"How reliable is the 2004 Bmw 5 Series?"

"Based on 89 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Bmw 5 Series has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Bmw 5 Series?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Bmw 5 Series is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 89 total complaints filed."

2004 Bmw 5 Series: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 89 complaints

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

54,000 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

93,927 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SEAT BELTS

SEATS

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

STEERING

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

TIRES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BMW 545I SYSTEM FAILURE 1. BRAKING AND DYNAMIC-RESPONSE 2. PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM. *AK"

"I WANT YOU TO KNOW I STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE NEW HIGH INTENSITY HEADLIGHTS AND TO VEHICLES WITH FOUR HEADLIGHTS. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO DRIVE AT NIGHT WITHOUT ALL THE ADDITIONAL LIGHT POLUTION! *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28