Problems · by component

2015 BMW X5 SDRIVE35I engine problems

42 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2015 BMW X5 SDRIVE35I cite engine, 28% of all 152 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
42
28% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the engine

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Oil leaking from the valves cover onto the manifold and could cause a fire. I have replaced the valve cover on 11/03/2022 miles 107698 I pay 1493.21 for the repair. Last week 12/23/2025 the same thing started again. The oil is leaking again on manifold the car is smoking I am afraid to drive the car. I believe I should not be paying again for the same problem.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 28, 2025EngineODI 11707398
“On 11/26/2025, I was driving on the NJ Parkway, Southbound, in the left lane. The Drivetrain Malfunctioned Warning Light came on and within second my car began loosing power. I did not notice any smells. My car stalled as I stopped along the left side of the roadway. I did not have time to maneuver safely to the right, onto the shoulder of the roadway. I maneuvered my vehicle to the left side of the road. My car was pinned against the guardrail to avoid being struck by southbound vehicles. The warning light disappeared. I attempted to restart my car, it sputtered a few time with black smoke coming out of the exhaust. I called 911 and State Police Responded to protect my vehicle from being struck. About an hour later, a tow truck responded and my vehicle was towed to the BMW Dealership, 500 Route 37, Eaton Town, NJ. I believe this catastrophic failure is connected to my vehicles EGR’s system. I had my vehicle serviced at Sterling BMW, Sterling, VA, in early 2025. During that visit I was told that my vehicle’s Auxiliary EGR cooler needed to be replaced. In October 2025, I took my vehicle to BMW of Westbrook, Maine, after I received a notice from BMW that they had…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 27, 2025EngineODI 11701797
“My 2015 X5 decided it was not going to start. The vehicle was was looked at by a technician only to determine thay the cam sensor was not active and the car would not start. Moving forward with diagnostics the sensor was ruled out as good. Moving forward the valve cover was taken off for inspection only to find that the cam side bolt was hanging only by the wall of the valve cover. the gear is still in place it has nkt jumping timing but the end of the cam bolt is and has been broken off at the end inside the man approximately a half inch of the end of the bolt is in the hole. I stopped the technician from moving forward with anything else. I recently looked up for a recall but do not see any for the X5 but open recalls on other models. please let me know if this is a problem with the six cylinder turbo and it under sized cam bolt thank you for your help and time.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 25, 2025EngineODI 11638552
“The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the contact observed smoke emanating from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where he observed fire emanating from the engine compartment. The fire was extinguished by hand and the contact sustained hand injuries. Medical attention was not needed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that an EGR failure where coolant leaked and combined with diesel soot causing a fire. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 10, 2024EngineFire reportedODI 11629910
“Vehicle stalled in the middle of the road when in drive mode displaying "Drivetrain Malfunction". Couldn't start the engine or shift the gear. Vehicle was at the dealership one week before the incident for 'Drivetrain Malfunction'. Fixed bad fuel injector and was tested. My safety and safety of others was at risk if it had happened at higher speed. Suspecting fuel pump failure. Vehicle is with the dealer and the component should be available for inspection.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 30, 2024Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11617220
“When I research by your making model, it shows that there are multiple safety recalls for my vehicle. However, when I put in my license plate urban number, it says that there is zero, because I believe that that is some sort of redacted information that’s not true because my vehicle continues to have concerning safety issues and engine issues and the manufacture is refusing to repair. Also, there are suspension issues and under body, rest, and emissions issues that my state Ohio does not test I purchase this vehicle from Carvana and I believe they shipped the vehicle to a state that does not require a mission passing, because that would have been a flag for my vehicle, and it was very difficult for me to register my vehicle and my state due to a clouded title but it’s very hard for me to get information from dealerships because they don’t want to perform the work at cost as a service customer service, and then the seller, of course is hiding this information I need oversight, or some sort of enforcement how I can take my vehicle somewhere and have it inspected for safety, and then enforce the recalls and enforce the warranties that are on them because as I…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 14, 2024Suspension, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11614626

Showing 6 of 42 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2015 X5 SDRIVE35I problem areas