Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2018 BMW X5.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
On March 9, 2026, I brought the vehicle to BMW of fairfax for a scheduled appointment. In the week leading up to the visit, the vehicle intermittently failed to start and required jump-starting using a portable battery starter. Despite this issue, the car drove normally, showed no warning lights or error messages, and had approximately 69,000 miles on the odometer at the time. After jump-starting the vehicle, I personally drove it to the dealership. I paid for a diagnostic evaluation and also authorized completion of a minor recall. Two days later, I was informed that the vehicle was no longer able to shift into gear and was now completely inoperable. I was told I would be responsible for towing the vehicle off their premises. According to the service department, the vehicle now requires replacement of the eme module, at an estimated cost of $12,000. This assessment was particularly troubling because the vehicle was fully drivable when it arrived at the dealership. At no point prior to service did the car have difficulty shifting into gear. It is deeply concerning that the vehicle became a “brick” while under the care of an authorized BMW service center, with no accountability taken for what occurred during their diagnostic process.
Vehicle: 2018 BMW X5 xdrive40e recall: NHTSA safety recall 24v-608 complaint description: my 2018 BMW X5 xdrive40e experienced a sudden electric motor electronics (eme) failure that rendered the vehicle inoperable. This occurred before the recall remedy for NHTSA safety recall 24v-608 was completed. It is available for inspection upon request. Recall 24v-608 addresses fluid intrusion into the electric coolant water pump electrical connector, which can cause electrical shorts, overcurrent conditions, and power instability. The eme is directly dependent on stable electrical conditions. After the vehicle failed, the recall repair was performed; however, completion of the recall does not reverse electrical damage that may have occurred prior to the repair. Prior to the eme failure, I made multiple attempts to have the recall addressed by contact BMW authorized dealers, but the recall condition remained unresolved. Following the failure, BMW of north America denied responsibility in writing, closed my case, and did not identify any alternative root cause or provide technical findings explaining the eme failure. The vehicle is not drivable and requires approximately $12,000 in repairs. I also incurred rental vehicle expenses as a result of BMW’s refusal to repair. This appears to be recall-related electrical damage affecting a critical control module, creating a safety concern due to sudden loss of vehicle function putting safety of myself and others at risk. I am submitting this complaint to document a safety-related electrical failure associated with recall 24v-608 and BMW of north America’s refusal to remedy the resulting damage.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
BMW issued a recall in October 2024 regarding the engine coolant pump electrical connector on my 2018 BMW X5 xdrive40e, warning of electrical shorts and fire risks. It's now late March 2025—approximately six later—and BMW dealerships still state explicitly they have no available remedy and no timeline for repair. Recently, my vehicle showed a drivetrain warning message, which I suspect is recall-related. I called BMW corporate recall hotline and my local BMW dealership (BMW of tenafly) today (March 24, 2025). The dealership explicitly stated that they can only perform diagnostics, and even if their diagnostics confirm my drivetrain issue is recall-related, they 'cannot do anything' due to BMW's lack of available recall remedy. When I expressed concern to BMW of tenafly representative that this recall involves serious safety risks (electrical shorts and potential fire), the dealership representative dismissed my concern by simply saying, 'every recall is urgent. ' this response underscores my concern that BMW and its dealerships are not treating this recall issue with adequate seriousness or urgency, leaving consumers like myself at ongoing safety risk. They also mentioned charging $150/day storage if I leave my vehicle at their facility beyond diagnostics, which discourages vehicle owners from having their recall-related safety issues adequately addressed. I’m escalating to NHTSA now because BMW has not provided a recall remedy within a reasonable period, and I'm concerned about ongoing safety issue.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Eme (electronic motor elect. ) the vehicle is already at the service department of BMW in puerto rico. According to them, there was an eme failure. The warranty says the electrical system is covered under a warranty of 8 years or 60,000 miles. Neither of them has passed. The service department says the warranty is on the main battery, but the eme is part of the electrical system. They want to charge almost 20,000 for the replacement and adjustment of the system. This statement is unacceptable. It would put this vehicle which has been jealously taken care of in a total loss condition. It still owed 25000 dollars and the repair cost 20,000. It does not make sense and is not the only one with this situation. The problem is that it died in the middle of the road, luckily there was not much traffic. It is very dangerous if it happened on the freeway, it could have caused a very bad accident. BMW should be liable for this damage and a recall should be performed.
I replaced an electric auxillary heater on my vehicle in 2024 part that was subsequently offered an warranty extension on 8/1/2025 by BMW in service bulletin sib 01 10 25. The bulletin had a provision for customer reimbursement of repairs and they are refusing to honor my claim. I think they should be forced to place this part into a recall by NHTSA. These vehicles are lemons. A high voltage ac compressor, electric auxillary heater issues, high voltage power supply cables, turbocharger, electric suspension compressor, air suspesion springs, evaporative emissions purge valve all had to be replaced before the vehicle hit 90,000 miles.
-BMW X5 2018 electrical machine electronic (eme) -lost complete electrical power of the vehicle, no brakes, hard to steering, no gas, no control of the vehicle, if I would have been driving on the highway would had endanger other drivers and/or my family and self. -there is a service action report dated may 2019 b12 15 19 requesting replacing the electrical machine electronic (eme) the vehicle is at the BMW service department and has been inspected. The service dept is aware of the service action report however they have not complied with the service action report to replace the faulty eme each time I taken the vehicle for its scheduled maintenance since 2019. Dealer is now looking that the vehicle is no longer unwarranty and is charging $14,999 to replace the faulty eme which has been under a service action report since may 2019. The vehicle has been taken to the service department for scheduled maintenance since 2019 while it was under warranty in 2019, 2020, 2021 and part of 2022. Service department ignored the service action report during those three and half years to replace the faulty eme which now failed. This faulty component should be recalled since a complete shutdown of power poses a very serious danger to others and ourselves. -no warning, no messages comment: according to a technical service bulletin issued by BMW, there was a production fault on a printed circuit board of the electrical machine electronics (eme) in some f15 phev (x5 xdrive40e) models produced from August 11, 2015 to March 14, 2018. It is recommended to replace the electrical machine electronics (eme) to avoid any potential safety issues. However, BMW service department at guaynabo puerto rico has not complied since my vehicle has been at the service dept for the past 4 yrs for scheduled maintenance. If they would have replaced the faulty eme I would not had this mishap. Please implement a recall since this service department has not complied with this service action report.
The rear door opened on it own while driving on the freeway and refuses to close. The car has soft close doors and it seems like the mechanism is faulty. While driving an adult was seated in the rear left seat and was quickly able to hold the door while I slowly pulled over for safety. The door continues to behave the same way and continues to open on its own when I have closed it. I am currently not driving the vehicle, the dealer has refused to tell me the problem without a $300 diagnosis fee.
In the last week my BMW's wires are chewed by the rodents twice. After doing some research, I found that BMW uses soy/oil based wire coatings or coverings that attract rodents and cause damage to the vehicle. I found many forums where this incident is reported or discussed, but no action has been taken by the BMW to replace the material of wires. With the wires chewed up the communication of different parts of the system becomes incommunicable. It is not able to communicate the pedestrian warning, collision warning, power steering wheel becomes hard and not easy to navigate, chassis stabilization error and many more errors pop up. BMW dealership as well as BMW north America's response is that this is external forces that they do not have control and not covered in any warranty. My question is if all the systems start to malfunction because BMW installs wires that attract rodents then its a product failure that can lead to a catastrophe to happen. What happen if my BMW stops giving me collision warning while driving and lands up having a collision? is it not a fault of improper product placed in my car? do I have to wait for the catastrophe to happen to make BMW aware of the faulty wires?.
The passenger blind side detection will not pick up vehicles only 20% of the time.
The car displayed drivetrain malfunction warning message multiple times after the car reached 10k miles. The drivetrain malfunction message was reported to the dealer multiple times and dealer failed to provide proper explanation as well as failed to permanently fix the problem. The car is hybrid and the issue happens randomly when driven at speed between 60mph to 80 mph. When the warning message is displayed the car air condition stops function completely, the car loses acceleration and maintain speed of 60 mph even if the gas pedal is pressed firmly.