2011 BMW X5 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND REDUCED SPEED ON I95 INTERSTATE 95SOUTH IN CHICAGO. I HAVE SPEND OVER $18,000 ON ENGINE ISSUE AND HIGH CONSUMPTION OF OIL IS ALSO A MAJOR ISSUE. THERE IS A SEVERE ENGINE ISSUE THAT MAY LEAD TO AN AUTO ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING. ONCE THE ENGINE REDUCE POWER IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO PULL THE TRUCK OVER TO SAFETY. THE WHOLE X5 5.0I NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY WITH SPEED LIMIT OF 50 MILES / PER HOUR. SUDDENLY THE CAR SHOWED "ENGINE MALFUCTION - POWER REDUCED" AND SHE COULDN'T KEEP THE SPEED AND CAR STARTING LOSING SPEED AND DROPPED TO 10 MILES / HOUR, SHE HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID THE DANGER OF BEING HIT BY OTHER CARS ON THE BUSY EXPRESSWAY. AFTER SHE PULLLED OVER AND CALLED ME, I DROVE TO THE PLACE WHERE SHE PARKED THE CAR AND USED A CODE READER TO FOUND SOME ERROR CODE "47C4", BUT AFTER RESTARTED CAR, CAR SEEMED OK. I DROPPED THE CAR AT BMW MOUNTAIN VIEW DEALER AND THEY FOUND THE "LOW PRESSURE EGR" WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITH A COST OF $1800. WE FEEL THIS IS VERY DANGER TO HAPPEN TO ANY CAR BECAUSE SUCH AN FAILURE IT'S NOT SAFE TO US AND ALSO TO OTHER DRIVERS. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED!
THIS VEHICLE HAS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE VANOS SYSTEM. AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH FULL TRAFFIC, MY ENGINE FAILED AT 70 MPH CAUSING TO ME ALMOST GET KILLED IN TRAFFIC AS I FOUGHT MY WAY THE THE SHOULDER. THE CAR WOULD NOT START, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND IT SEEMS THAT THE VANOS BOLT BACKED OUT OF THE CAMSHAFT AND CAUSED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. I WENT TO MY WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE DAMAGE DUE TO IT BEING THE BOLT THAT BACKED OUT. AS THEY DO NOT COVER BOLTS. NOW I AM PAYING FOR A CAR THAT I CANT DRIVE AND IS CURRENTLY SITTING AT BMW OF MT. LAUREL IN NEW JERSEY WITH AN 18K BILL. THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ALOT OF PEOPLE IN THESE VEHICLES. THAT VANOS UNIT IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AGAIN WITH THE CORRECT BOLTS REINFORCED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW X5. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT HOT WATER HAD LEAKED FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER (UNITED BMW, 11458 ALPHARETTA HWY, ROSWELL GA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT WHILE LEAVING THE DEALER, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND RATTLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT AND TRANSFER CASE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW X5. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED A BURNING ODOR FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTS, AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED BEFORE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (BMW OF TULSA, 9702 S MEMORIAL DR, TULSA, OK 74133), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS WILLING TO PAY HALF FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND CONFIRMED WITH THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD PAY HALF OF THE COST FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER OPENED A CASE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW X5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING HOWEVER, A LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT LEAKED ONTO THE GROUND AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE OIL RESERVOIR MELTED ONTO THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO FLAME VISIBLE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WATER PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V521000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,400.
ON 21 OCT 16 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:10 PM, WHILE DRIVING ON ROUTE 30 IN HAMPSTEAD, MD AND APPROACHING A ROUNDABOUT AT 30 MILES PER HOUR, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD. LIGHTS WERE OPERABLE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART OR DISENGAGE OUT OF PARK TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED JUST 30 MINUTES BEFORE, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON AN INTERSTATE 795 TRAVELING AT 60 MPH. THERE WAS NOT COLLISION. AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED IT WAS THE STARTER. THE STARTER WAS REPLACED BUT THE VEHICLE STILL WOULD NOT START. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THE 'ENGINE HAS SEIZED UP' AND THE COST WOULD BE $17,000 TO TAKE OUT THE ENGINE AND REPLACE THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN TWO MONTHS OUT OF AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. WE ARE CONTACTING BMW AS THE VEHICLE WAS TRADED BECAUSE OF THE PROHIBITED COST OF REPAIRS. THE SYMPTOMS DISPLAYED MATCH THE PART 573 SAFETY RECALL REPORT 16V-746. *TR
THE CAR WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AS "REDUCED POWER". TOOK THE CAR INTO CREVIER BMW IN SANTA ANA. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE VANOS SYSTEM FOR OUR CAR. WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS BEFORE THIS AS WELL. LAST JUNE, THE ENGINE OIL HOUSING UNIT WAS REPLACED. NOW THE PROBLEM POINTS TO THE VANOS ON THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST DONE AT THE DEALER. HOWEVER, THE DEALER AND BMW NORTH AMERICA WILL NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUES. BOTH KEEP TELLING US THAT THE "PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE" AND THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE BUT WILL LOOK INTO IT ONLY WHEN OR IF THE PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE. THUS, FOR THEM TO REPAIR THE ISSUES RIGHT NOW, WE WOULD NEED TO PAY. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SCAM AND CONVENIENCE ON THEIR PART NOT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. I WOULD ASK NHTSA TO PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS TYPE OF PRACTICE AND MAKE BMW RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. THANK YOU. *TR
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2011 BMW X5 has 8 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.