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All cars · BMW 5 Series · Transmission

BMW 5 Series transmission problems by year.

Worst years for transmission complaints per car sold: 2004 (31 complaints), 2008 (31 complaints), 2011 (31 complaints). Fewest since 2010: 2018, 2016, 2020.

BMW 5 Series
Photo shows a BMW 5 Series. Dinkun Chen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · background removed

Transmission complaints owners filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) for each model year, per 100,000 cars sold. A complaint counts when it's filed under the transmission, or under the power train and the owner describes the transmission (shifting, slipping, gears, CVT). It's an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.

200025 per 100K sold2001922.5 per 100K sold2002819.6 per 100K sold2003714.9 per 100K sold20043168 per 100K sold20052445.5 per 100K sold20061831.7 per 100K sold20071425.9 per 100K sold20083167.5 per 100K sold200937.5 per 100K sold20101127.9 per 100K sold20113160.2 per 100K sold20121322.9 per 100K sold201358.8 per 100K sold2014815.2 per 100K sold201536.8 per 100K sold201613.1 per 100K sold20170no sales data201812.3 per 100K sold201937.8 per 100K sold202013.7 per 100K sold202114.1 per 100K sold202229.6 per 100K sold20230no sales data20240no sales data20250no sales data

What owners describe

Hard or jerky shifting25%
Lost power while driving15%
Delay or hesitation9%
Slipping8%
Transmission replaced4%
Stuck in gear or limp mode4%

Share of this model's transmission complaints that mention each symptom. One complaint can mention several.

Transmission and power train recalls

  • 2023 2026

    The connection between the driveshaft and the rear differential may become damaged, possibly resulting in a loss of power to the rear wheels or a vehicle rollaway.

  • 2022 2022

    The mechatronics unit inside the transmission may not have been assembled properly, which could result in an internal leak.

  • 2021 2021

    The output shafts (left/right) which transfer power from the driveshaft to the rear wheels may break due to a heat treatment error during supplier production.

  • 2011 2017

    The rear driveshaft constant velocity (CV) joint on the affected vehicles may fatigue and break.

  • 2006 2005

    CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH AN INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING PAWL GUIDE PLATE.

Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

In owners' words

I have been getting transmission error fault frequently and now seems to happen very often. You can stop the car and restart it and it will run but will generate the error in a month or two again.

2004 BMW 5 Series owner · NHTSA complaint

When driving between 35-40 miles per hour the car has a very bad jerk like it doesn't know what gear it wants to be in. And sometimes it feels like the car is getting hit from behind with how hard other jerks are.

2004 BMW 5 Series owner · NHTSA complaint

Quick answers

Which BMW 5 Series years have transmission problems?

By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst BMW 5 Series years are 2004, 2008, 2011.

What are common BMW 5 Series transmission problems?

Owners most often describe hard or jerky shifting, lost power while driving, delay or hesitation.

Which BMW 5 Series years have the fewest transmission complaints?

Since 2010, the BMW 5 Series years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2018, 2016, 2020.

See every problem, not just the transmission: BMW 5 Series reliability by year. How we count

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