2006 BMW X5 problems and complaints
Owners have filed 280 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 BMW X5. The most-reported areas: Air Bags (134), Service Brakes (42), Electrical System (41).
Key takeaways
- 280 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 10 involve a crash, 14 a fire, 18 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 134 | 48% |
| Service Brakes | 42 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 41 | 15% |
| Seats | 34 | 12% |
| Power Train | 15 | 5% |
| Engine | 13 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 13 | 5% |
| Seat Belts | 10 | 4% |
| Hydraulic | 10 | 4% |
| Visibility | 9 | 3% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 9 | 3% |
| Structure | 7 | 3% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 BMW X5 4-DR. w/SAB | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Electrical System - filed 2026-08-14
I put a new battery and I need to unplugged the negative every time I turn it off. If I don’t do this, the next day, the battery would be dead. I checked with the Ancel OBD2 and there’s nothing wrong. It doesn’t detect anything bad.
Seat Belts - filed 2025-03-16
Anytime I have a passenger in the car the seatbelt warning light goes off. My passenger is wearing the seatbelt. I put the car in park and tell my passenger to take the seatbelt off then back on. It's off for a bit then the light for the seatbelt comes by on.
Steering,electrical System - filed 2025-03-14
The contact owns a 2006 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an electrical burning odor inside the vehicle. The ABS, brakes, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was driven to the resi...
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More for the 2006 BMW X5
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.