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All cars · BMW X5 · Transmission

BMW X5 transmission problems by year.

Worst years for transmission complaints per car sold: 2011 (20 complaints), 2001 (14 complaints), 2008 (10 complaints). Fewest since 2010: 2025, 2023, 2024.

BMW X5
Photo shows a 2022 BMW X5. JamesYoung8167, 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.

2000726.2 per 100K sold20011434.5 per 100K sold2002511.7 per 100K sold2003922.1 per 100K sold2004925.6 per 100K sold2005718.6 per 100K sold2006518.7 per 100K sold2007822.7 per 100K sold20081031.4 per 100K sold200927.4 per 100K sold201025.6 per 100K sold20112049.3 per 100K sold2012818 per 100K sold201337.5 per 100K sold2014510.6 per 100K sold2015610.9 per 100K sold201636.3 per 100K sold201747.9 per 100K sold2018511.1 per 100K sold20191018.3 per 100K sold202035.9 per 100K sold202267.3 per 100K sold202322.8 per 100K sold202445.5 per 100K sold202511.3 per 100K sold

What owners describe

Lost power while driving15%
Hard or jerky shifting15%
Slipping9%
Delay or hesitation8%
Shudder8%
Transmission replaced7%

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

Transmission and power train recalls

  • 2023 2023

    Transmission oil that leaks into the control unit can lead to a seizure of the transmission gears, causing a sudden loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.

  • 2020 2020

    An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

  • 2013 2017

    Water and debris may enter the front driveshaft's universal joint, causing excessive wear and possibly resulting in the joint's failure.

  • 2012 2012

    BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 X5 XDRIVE 35I SPORTS ACTIVITY VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM DECEMBER 19, 2011, THROUGH DECEMBER 21, 2011.

  • 2011 2016

    The affected vehicles have a front driveshaft universal joint that may not seal out water and debris from getting in and damaging the joint, which could lead to its failure.

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

In owners' words

Front drive shaft snapped on the highway almost causing me to crash and when it snapped destroyed the the transfer case and the transmission causing 8k worth of damage.

2011 BMW X5 owner · NHTSA complaint

Transfer case: slipping and hesitation in motion/driving and acceleration. Also popping and slipping in front end near front wheels... Looked up online troubleshooting and found problems with 2011 model design

2011 BMW X5 owner · NHTSA complaint

Quick answers

Which BMW X5 years have transmission problems?

By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst BMW X5 years are 2011, 2001, 2008.

What are common BMW X5 transmission problems?

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

Which BMW X5 years have the fewest transmission complaints?

Since 2010, the BMW X5 years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2025, 2023, 2024.

See every problem, not just the transmission: BMW X5 reliability by year. How we count

Updated

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