Transmission complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 15% | — |
| 2025 | 7 | 11% | — |
| 2024 | 16 | 11% | — |
| 2023 | 8 | 24% | 51,000 miles |
| 2022 | 25 | 35% | 38,000 miles |
| 2021 | 31 | 28% | 14,000 miles |
| 2020 | 17 | 15% | 70,000 miles |
| 2019 | 19 | 10% | 1,000 miles |
| 2018 | 10 | 14% | 11,000 miles |
| 2017 | 10 | 13% | 13,000 miles |
| 2016 | 13 | 18% | 109,000 miles |
| 2015 | 14 | 9% | 66,000 miles |
| 2014 | 12 | 12% | 65,000 miles |
| 2013 | 37 | 23% | 67,000 miles |
| 2012 | 62 | 21% | 69,000 miles |
| 2011 | 65 | 23% | 70,000 miles |
| 2010 | 8 | 6% | 47,000 miles |
| 2009 | 10 | 6% | 93,000 miles |
| 2008 | 18 | 8% | 60,000 miles |
| 2007 | 9 | 7% | 100,000 miles |
| 2006 | 7 | 4% | 74,000 miles |
| 2005 | 9 | 11% | 60,000 miles |
| 2004 | 11 | 17% | 74,000 miles |
| 2003 | 16 | 16% | 106,000 miles |
| 2002 | 6 | 6% | 85,000 miles |
| 2001 | 15 | 9% | 98,000 miles |
| 2000 | 7 | 24% | 75,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I purchased the car on 12/29/2025. While driving the car on 1/2/2026, I was parking the vehicle when an error message that said "Drivetrain Malfunction" appeared on the screen, which informed me that I needed to take my car to a service center. Luckily I was not moving at a high rate of speed and I was able to park the vehicle with no issue. I was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer for service the next morning (1/3/2026). They ran diagnostics but were not able to replicate the issue. BMW North America was consulted and they had the dealer drain the battery and reset the system. This cleared the error. The dealer commented that there were two other similar vehicles that were in for the same issue. There were no issues, warning lights prior to the failure, and they first appeared on 1/2/2026. No fix was applied to the car, just a reset of the system. …
On July 6, 2026, while my brand-new vehicle (purchased June 10, 2026) was stationary and preconditioning, the high-voltage drivetrain and climate control networks suffered a catastrophic synchronization failure. The vehicle's internal communication bus network completely crashed, causing the SME (Battery Management System) and IHKA (Climate Control) modules to stop communicating. This software/hardware network dropout left the high-voltage electric AC compressor running entirely unmonitored. As a direct result of this uncontrolled loop, the undercarriage of the vehicle physically froze into solid blocks of ice, fluid rapidly dumped onto the pavement, the Malfunction Indicator Light illuminated, and the battery management system triggered an emergency hard-fault safety lockout. …
While driving this new 2025 BMW X5 M60i vehicle with only 6200 miles, all of a sudden battery failure indicator came on in the middle of traffic, followed by drivetrain failure / malfunction indicator came on. BMW roadside assistance was contacted, and advised me to have vehicle stopped and pulled over immediately and towed. Situation was dangerous as the traffic was flowing at 40 mph. Vehicle Eventually totally lost power. It was towed to local BMW dealership where it was purchased from. The dealership service department was able to reproduce the issue, confirmed that it was a cracked transmission casing, resulting in fluid leak, causing electrical failure and leading to mechanical failure. BMW head office was contacted By the dealership service department and new transmission was requested. Please refer to pages 3 and 4 of the service report attached for details. …
The vehicle shut off and would not start while at a stop light. It is new: under one year old and still within warranty. The error was a "Restart not possible. Drivetrain fault" as shown in the picture. My safety as well as my passenger's were put at risk due to being in a congested roadway and unable to move. After attempting to restart the system software, I then observed a "High voltage battery" warning. At that point my passenger and I exited the vehicle. As I was on the phone with emergency roadside assistance while out of the vehicle for about 10 minutes, the vehicle was able to start with the warning now displaying "Drivetrain. You can continue driving. Have the problem checked by your local service center." I hesitantly drove the vehicle home. While parked, I checked about 15 minutes later and the issue resurfaced (as pictured). …
The bell housing of the car is currently emitting a whistling / rusty tricycle sound at low RPMS (1500-2200 rpms / 30 miles per hour or under). I have had the car in for service. During the last visit, BMW kept it for 30 days and only compared it to the sound of other cars. In being able to duplicate the sound, they stated that the sound is normal. BMW reached its conclusion without conducting any physical inspection of the bell housing and its related components to see why the parts are making the noise. They have no idea as to why the car is generating the noise. My shop foreman wrote the following to my advisor to share with me: "..I narrowed down the noise. Noise is possibly mechanical and coming from bell housing area. Created Tsara case and provided information to BMW and video to see what are the next steps we are going to be taking. …
I purchased this BMW X5 xDrive50e vehicle from BMW showroom in kalamazoo, MI as a pre-owned vehicle. It looks like this particular vehicle had already reported an drivetrain issue based on the NHTSA complaint: [redacted] Looks like Drivetrain malfunction issue is a recurring one in BMW X5 50e and hit with the same issue on [redacted]. Here, i want to file a complaint regarding a safety issues with this 2024 BMW X5 xDrive50e, which currently has 14,065 miles. Vehicle started showing 2 Error messages. (1) Drivetrain Malfunctions Error stating that driving is not possible and asking to call the roadside assistance. (2) Regenerative braking of the vehicle is disturbed. It is possible to continue driving and asking to schedule a service appointment. On seeing these messages, called the BMW SoS line and informed them about the issue and towed the vehicle to the nearest service center. …
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X5. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the contact noticed a fluid leak underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to exceed 5 MPH. The check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The messages " Drivetrain Malfunction" and "4-WD Component" and other unknown messages were displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that while driving 40-50 MPH, with her one-year-old daughter in a car seat in the rear of the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving, causing the contact to pull over to the side of the road several times. …
I was accelerating from a green light in ELECTRIC only mode, once nearing 25 mph, felt a single strong jolt that caused acceleration to pause, the Hybrid mode automatically kicked in and acceleration continued under engine power. Received several warnings and alerts on the display- Stop Carefully: Power Supply Drivetrain Malfunction Continued Driving possible: Drivetrain Electric drive limited I was fortunate enough to continue driving the final 1/2 mile to my parking lot at work. After work, the engine started with the same errors as above and attempted to move, but the engine was making strange cycles of revving high and low. I called Roadside and as I idled waiting for a tow truck to arrive, the gas engine began revving high again, then low, then sputtered, then shut off and would not turn back on, leaving me in the cold. Fuel was about 1/2 tank, battery was at least 30%. …
Related recalls (9)
Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota GR Supra, 3 Series Sedan (330i xDrive, M340i xDrive, M3), 5 Series Sedan (530i, 530i xDrive, M5), 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive), 4 Series Convertible (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive), 8 Series Coupe…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the transmission mechatronics module and the automatic transmission fluid, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 26, 2024.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
BMW of North America, LLC, (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2013 X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M and X5 xDrive35d vehicles, 2011-2014 X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6M vehicles, and 2011 x6 ActiveHybrid Vehicles.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began on April 18, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
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…
Remedy: 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.
Power train › Automatic transmission
BMW is recalling certain model year 2012 x5 xdrive 35i sports activity vehicles, manufactured from December 19, 2011, through December 21, 2011. Due to a manufacturing error, engagement of the transmission's parking lock May not occur even if the "p" position has been selected and is displayed.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the automatic transmission free of charge. The safety recall began on February 2, 2012. Owners May contact BMW customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.
Power train › Automatic transmission
Certain passenger vehicles May have been built with an incorrectly manufactured automatic transmission parking pawl guide plate.
Remedy: Dealers will repair and replace the automatic transmission guide plate free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2005. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-332-4269.
Show 4 more recalls
Power train › Clutch assembly › Pedal/hand lever(motorcycle)
On certain passenger vehicles with 3.0 l engines and manual transmissions, if the vehicle is in first gear, and moving slowly, with the accelerator pedal held in a constant position of low engine speed and with the clutch pedal held in a partially depressed position, engine speed May increase.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's digital engine management control unit. The recall began on September 8, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 8 and 12 cylinder engines, the digital engine management control (emc) units were not produced according to specifications.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new digital engine management control unit. The recall began on July 16, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Power train › Driveline › Differential unit
On certain sport utility vehicles, the bolts that hold the front differential, the right output shaft housing flange at the engine, and the right-hand engine support May be insufficiently tightened.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and retighten the drivetrain fasteners. Owner notification began November 28, 2003. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Park/neutral start interlock switch
Vehicle description: 4.4i sport utility vehicles. Over an extended period of time, abrasion particles could deposit on the electrical contacts within the switch, causing a disruption of the electric current through the contacts.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the transmission gear position indicator switch. Owner notification began August 14, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive…
Frequently asked questions
Which BMW X5 years have transmission problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2011 (65), 2012 (62), 2013 (37), 2021 (31) and 2022 (25) model years. Transmission complaints make up 23% of all complaints for the 2011.
Is there a recall for BMW X5 transmission problems?
Yes — 9 recalls, including 23V-821 (control module (tcm/pcm/tecm), Dec 6, 2023); 17V-138 (driveshaft, Mar 2, 2017); 16V-311 (driveshaft, May 17, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do BMW X5 transmission problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles; 29% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the automatic transmission (38 mentions), followed by the driveline › driveshaft (6).
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.