What 78 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Sedan Phev

My 2018 BMW 530e suddenly shut down while I was driving. I charged it overnight, but the next day it showed a check‑engine light and a drivetrain failure warning. I tried driving it again, and it drove for some distance and shutdown after few minutes. Luckily, i was able to park the car on the side of the road. I brought(towed) it to a mechanic, and he told me the issue was a CCU failure, which would cost about 12,000 to fix. I believe this should be covered by the manufacturer because this isn’t a normal wear‑and‑tear problem, and I can’t absorb such a high repair cost."

NHTSA ODI 11722098

I was driving home after picking my son up from school and out of no where the vehicle temperature was in the red and a message popped up stating that vehicle coolant needed to be replenished but that continued driving of the vehicle was ok. It was not ok at all! The car started smoking and we were left stranded on the side of the road. I’ve read numerous blogs showing that the same thing has happened to other people and that there have even been recalls on other bmw’s in regards to the engine coolant system.

NHTSA ODI 11667326

I contacted the dealership where I purchased my vehicle called Global Imports on December 6 because the car was running hot. I arrived on Saturday morning was informed that the radiator was leaking and a water pump was leaking that they both needed to be replaced and I would be charged around $3000 to replace it. There were no recalls the service bulletins that I mentioned they advised me were only repair notifications. They said there were no other notifications regarding the radiator only to have the check engine light come back on a week later I took it to a different dealership and I was advised that the 15 year warranty on the flaps which the flaps are not functioning properly. I was advised to take it back to Global Imports .

NHTSA ODI 11631867

The 540d has swirl flaps on the intake manifold to regulate air intake so it adjusts how much air the intake manifold feeds the engine. There's an actuator motor that connects to the swirl flap shaft that connects via a plastic linkage. When the linkage breaks, the flaps are no longer controlled by the actuator and stays in its semi closed state. The result is when you give it full throttle, it spews out plumes of black smoke that is thick and the equivalent to rolling coal on a deleted diesel truck. The car still runs, but this poses a danger to those behind you and not very environmentally friendly to spew out soot. BMW's solution is a $6,000 repair bill, because the entire intake manifold has to be replaced for that linkage. This will be a guaranteed fail again - considering I had a check engine light for swirl flap issues starting around 40K miles.

NHTSA ODI 11602418

I have been smelling a vinegar smell in my vehicle for 1 week upon turning on the air conditioner. At the end of one week I have been having several health issues and I am concerned that this is mold, mildew, or another toxic chemical. I live in Las Vegas where temperatures have reached 3 digits and I am unable to use my air conditioner due to this horrible smell. I ended up in the hospital this week and no one knows what the issue could be. I am concerned that it’s from breathing in toxins from my car

NHTSA ODI 11529860

Engine suddenly lost most of power, causing risks of losing control. Diagnosis suggests a bug in Digital Motor Electronics (DME) unit. Per TSB SI B12 08 18, the correction is to update software. This should be a recall to make sure drivers don't experience sudden engine malfunction during driving.

NHTSA ODI 11489856

There is an exhaust leak which has developed in the turbo. This causes untreated fumes and soot to be emitted in the engine compartment. This untreated exhaust makes its way into the passenger cabin, putting passengers at safety risk due to untreated exhaust fumes entering the cabin. The dealership has acknowledged the issue and describes it as follows: "The soot that you have seen and the smell is coming out of the wastegate shaft which by design there is a tolerance for it to move, but due to back pressure from the soot build up before the regen has occurred there is some soot that comes out." This problem happens every time I start and drive the car. The dealership is stating that this is not covered by the factory warranty. An exhaust leak like this is a serious passenger safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11474850

WHEN BRAKING TO COME TO A STOP AT A LIGHT, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO OVER 5000 RPM. I HAD TO SHUT OFF THE CAR TO GET IT TO STOP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, IT IMMEDIATELY REVVED UP TO OVER 7000, WHILE I STOOD ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM MOVING. SHUT IT OFF AGAIN, PUT FLASHERS ON AND WAITED A MINUTE. RESTARTED AND IT PERFORMED NORMALLY.

NHTSA ODI 11383989