2006 Bmw 5 Series: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 125 complaints
125
Total Complaints
68,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
8
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

38,250 25th Percentile
68,000 Median Mileage
82,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
21
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
18
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
13
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
ENGINE
6
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
4
VISIBILITY
4
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
3
SEATS
3
SERVICE BRAKES
3

Severity Assessment

8
Crashes
2
Fires
9
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I OWN A 2006 BMW 525I. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT HAS A SENSOR THAT DISABLES THE AIR BAG IF AN ADULT IS NOT SITTING IN THE SEAT (BASED ON WEIGHT) SINCE IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT AIRBAGS ARE DANGEROUS FOR CHILDREN. THE SENSOR IN MY CAR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND ALWAYS KEEPS THE AIR BAG DISABLED, E..."
"COMPUTER LOCKED KEY, ALL LIGHTS INSIDE CAR AND OUTSIDE FLICKERED OUT OF CONTROL, THEN 2 WEEKS LATER BRAKE DID NOT ENGAGE WHILE TRYING TO STOP AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE. *JB"
"COMPUTER LOCKED KEY, ALL LIGHTS INSIDE CAR AND OUTSIDE FLICKERED OUT OF CONTROL, THEN 2 WEEKS LATER BRAKE DID NOT ENGAGE WHILE TRYING TO STOP AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE. *JB"

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