Home · 2014 BMW X5 Xdrive35d · Complaints

What 98 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 BMW X5 Xdrive35d

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (98)Crash / fire / injury (14)Fuel system (20)Engine (16)Body & structure (15)Electrical system (15)Transmission & drivetrain (12)Fuel System, Diesel (11)Airbags (6)Engine & cooling (5)Brakes (4)Speed control (4)

12 of 98 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Jun 29, 2026Transmission & drivetrainEngine

I purchased my vehicle around Labor Day of 2020. I still own and operate the vehicle. Since I have owned my vehicle, I have repeatedly been told my turbos are leaking oil, etc. I have even had several oil leaks repaired on my car. Fast forward six years, and I am buying 5 quarts of oil every two weeks and topping up the oil in my vehicle every week, at least 2-3 quarts per week. I also have smoke coming out of the tail pipes intermittently. The car also smells like it is burning oil, but there are no visible oil drips on the ground currently. I discovered by research there have been two lawsuits: Isley v. BMW of North America LLC, et al., Case No. [XXX] in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey ([XXX] [XXX]), and Bang v. BMW (Original [XXX]) ([XXX]). I have had repeated documented repairs and I never received a notice for these cases. I need my vehicle repaired and I need BMW to take ownership of this defect. I never received one notice regarding these lawsuits, or I would have had my vehicle repaired. I only have 102,000 miles (currently), so my vehicle should be covered in terms of mileage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11747246

Dec 12, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

High Pressure fuel pump failure

NHTSA ODI 11630291

Apr 16, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The vehicle has been part of recall #[XXX] related to engine EGR cooler leakage. The EGR cooler is part of emission's control. On this vehicle the egr can leak which causes coolant to get into intake manifold and potentially cause risk of fire. BMW denied to cover the repair on my vehicle reason I am asking for support. Have already called BMW customer service 1800-831-1117 but unfortunately no support was offered. Car have been fixed by replacing the egr with genuine BMW part. Invoice attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11583366

Dec 24, 2023Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemFuel system

Drive train malfunction came on and veh started to act very different like check engine lights and a lack of power !!! had it sent back to the dealer they switch #4 coil pack to # 5 and the code cleared . Then about 1500 miles later the same thing happen ,so I changed plugs& wires and still the same thing happen again so then I received a P0100 code and P0172 so I changed the pcv and both Mas sensors plus the turbo filters !!!!! still no change ?????

NHTSA ODI 11561682

Oct 17, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact heard an abnormal sound, and the vehicle hesitated to accelerate, causing the vehicle to jerk. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty driveshaft. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 65,465.

NHTSA ODI 11550483

Apr 17, 2023Fuel System, DieselTransmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled and shifted into neutral(N) independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the high-pressure fuel pump was defective. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the entire fuel system needed to be replaced due to the intrusion of metal fragments into the fueling system. The dealer charged a repair fee and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V586000 (Fuel System, Diesel) as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11517497

Dec 28, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but could not find any failure. However, as the contact continued driving, he heard an abnormal banging sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle became unstable, almost causing the contact to lose control of the steering wheel. The contact stated that he could also hear the driveshaft hitting against other components. The contact stated that metal pieces were propelled from the vehicle and cracked the windshield of another vehicle. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road with the assistance of other drivers who stopped to give assistance. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the universal joint at the end of the driveshaft had sheared off, causing the front of the driveshaft to detach. The driveshaft struck and damaged the transmission and caused some engine damage also. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V138000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11499211

Sep 6, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

Front driveshaft broke at U-joint while driving Front driveshaft was showing signs of rust prior to the incident but unknown at the time that it was a more serious, known issue with the previous model. I believe this to be the exact same problem as the 2010-2013 BMW x5 E70 chassis (recall 17V-138). I saw the BMW service bulletin (unfortunately after the incident) which would have clearly shown me that my driveshaft was about to break. My vehicle is the next generation x5, 2014 4.4L with all wheel drive. It has the direct replacement driveshaft as the E70, but with the newer part number. I was driving, luckily at low speed, when the car started to vibrate (like a tire problem), then bang! clunk, clunk, clunk. The U-joint in my front driveshaft broke, smashed the transmission, exhaust and floor board causing the vehicle to be disabled. Transmission was cracked with a hole in the side of it. Cost to repair at BMW dealer exceeds $19K. BMW was unwilling to accept responsibility for the damages after working with their corporate team. They were not interested in reviewing the data as potentially part of the recall. I believe, based on what BMW knows about the previous recall and the pictures of my driveshaft a few months before it broke, this is a problem that BMW has not fixed on later models which will become more evident as they age. I suspect a possible culprit is the A/C drain line that is almost right over top of the driveshaft and likely lets cold water constantly land on the U-joint. (Design flaw) - that's my opinion. I will be happy to share any additional information to help prevent this from happening to other BMW owners. I would like to see this reviewed for consideration of an additional model range to be covered.

NHTSA ODI 11483117

May 26, 2022Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

The timing chain malfunctioned and blew out the electronic fuel pump which cause a catastrophic failure of the vehicle. It went in to low power mode came top a stop with a "drivetrain malfunction" warning. Once the car locked in park it was inoperable. I am being quoted by BMW repair $48,000 for a new engine and a new fuel system. This is a well known issue over many years with BMW. There have been class action suits in Europe on this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11466248

Feb 19, 2021SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainAirbags

WATER KEEPS COMING INSIDE THE CAR EVERY TIME ITS RAINING OUTSIDE ,I TOOK THE CAR TO A BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY FIXED STAYING THAT THE ROOF DRAINS WERE CLOGGED, AFTER A MONTH AGAIN WATER INSIDE MY CAR AFTER THE RAIN ,I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY FIXED AGAIN THEY CHARGED ME EVEN THOUGH I HAD A WARRANTY , NOW AFTER COUPLE OF MONTHS AGAIN WATER INSIDE THE CAR AFFECTING THE ELECTRIC UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT AND ALL OVER THE CAR , PLEASE LOOK IN TO THIS MATTER THIS WAS A 90K BMW ,WE HAVE KIDS TRAVELING INSIDE THE CAR AND WE DON'T WANT THE ELECTRIC OR AIRBAGS TO GET ON FIRE OR EXPLODE, THANK YOU WE APPRECIATE IT .

NHTSA ODI 11397038

Aug 6, 2020Transmission & drivetrain

2014 BMW X5. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO CRACK TO THE TRANSMISSION HOUSING. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE CONTACTED BUT, NO REMEDY WAS FOUND. *JS *JS

NHTSA ODI 11343310

Mar 9, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngineFire

DRIVING THE FOR 18 MILES UP A MOUNTAIN ROAD TO A SKY RESORT ON SNOW COVERED ROAD. NEVER EXCEEDED 20 MPH BECAUSE OF CONDITIONS. DURING THE TRIP THE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON AND SCREEN SAID USE CAUTION. PARKED THE CAR AT THE PARKING LOT, TURNED IT OFF. TURNED IT BACK ON AND IT SEEMED OK, THE ERROR MESSAGE WAS GONE. WENT TO OUR ROOM. 20 MINUTES LATER THE SHERIFF CALLS AND SAID MY CAR IS ON FIRE. IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS.

NHTSA ODI 11185562

Working with the data? Download all 98 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 BMW X5 Xdrive35d verdict →