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What 73 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 BMW X5 Phev

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 (73)Crash / fire / injury (4)Electrical system (17)Fuel system (15)Engine (12)Transmission & drivetrain (9)Brakes (7)Airbags (5)Body & structure (5)Fuel System, Diesel (5)Seat belts (5)Engine & cooling (4)

1 of 73 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 25, 2017BrakesCrash

WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE, AT A VERY SLOW SPEED, THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE CAR HIT THE BUILDING BEHIND THE PARKING SPOT. NEXT DAY, WHILE PARKING AT A CONVENIENCE STORE, ALSO AT A VERY SLOW SPEED, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN AND HIT A POST. BOTH TIMES THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE FIRST TIME, I THOUGHT I HAD MADE A MISTAKE, BUT AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT I REALIZED THE BRAKES FAILED. ON THE WAY HOME, I FOUND THAT I COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AT WILL WHILE AT A VERY SLOW SPEED (SIMULATED PARKING SITUATION). I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY PICKED THE CAR UP FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIR. BOTH PARKING INCIDENTS CAUSED BODY DAMAGE. I AM GRATEFUL THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO OTHERS OR NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY OTHER THAN MY CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11010463

Working with the data? Download all 73 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 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 2017 BMW X5 Phev verdict →