2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other X5 Diesel SAV years
- Not enough data
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 44 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV. The most reported problem area is engine (18 complaints, 41%), typically at around 95,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 2 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 44owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 18 | 41% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 10 | 23% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 9 | 20% | 146,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 11% | 75,857 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 11% | 71,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 7% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 2 | 5% | 60,001 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 5% | 62,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 5% | 50,250 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 2% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 2% | 75,313 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 2% | 10,500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:driveline:driveshaft
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011 X5 xDrive 35i, xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M vehicles manufactured April 5, 2010, to November 20, 2010, 2011 X5 xDrive35d diesel vehicles manufactured April 7, 2010, to November 20, 2010, and 2011 X6 Active Hybrid vehicles manufactured April 15, 2010, to November 17, 2010. The affected vehicles have a front driveshaft universal joint that may not seal out water and debris from getting in and damaging the joint, which could lead to its failure.
Risk: If the front universal joint fails, the front wheels would not be driven, affecting vehicle traction. Additionally, continued driving of the vehicle with a broken front universal joint may damage other components. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began on July 8, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:diesel
Problem: Bmw is recalling certain model year 2011, x5 diesel sports activity vehicles (sav) manufactured from march 31, 2011, through may 19, 2011. Due to a component manufacturing error at the supplier, the welds in the belt tensioner could have incipient cracks. Over time, this could lead a malfunction of the belt tensioner.
Risk: If the belt tensioner fails, there could be a sudden loss of power steering assistance, if power steering assist is lost, manual steering capability is still retained and could increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the engine belt tensioner free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during august 2011. Owners may contact bmw customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417, or via email at [email protected].
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Idler Pulley Bolt Failure (RQ18001) — opened Apr 18, 2018, closed Dec 1, 2018, led to recall 18V336000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
The passenger restraint light is on. Dealer reports there is a fault stored for the passenger side seat mat. I understand that bmw has had recalls for this problem in previous model years.
Check engine light triggered . Two issues: - the dealer diagnosed a problem with the sensor in the diesel-exhaust-fluid passive tank. The sensor is built into the tank, so the entire tank needs to be replaced. The vehicle is no longer under the original warranty and there is no warranty extension…
The issue started with exhaust fume in the cabin for 2-3 days. Followed by air leaking sound from the engine bay on low rpm. Vehicle went in and out of limp mode (getting "engine malfunctioned / reduced power" message) while driving which was very dangerous on highway or merging into traffic…
Leaking egr cooler. Dealer stated that if issue is not repaired a potential fire hazard exists. A recall was issued for vin specific vehicles but others with the same issue are not covered by the recall.
Other BMW X5 Diesel SAV years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 44 | 2 |
See all BMW X5 Diesel SAV problems by year, every BMW model, or the BMW VIN decoder.
Similar BMW models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV?
Owners most often report engine, air bags, fuel/propulsion system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 18 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAV a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other X5 Diesel SAV model years, the 2011 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.