Problems · NHTSA complaints

2003 BMW M5 problems

Owners filed 18 complaints about the 2003 BMW M5 with NHTSA between Nov 2004 and Oct 2016. The most-cited component is air bags (7).

Complaints
18
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags7
  2. Electrical system4
  3. Steering2
  4. Latches/locks/linkages2
  5. Service brakes1
  6. Engine1
  7. Suspension1
  8. Power train1
  9. Tires1
  10. Engine and engine cooling1
  11. Fuel system, other1

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
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20041
20050
20060
20071
20081
20090
20104
20110
20123
20131
20141
20150
20166

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.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

7 reports1 related recall
“TAKATA RECALL. MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, I RECEIVED INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF A WARNING THAT MY CAR HAD AIRBAGS THAT SHOULD BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED THE BMW CENTER ON S.DIXIE HIGHWAY NEAR 160 STREET IN MIAMI AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WILL GET BACK TO ME. AFTER A LONG ENOUGH WAIT, I CALLED AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING. AFTER ANOTHER PERIOD OF TIME, I TOOK MY CAR TO THEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE AIRBAG HAD BEEN ORDERED AND THAT I WILL BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS IT COMES IN. AFTER ANOTHER LONG WAIT, I CALLED AND LATER WENT BACK WITH MY CAR BUT STILL GOT THE SAME RUN-AROUND. IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 2 YEARS SINCE I CONTACTED BMW. I AM LUCKY THAT NOTHING BAD HAS HAPPENED TO ME WHILE DRIVING MY CAR. WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO IN ORDER TO GET THE SERVICE THAT I NEED? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 27, 2016Air bagsODI 10919330

Electrical system

4 reports1 fire
“CAR SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING APPX 35MPH WITHOUT WARNING, NEARLY CRASH DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST AND INSTRUMENT. DEALER REPLACED BOTH DME AND BATTERY WHICH WAS SUSPICIOUS SINCE TWO UNRELATED COMPONENT FAILED AT SAME TIME? EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC, ENDANGERING BOTH MY PASSENGERS AND OTHER DRIVERS NEARBY. RECALL TO THE DME AND BATTERY SHOULD BE ISSUED. REPAIR COST $2500. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 26, 2012Electrical systemODI 10453159

Steering

2 reports
“I WAS DRIVING APPX 40MPH WHILE ON A LOCAL ROAD SLIGHTLY UPHILL, ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING, LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. LUCKILY NO CARS AROUND ME SO I WAS ABLE TO BARELY ROLL OVER TO THE ROADSIDE. CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN, WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. REPLACED ECU FOR A TOTAL COST OF $2K. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 12, 2014Steering, Service brakes, EngineODI 10568719

Latches/locks/linkages

2 reports1 crash
“BMW 530I 2003. DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK, EITHER ELECTRONICALLY OR MANUALLY. DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILURE. NO MANUAL OVERRIDE. FORCED TO CRAWL OVER CONSOLE AND EXIT FROM ANOTHER DOOR. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 5, 2010Latches/locks/linkagesODI 10306669

Service brakes

1 report

Engine

1 report
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.