Table 1 shows one common service brakes related problems of the 2023 BMW X5.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems |
Drivetrain malfunction creating error message of critical failure on brake system and chassis. The first of 2 such issues so far in 4 months of ownership. Car is under original mfr warranty. Dealer charged $600 to fix. This is a phev and with the electrical system issues it prevents the car from functioning safely.
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.