Coscienzios

Model years to avoid

BMW X5

What it says about you

Opinion

There is a version of this with a much larger engine, and its price is known to you exactly. It was not bought. It is considered, briefly, at most roundabouts.

Not measured, not from the data, and offered in fun. Everything below this is not.

23 model years on record, 5,574 complaints filed.

The years to look at closely: 2015 (egr), 2014 (doors), 2013 (power train), 2012 (transfer case), 2011 (vanos). Everything else drew a normal number of complaints for this model.

What owners report, and when

Faults that dominated the complaints of more than one model year. Not the same question as which year to avoid — a car can have an ordinary number of complaints every year and have most of them be about the same thing.

  • service brakes 2007, 2024, 2025 peak 38.5% of that year's complaints
  • electronic stability 2024, 2025 peak 38.5% of that year's complaints
  • start 2007, 2019, 2020 peak 23.9% of that year's complaints
  • seat 2005, 2006 peak 29% of that year's complaints
  • further 2018, 2021 peak 15.8% of that year's complaints
  • once 2005, 2021 peak 14.9% of that year's complaints
  • shaft 2011, 2013 peak 8.8% of that year's complaints

Every year

  1. 2027 nothing on record 0 complaints
  2. 2026 2 recalls 16 complaints
  3. 2025 5 recalls 57 complaints
  4. 2024 8 recalls 143 complaints
  5. 2023 4 recalls 31 complaints
  6. 2022 1 recall 66 complaints
  7. 2021 12 recalls 101 complaints
  8. 2020 11 recalls 103 complaints
  9. 2019 13 recalls 180 complaints
  10. 2018 5 recalls 69 complaints
  11. 2017 6 recalls 146 complaints
  12. 2016 5 recalls 70 complaints
  13. 2015 egr 596 complaints
  14. 2014 doors 392 complaints
  15. 2013 power train 483 complaints
  16. 2012 transfer case 834 complaints
  17. 2011 vanos 1,120 complaints
  18. 2010 14 recalls 148 complaints
  19. 2009 12 recalls 161 complaints
  20. 2008 10 recalls 333 complaints
  21. 2007 8 recalls 143 complaints
  22. 2006 2 recalls 279 complaints
  23. 2005 3 recalls 103 complaints

What does a BMW X5 say about you?

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Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints — compared against itself rather than against other cars, so popularity and age do not decide the answer.