Your vehicle report
2006 BMW X5
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 168
- Received Jun 2006 to Aug 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbag warning light stays on36 complaints · 21% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Heated seat overheats and burns occupants18 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off16 complaints · 9.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #13V564000BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, model year 2007 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi sedans and 328i and 328xi sports wagons, model year 2006-2007 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i sedans and 530xi sports wagons, model year 2006 760i sedans, model year 2006-2007 750i, 750Li, and 760Li sedans, and model year 2006 X5 sports activity vehicles, equipped with certain seat types. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if and how the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
- Recall #05V504000Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with an incorrectly manufactured automatic transmission parking pawl guide plate.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 5 crashes, 11 fires, 12 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 9 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
- Airbag warning light stays on
- Heated seat overheats and burns occupants
- Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off
1 more problem
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 9 |
| 2011 | 12 |
| 2012 | 13 |
| 2013 | 21 |
| 2014 | 45 |
| 2015 | 13 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 168 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag warning light stays on | 36 | 21% | – | |
| Heated seat overheats and burns occupants | 18 | 11% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 16 | 9.5% | – | NHTSA recall #13V564000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 10 | 5.9% | – | |
| Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedal | 7 | 4.2% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 6 | 3.6% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 1.8% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #13V564000November 12, 201376,565 vehicles affected
air bags: sensor: occupant classification
BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, model year 2007 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi sedans and 328i and 328xi sports wagons, model year 2006-2007 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i sedans and 530xi sports wagons, model year 2006 760i sedans, model year 2006-2007 750i, 750Li, and 760Li sedans, and model year 2006 X5 sports activity vehicles, equipped with certain seat types. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if and how the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners with an interim notification letter in January 2014 since parts are not currently available. When parts are available, BMW sent a second letter in August and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, free of charge. Additionally, owners of model year 2006-2007 3 Series with standard seats, 5 Series with comfort seats, and Z4 models, will receive an extended warranty on their front passenger seat occupant detection mat. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
NHTSA recall #05V504000November 1, 2005240 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission
Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with an incorrectly manufactured automatic transmission parking pawl guide plate.
This could cause the parking lock system not to engage, after the transmission is placed in the park ("p") position. If the vehicle was parked on an incline, and the parking brake was not engaged, this could result in a vehicle rollaway condition.
Remedy
Dealers will repair and replace the automatic transmission guide plate free of charge. The recall began on november 30, 2005. Owners may contact Bmw at 1-800-332-4269.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2006 BMW X5.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN