Two problems related to warning light on have been reported for the 2005 BMW X5. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Front passenger airbag warning light stays on. Will not turn off.
10/8/2008 vehicle airbag warning light. Dealer service center replaced a coil spring in driver side airbag. 6/22/2009 vehicle airbag warning light. Dealer troubleshoot and decided to replace the drivers side airbag 5/11/2011 vehicle airbag warning light. Dealer diagnosed as issue with passenger side seat occupancy sensor. I decided to get another opinion. Airbag warning light remained off for about 60 days after this diagnostic, but no repairs were done. Sept 2011 vehicle airbag warning light. Diagnosed by an independent mechanic as issue with drivers side airbag (code 01) and passenger side seat occupancy (code 70). 2/28/12 vehicle airbag warning light. Diagnosed by dealer service center as slip ring issue on the drivers side and seat occupancy sensor on the passenger side. Declined repairs as I suspected this was a warranty issue, but dealership disagreed. 9/20/12 vehicle airbag warning light. Diagnosed by an independent mechanic as a faulty drivers side airbag and a faulty seat occupancy sensor. Research has shown me that the seat occupancy sensor in the 2006 version of this vehicle is an issue under recall or notice, while this model year (2005) is not. I also am very concerned about the nagging issues with the drivers side airbag that has been repaired twice and diagnosed differently multiple times. The complaint is in two parts. (1) seat occupancy sensor - should be under recall (2) drivers side airbag on this vehicle - dealer never diagnosed or fixed correctly and is still a safety concern. I am not sure if others with this model year have had similar issues.