Problems · NHTSA complaints
2018 BMW M5 problems
Owners filed 4 complaints about the 2018 BMW M5 with NHTSA between May 2018 and Jun 2024. The most-cited component is engine (2).
Complaints
4
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine2
- Air bags1
- Seat belts1
- Power train1
- Fuel/propulsion system1
- Other / unknown1
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
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
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
Engine
2 reports
“BMW issued a stop sale on 2017-2023 bmw F90 M5 chassis regarding the expansion tank failure. All vehicles should be affected by the recall. My current vehicle is experiencing the issues stated on the recall notice. Expansion tank is failing and causing coolant to seep into engine bay”
Air bags
1 report
“This is for the front passenger seat only.The idrive system will give an error for the passenger restraint system and will mention there is a seat belt issue and turn off the airbag. This is intermittent and will happen with or without a passenger. I contacted BMW about it but because it is not presently acting out, they won't do anything about it unless I want to just start paying for new parts and do "exploratory" surgery on it trying to resolve this. Unacceptable as this has been happening for a couple of years and is a danger because of it happens during an accident it could prove fatal.”
Seat belts
1 report
Power train
1 report
“I ALMOST HAD A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT IN MY 2 WEEK OLD 2018 M5 ON THE 1-95 HIGHWAY ON THE NIGHT OF MAY 25, 2018 AT ABOUT 9:45PM. WITHOUT WARNING, AT ABOUT 65MPH, THE CAR JERKED FOR ABOUT 3SECONDS , KICKED OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL AND STARTED DECELERATING. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE SURROUNDED BY SPEEDING VEHICLES. I MANAGED TO GUIDE IT TO THE SHOULDER AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION FOR 2MINUTES, AFTER WHICH I RE-STARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE DRIVE. I CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP TODAY, ONLY TO BE INFORMED, THIS WAS AS A RESULT OF COMPUTER GLITCH CONTROLLING THE FUEL PUMP CAUSING IT TO SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS TOLD THERE HAS BEEN A SOFTWARE PATCH TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. IF IT IS TRUE, I BELIEVE THE CORRECTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE THE CAR WAS PICKED UP OR PROMPTLY NOTIFIED TO RETURN THE CAR FOR FIXING. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ON THE HIGHWAY LAST NIGHT IF NOT FOR MY PROMPT SITUATION AWARENESS AND EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING THIS POWERFUL CAR WHICH IS MY FOURTH M5 SINCE 2006. OWNERS NEED TO BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY FOR FIXES LIKE THIS THAT CAN LEAD TO FATAL INCIDENTS. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING SIMILAR HAS BEEN REPORTED ABOUT THIS MODEL”
Fuel/propulsion system
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.