What breaks most · 2000 to 2025 model years
BMW M5 problems by year
Owners have filed 105 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW M5 across model years 2000 to 2025. Three years stand out: 2006 for air bags complaints, 2013 for engine complaints and 2019 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2010, 2016 and 2014.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2013, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2016, 2014
- Complaints on file
- 1052000 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 200639 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 35 fires · 4 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 53kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 32Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (3) | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | Visibility (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (3) | |
| 39 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (25) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (4) | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (1) | |
| 10 | 0 | 2 | Engine (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Engine (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 3 | Engine (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Engine (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 3 | Engine (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Forward collision system (1) |
What fails on the 2006 BMW M5
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 64% |
25 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Seat belts | 18% |
7 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
5 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 8% |
3 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 BMW M5 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 BMW M5 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 BMW M5 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2006 BMW M5 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Creaking noise in the front suspension when turning steering wheel when parked and at low speeds. Diagnosis from shop indicated the lower control arms and ball joints were loose. Both sides replaced.
-
Engine coil and fuel injectors are bad. Injector 8 went bad, followed by 6&7. The next just went bad. Was told only so many available at dealership because of on going problems.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which BMW M5 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2013, 2019 carry the most filings on the BMW M5. The 2006 alone has 39 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common BMW M5 problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 25 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW M5 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW M5 complaints that include mileage is about 53,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.