Brake complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 7% | — |
| 2025 | 30 | 48% | 2,000 miles |
| 2024 | 90 | 62% | 6,000 miles |
| 2023 | 3 | 9% | — |
| 2022 | 6 | 8% | 1,000 miles |
| 2021 | 6 | 5% | 10,000 miles |
| 2020 | 6 | 5% | 99,000 miles |
| 2019 | 13 | 7% | 1,000 miles |
| 2018 | 3 | 4% | 1,000 miles |
| 2017 | 8 | 11% | 13,000 miles |
| 2016 | 2 | 3% | 25,000 miles |
| 2015 | 3 | 2% | 66,000 miles |
| 2014 | 4 | 4% | 65,000 miles |
| 2013 | 9 | 6% | 49,000 miles |
| 2012 | 5 | 2% | 48,000 miles |
| 2011 | 8 | 3% | 59,000 miles |
| 2010 | 3 | 2% | 62,000 miles |
| 2009 | 13 | 8% | 78,000 miles |
| 2008 | 19 | 8% | 93,000 miles |
| 2007 | 29 | 22% | 97,000 miles |
| 2006 | 35 | 18% | 98,000 miles |
| 2005 | 15 | 18% | 96,000 miles |
| 2004 | 2 | 3% | 56,000 miles |
| 2003 | 3 | 3% | 100,000 miles |
| 2002 | 6 | 6% | 100,000 miles |
| 2001 | 11 | 7% | 130,000 miles |
| 2000 | 3 | 10% | 150,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2025 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000(Electronic Stability Control(ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH and approaching a motorcycle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into the motorcycle. The motorcycle driver sustained injury and was transported by ambulance. The contact did not sustain any injury and drove from the scene. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the police report information available. The local dealer was contacted and offered a temporary fix because the recall remedy was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
I was driving my 2025 BMW X5 sDrive40i at approximately 60 mph when the vehicle in front of me stopped abruptly. I immediately applied the brake pedal firmly in an attempt to make an emergency stop. Despite applying heavy and continuous pressure to the brake pedal, the braking force felt unusually weak. The vehicle slowed gradually but continued rolling forward much farther than I expected and did not stop before I made low-speed contact with the rear of the vehicle in front of me. The vehicle did not skid, I did not feel the tires sliding, and I did not observe skid marks. My concern is that the vehicle did not provide the amount of braking force I expected despite firm emergency braking. …
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control - ESC, Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that his wife was in a parking lot driving at approximately 3 MPH when she depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle was not slowing. The contact stated that his wife had to use more force than normal to depress the pedal. The contact stated that she had not observed any warning lights. The contact stated that his wife crashed into the parking lot stop block and that the front end of the vehicle crashed into a steel fence. The contact stated that the front bumper had scratches and some dents. …
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, attempting to depress the brake pedal however there was a reduction in the power assist braking leading to the vehicle crashing into another vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The front passenger side of the vehicle crashed into the rear end of the other. The crash occurred on an unstated off-ramp from a highway to a main street. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was drivable. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. The vehicle was driven to a certified collision repair center and the contact received a diagnosis stating that the front bumper along with several other things needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. …
While driving the vehicle at highway speed, the vehicle did not respond as expected during braking. Upon attempting to slow the vehicle, control was lost, the vehicle became unstable, left the roadway, and rolled. As a result of the incident, the driver sustained serious injuries requiring emergency transport and hospitalization. No warning lamps, messages, or brake-related alerts were observed prior to the incident. After the crash, the BMW mobile application displayed a brake system malfunction warning indicating an integrated system brake failure, with a timestamp shortly after the incident. The vehicle has not yet been inspected or diagnosed by a BMW dealer or independent service center. The vehicle remains available for inspection following the crash and has been retained post-incident pending salvage processing.
The vehicle rolled away after the driver exited the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake was not applied. This negligent design flaw is because BMW has chosen to not revert the vehicle to Park if the door is opened like other car manufacturers. A simple software update or design change could prevent a potentially fatal incident caused by BMW's negligence in this matter.
The contact owns a 2022 BMW X5. The contact stated that his foot was caught on the mat and the vehicle accelerated. The contact had to engage the parking brake to stop the vehicle. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. While the vehicle was idling in the driveway, the vehicle lunged forward, crashed into an unknown vehicle and the vehicle drove into the garage. There was no reported fire but the fire department was on the scene. There were no reported injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
I put my car in reverse this evening and the screen kept clicking and unclick the back up assistance button. The steering wheel was moving on its own. I was not controlling it. The brakes were hard and I could not press down more than 1/5-1/4 of the way. The car was not in my control. After an hour on the phone with support and reporting the issues they advised they would tow it. I was able to put the car in reverse push a button off that was selecting without being pressed manually near the driving shifter to get the car to drive normally. At home the same issues continued when I tried to put it in reverse. Even when shifting to drive these problems persisted until I pressed actual tangible buttons in the car to try and move it out of that mode. I am not able to back the car up properly. …
Related recalls (12)
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Electric › Control module
BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2023-2025 BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The integrated brake (IB) system may malfunction and result in a loss of power brake assist or cause the Antilock Brake (ABS) and Dynamic Stability…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between June and December 2024.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Critical fasteners
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 X5 sDrive40i and X5 xDrive40i vehicles. The right front brake disc may have been assembled with incorrect fasteners, which over time, could result in the front brake disc becoming loose.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the right front brake disc and replace it if necessary, along with the unaffected left side brake disc, free of charge.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Hydraulic
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 8 Series Coupe, Grand Coupe and convertible 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8 and 740 Li, 740 Li xDrive, 750 Li xDrive, M760 Li xDrive, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xdrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, and 2019-2021 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M, X7…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist
BMW is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 X5 SAV vehicles, manufactured September 12, 2006, through March 18, 2010 and equipped with an 8-cylinder engine. The brake vacuum pump may leak a small amount of lubricating oil into the hose. The contamination could result in a loss of power assist braking.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake vacuum line with one that contains a check valve, free of charge. The recall began during March 2013.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc
BMW is recalling my 2009 x5 and x6 vehicles. The rear brake discs May not have been manufactured according to specifications. As a result, a reduction in braking performance at the affected rear wheel could occur.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners and will repair the vehicles by inspecting the rear brake discs and, if necessary, replace them free of charge. The safety recall began on September 11, 2009.
Show 7 more recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, "passenger car brake systems." the cap of the brake fluid reservoir has been designed in orderto recognize a low fluid level of the hydraulic brake system by triggering a red warning lamp in the instrument cluster.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake fluid reservoir cap free of charge. The recall began on September 20, 2007. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain sport utility vehicles, the attachment of the brake line support bracket within the front left wheel well was not welded according to specifications. It could loosen and over time the brake hose could rub against the wheel well.
Remedy: Dealers will re-attach the brake line support bracket to the front left wheel well free of charge. The recall began on September 20, 2005. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain passenger vehicles, it is possible that the distance between the brake line and the steering shaft joint is not sufficient. If this occurs, the brake line could come into contact with the joint and eventually suffer damage and corrosion.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the distance between the brake line and the steering shaft joint, and if necessary, increase the distance. Owner notification began June 23, 2003.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain sport utility vehicles, it May be possible for the front brake line to slip out of the retaining bracket located at the front strut. The brake hose that is attached to the brake line could come in contact with the tire and be subjected to wear and abrasion.
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional retaining clip to further secure the brake line to the front strut. Additionally, if inspection of any brake hose indicates that it has experienced damage, the hose will be replaced.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
On certain passenger vehicles, due to a manufacturing problem, the brake pedal arm pivot shaft could loosen from its support bracket.
Remedy: Dealers will check the brake pedal arm pivot shaft for proper seating in its support bracket. In addition, a pin will be installed to secure the shaft to the bracket. Owner notification began August 14, 2002.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: 4.4i sport utility vehicles. There is a plastic carrier to which the oil filter housing is attached. Oil supply and return lines are attached to the filter housing. Over time, this carrier could sag slightly.
Remedy: Dealers will install a rubber spacer below the plastic carrier to prevent sagging and subsequent contact between the oil and brake lines.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. Due to an assembly error, one or both self-locking nuts that secure the pedal assembly to the booster May have been cross-threaded on the booster studs that protrude through the firewall. In such a case, the nut(s) would not be fully seated on the stud(s).
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the two lock nuts to determine if they are properly seated. If the nuts are not properly seated or are cross-threaded, the brake booster will be replaced. Owner notification began August 17, 2001.
Frequently asked questions
Which BMW X5 years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2024 (90), 2006 (35), 2025 (30), 2007 (29) and 2008 (19) model years. Brake complaints make up 62% of all complaints for the 2024.
Is there a recall for BMW X5 brake problems?
Yes — 12 recalls, including 24V-104 (control module, Feb 12, 2024); 21V-089 (critical fasteners, Feb 18, 2021); 21V-062 (hydraulic, Feb 10, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do BMW X5 brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles; 31% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (5 mentions), followed by the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › abs warning light (3).
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.