What 8 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 BMW 5 Series Hybrid Sedan

My vehicle offers rear traffic alert system, but it is not working properly. It's a safety issue that I almost caused several accidents because of it. The vehicle is available for inspection. Safety to me and others are at risk because the feature is not working (rear traffic alert system). I have an appointment on May 28, 2026 to have the BMW dealership look into it. There were no warning lamps or messages.

NHTSA ODI 11739085

I purchased a 2021 BMW 530e from a BMW dealership still under warranty. Upon driving the vehicle I have noticed that there is a significant jerk forward when the car shifts from first to second. I have owned multiple BMW vehicles in the past and none of them exhibited this condition, but the three times it has been at the dealership for service they state it is normal. This jerking or unintended acceleration for first to second gear has almost cost me to get into multiple accidents and had to hit the brakes to keep it from rear ending the vehicle in front. This jerking motion has also caused some pain in my neck and nauseous feeling due to the fact that I am not commanding the vehicle to go faster but it does on its own.

NHTSA ODI 11668648

I am unknown of what system has failed but the issue is that while the car is in motion, it will completely shut off. All Electrical will disengage and there have been times where a pop up has come on my screen stating that air bags and seat belts are non functioning to get to a service station as soon as possible. It has happened multiple times while driving on a large highway. This is a severe safety issue and I am so thankful I have not suffered serious injuries due to a major accident. The vehicle is unsafe and I do not feel comfortable driving it with myself nor guest in the car.

NHTSA ODI 11657485

About June 2024 when I was driving downslope at about 30 MPH, when I hit break the car accelerated. Fortunately, nobody and no car were around and I gained control of the car by pumping the break. I did not think much about this issue to report it. On August 23, 2024, I was driving home. I was very close to my home at very low speed (about 1-2 MPH). I hit the break and the car accelerated for the second time crashing into my next door neighbor's house damaging his bushes, steps, spriklers and the gate. My car sustained considerable amount of damages. It was in the BMW Authorized body shop about a month. I received the car on 9/25/2024.

NHTSA ODI 11616727

The car was purchased new in July 2023. On or about [XXX], while the car was parked the front license plate holder separated suddenly and unexpectedly from the front bumper of the car and fell to the ground. Incidental to the failure of the front license plate holder, the separation of the holder caused damage to the front bumper. There was no external force applied to the front license plate holder, and the vehicle was not involved in a collision. Because the car was stationary at the time of the incident, there was no additional damage; the safety of the passengers, other drivers, or pedestrians was not compromised. However, had the car been moving, a sudden and unexpected event of the separation of the front license plate holder would have posed serious safety risks. I contacted the selling dealer, BMW of Sudbury, located in Sudbury, MA to discuss the issue related to the damages resulting from the failure of the front license plate holder. I spoke with Michael K. Walsh, General Sales Manager at BMW of Sudbury, 508-903-5300, mkwalsh@herbchambers.com, about the issue of sudden and unexpected failure of the front license plate holder. According to Mr. Walsh, the front license plate holders have been failing on a regular basis, with several instances of failure occurring every year at the BMW of Sudbury dealership. Mr. Walsh mentioned that the failures typically occur within several days to several weeks after the installation of the front license plate holder. In addition, Mr. Walsh indicated that license plate holders and the hardware for their installation are manufactured by BMW. The dealer has never notified the manufacturer about the potential safety risks associated with the sudden and unexpected separation of the front license plate holder from the car. This inaction on the dealer part has persisted even though it has been fully aware of the recurrent failures of the front license plate holders. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11585838

The rear cross tracking warning system does not provide an audible warning or apply brakes. The settings have been set, and verified with the dealer, including the most sensitive sensor level and loudest audio alert level. I have gone to two different dealers in Ohio and Florida and got the same response, “it works as designed”. My brother in law has a 2023 BMW 440i and has the same issue, with the same results with dealer responses. It’s a well known issue in the BMW community since 2019 models, yet the company doesn’t fix. Not only is it dangerous backing out of parking spaces etc., but it causes a lack of faith in the other critical safety features which you rely on, but cannot easily check; like adaptive cruise and forward collision features.

NHTSA ODI 11580316

Car did not fully stop when brakes engaged. Caused collision with a wall. Mechanics are currently evaluating the braking system but it appears to be consistent with the brake recall issued for other 2023-4 BMW vehicles—loss of power brake assist or antilock brake to not function properly. (See National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Campaign Number 24V-104 reported on February 12, 2024).

NHTSA ODI 11579823

size 19. I have had two tires fail in 3 months. Less than 3k miles on both. There was no road hazard but both tires blew out on the side.

NHTSA ODI 11554515