AI Damage2007 BMW X5 SAV: common problems
Owners of the 2007 BMW X5 SAV filed 59 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 59
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 24% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 20% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 12% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 12% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 10% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 5% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 14 complaints (24% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 12 complaints (20% of all).
- Air bags: 7 complaints (12% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (12% of all).
- Structure: 7 complaints (12% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 59 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Was wearing seat belt during accident,seat belt did not restrain me and head hit windshield. Debris from airbag in steering wheel cut me in various places. Not all of my airbags deployed, only steering wheel and curtain. Second accident with a bmw truck where either only a few deployed or none at all.
The brake warning light and parking brake light illuminated. The vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake light, brake booster, master cylinder, and faulty lights, and sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.
I was exiting a parking garage and hit a column, the airbag went off. I was transported to the hospital. I sustained a c1 neck fracture and an abrasion on my forehead. I was in a neck collar for 3 months with very limited activity and no driving. My car was declared a total loss.
My vehicle has the commonly and popularly known weep hole coolant leak. Apparently, bmw has had this problem in previous year model cars, dating back to 2002. They have known that this was a flaw in their design.
I'm getting warning lights on my dash stating my taillights are out. I checked both taillights and the housing that holds the bulbs are melted through. There is an electrical issue that causes the bulbs to overheat possibly resulting in a fire. This happens in park or drive.
Vehicle keeps stalling and accelerating shuts off in the middle of the road while driving mainly in the city I could b turning or driving straight and shuts off and takes awhile to restart...electrical wiring keeps shorting out sunroof shorts out and tail light keeps burning out...I took it to dealer paid $5000 and…
When the error occurs with gas pedal depressed, car will hesitate by going into neutral and jumping back into drive accompanied by engine revving up to above 3000 rpm. When the error occurs and the gas is not depressed, car will go into neutral and coast, until I engage the transmission.
Private garage has told me the in-tank fuel pump needs to be replaced asap. Recall campaign no. 16v-746.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,893 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the X5 SAV has 23 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 59, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 BMW X5 SAV?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, air bags. Total complaints: 59. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (12%), infotainment or screen glitches (10%), stalls while driving (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2007 BMW X5 SAV?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2007 BMW X5 SAV from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2007 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.