Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 BMW 5 Series owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Wheels / rims failed. Crack caused them to not hold air. Only driven for pleasure and no excessive driving or events. Failed under normal driving conditions in geography. Dealer refused to warranty.
Wheels / rims failed. Crack caused them to not hold air. Only driven for pleasure and no excessive driving or events. Failed under normal driving conditions in geography. Dealer refused to warranty.
Last April I purchased a BMW 550ix. In March of this year while on the freeway I developed a flat tire. I was able to run the vehicle 40 miles to my home with the tire flat but had to flatbed the vehicle to my car repair store to replace the tire. That tire had a bubbled sidewall at the time of the flat although I cannot say that the bubbled sidewall was where the tire failed. I had the tire replaced for around $500 and the mechanic made no mention to me about the bubbled sidewall issue with this tire although, as it turns out, he was aware of the problem. At the time of repair of the above flat, my mechanic informed me that the passenger-side front tire also had a bubbled sidewall necessitating replacement of that tire in order to pass my state vehicle inspection. Since the repair in late March 2012, I noticed that the passenger-side front tire has a bubbled sidewall. …
Original tires on BMW 550i xdrive with m sport package have failed due to bubbles in the sidewalls. These are good year Eagle ls-2 runflats, 245/40r19 98 v. I have had front right tire replaced twice, and front left tire now awaiting 3rd replacement. Bubbles occur after tire takes any small impact in the road, such as driving over a manhole that is not quite up to the level of the pavement, or hitting a small pothole. On this particular model, there are no other tire replacements approved, and the current tire replacement is on backorder. This is a serious safety hazard to drive on tires that can potentially blow out the sidewall while driving at high speed. I feel there needs to be a national recall on these tires, which would then obligate BMW to use a different tire line. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW 550xi equipped with Goodyear Eagle ls-2 245/40/19 tires. The contact stated the vehicle was parked when he noticed a bubble on the sidewall of the front passenger side tire. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the failure was not diagnosed, but the tire was replaced. Approximately one month later, the replacement tire blew while driving approximately 20 MPH over a road bump. Upon examining the tire, the contact noticed another bubble on the sidewall. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were in the process of replacing the tire. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 726. Updated 07-06/11
Driving my commute, that I previously had traveled on low profile tires in my previous BMW for 3 years without incident, I got a bubbled sidewall on my brand new Goodyear run flat tire. Upon doing some research I found out these BMW OEM tires were failing all over the us. It seems the tires were only spec'd on the sport package with the all wheel drive option. The tires are unavailable do to I assume the large amount of failures. BMW put a size on the car that in the OEM spec doesn't exist by any other tire manufacture. The fix was to give me 2 summer tread tires until the OEM tires were available. Although BMW never recommends mixing summer and all season rubber.
2011 BMW 550i xdrive with m-sport package has Goodyear Eagle ls-2 245/40r19 98v tires. The right front tire developed 3 minor bubbles on sidewall and the left front developed one major bubble and 2 small bubbles on sidewall within 3,500 miles and both tires need to be replaced. I've driven on the same roads for over ten years and never had any issues with other tires, but within 6 months of owning this car, I have had serious problems with these tires. These tires are clearly defective and should be recalled.
I have a 2011 BMW x5 with the Bridgestone dueler h/l 400 255/50r19 107 h. The tires are 8 months old and has driven almost 14000 km. Today one of my tires cracked on a side while I was driving the car at the intersection. I almost got into car accident because of it. When I got home I've checked all my tires and found out that another tire has a bump on a side that will soon crack or blew-out on me. I don't think that it's normal that 2 out of 4 tires are damaged after only 14000 km.
Original vehicle equipment on vehicles equipped with sport package or m-package; tire size: 245/40/19 failure of multiple tires manufactured by good year. Tire brand: ls2 run flat, all season tires. Two front tires formed "bubbles" on the outside; as a result vehicle vibrates at higher speeds. Defective tires also caused slight bends on two wheels (one front one rear). Vehicle always driven very carefully and on good surfaces. No significant impact on the tire has occurred.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW 550i with Goodyear Eagle ls-2 tires, line sizes p245/40/r19. The contact stated that both of the front tires developed bubbles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the tires were unsafe to drive on and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The tires were replaced. The VIN and dot numbers were not available. The failure mileage was 5,500 and the current mileage was 12,000.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other 5 Series years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2011 BMW 5 Series?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2011 BMW 5 Series, 40% of the model year's 81 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 BMW 5 Series wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2011 BMW 5 Series, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 BMW 5 Series wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 4,000 miles, and 93% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.