Problems · NHTSA complaints
2017 BMW 5 Series problems
Owners filed 38 complaints about the 2017 BMW 5 Series with NHTSA between Nov 2017 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (9).
Complaints
38
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags9
- Seat belts8
- Electrical system6
- Seats6
- Engine4
- Exterior lighting3
- Steering3
- Tires2
- Fuel/propulsion system2
- Service brakes2
- Structure2
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Back over prevention1
- Forward collision avoidance1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
1
2
2
2
4
7
6
6
4
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
9 reports2 crashes1 related recall
“Seatbelt alarm goes off on passengers seat and no one is seated in the seat. Received a notification from BMW that the warranty was extended to cover this problem with this model but the BMW dealership says my VIN number is not covered. They confirmed that it did need replacing but They quoted me a price of more than $2500 to fix it and claimed nothing could be done about it unless it’s paid out of pocket.”
Seat belts
8 reports
“The contact owns a 2017 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while driving with the front passenger's side seat unoccupied, a message that the front passenger's side seat belt was not ON was displayed. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received a related limited extended warranty coverage letter from the manufacturer and contacted the manufacturer for assistance; however, the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.”
Electrical system
6 reports
“1.) The Steering Column 2.) The Column will get stuck and cannot be adjusted. 3.) Dealer has confirmed the problem & BMW USA has confirmed the problem 4.) No 5.) No Warnings BMW USA has offered a Fix for this issue and free fix if the car is under 50k miles however this is more of a safety issue as you cannot properaly adjust the steering wheel to the height needed to operate the car in a safe manner.”
Seats
6 reports
“Front passenger seatbelt indicator is triggered even if there is no one sitting in seat. Unclear if the sensor is too sensitive. For example, if a book is set on the passenger seat, the indicator may go off. Or if I am tapping on the side of the console next to the passenger seat, the indicator may go off.”
Engine
4 reports
“as per [XXX] RE: Recall 22V-xxx: Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) Valve Heater – B11 01 22 This should be covered by BMW but they charges us and not refunding review charges below [XXX]”
Exterior lighting
3 reports
“The contact owns a 2017 BMW 530I. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the contact became aware that the headlights were inoperable. The contact stated that the headlights failed to function properly, and the lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlamps had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 105,453.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.