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What 26 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Sedan 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 (26)Crash / fire / injury (3)Electrical system (7)Brakes (4)Engine (3)Fuel system (3)Airbags (2)Backup camera & sensors (2)Seat belts (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Driver assistance (1)Seats (1)

2 of 26 complaints match · Seat belts · clear filters

Feb 20, 2025AirbagsSeat belts

I have a code Passanger restraint failure that will not come off unless I pay $2700 to fix. This coding came on after 3 months of getting the vehicle and I’m not the only with the same issue. This is a dangerous situation that Bmw is not recalling but putting this as the owners expense. If I were to get in an accident this will not deploy airbags or open the seat belt this can cause sever injuries or worst death.

NHTSA ODI 11643861

Oct 21, 2022Seat belts

The contact owns a 2021 BMW 540I. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the front and rear passenger’s and driver’s side seat belts failed to detach after being connected. The contact stated that he forced the rear passenger’s side seat belt to detach with a screwdriver. No warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer stated that candy was lodged in the buckle. The contact stated that the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 11490291

Working with the data? Download all 26 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 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 2021 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Sedan Phev verdict →