occurred simultaneously with impact. The

NHTSA complaint 11756589, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

crash

On August 16, 2026, while using the Automatic Parking/Parking Assistant feature on my 2026 BMW X5 M60i, the vehicle was performing an automated reverse parking maneuver. During the maneuver, the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated backward toward a vehicle parked behind me and struck it. The acceleration occurred while the Parking Assistant system was controlling the maneuver. Because of the sudden acceleration and short distance to the vehicle behind me, there was insufficient time to recognize the unexpected movement and intervene before impact. A passenger in my vehicle witnessed the incident. I reported the incident to BMW. BMW North America subsequently inspected the vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11767809, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Component: Engine / Fuel/Propulsion System / Engine Cooling Vehicle Odometer at Failure: 463 Miles Date of Incident: September 8, 2026 Description of Safety Hazard: While driving a brand-new 2026 BMW X5 with only 463 total miles on the odometer (purchased on July 30, 2026), the vehicle suffered a sudden and catastrophic manufacturing failure of the oil filter housing unit. This failure caused an immediate, severe loss of over a quart of volatile, hot engine oil, which completely leaked out and stained my personal driveway. A rapid loss of engine oil at highway speeds presents an extreme safety hazard, including a high risk of catastrophic metal-on-metal engine seizure, sudden loss of

NHTSA complaint 11766793, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car braked without warning while going around a curve and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road with no good reason. Traffic going the opposite direction was heavy but no hazards on my side of the road. Cars behind me had to swerve and I was nearly rear ended and could have resulted in very serious injury.

NHTSA complaint 11763588. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 engaged and phone call was initiated to BMW roadside assistance. All without driver assistance. Yes it was a dangerous situation as the car slowed down on its own on a busy highway. Do not know what component failed and has not been seen by BMW in order to assess the situation. This is the second time the car has initiated an unassisted stop. First unassisted stop gave no warning, second unassisted

NHTSA complaint 11762487, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
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.

NHTSA complaint 11762046. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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 happening and able to apply brakes. Short time later tried to reengage speed and verbally requested increase to 65 or 67. Car set cruise control to 110. Both passengers heard 65 or 67, definitely not 110. Applied brake and didn't use any driver assistance controls for remainder of trip. Nice weather, no glare, light traffic. Software update was installed the day before. BMW dealership found no

NHTSA complaint 11761698, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW X5

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 62 5 —
2024 145 8 —
2023 33 4 —
2022 69 1 —
2021 108 12 —
2020 112 11 —
2019 190 13 —
2018 72 5 —
2017 74 6 1
2016 74 5 —
2015 152 6 1
2014 98 8 —
2013 149 6 —
2012 271 10 —
2011 263 14 —
2010 124 14 —

Other 2026 BMW models

X3 17 X7 7 X2 5

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every BMW on this site — 257 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst