2017 Bmw X5 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
73 owner complaints analyzed
6 distinct recall campaigns
29,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2017 model year. Data snapshot: . 34 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 16 of 73 complaints (21.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel system concerns | 11 | 15.1% |
| Engine operation | 7 | 9.6% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 7 | 9.6% |
| Braking behavior | 6 | 8.2% |
| Transmission and shifting | 3 | 4.1% |
| Steering behavior | 2 | 2.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | 16 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 15 |
| Engine | 12 |
| Power Train | 9 |
| Unknown Or Other | 7 |
| Service Brakes | 6 |
| Air Bags | 5 |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 5 |
Electrical System: 16; Fuel/Propulsion System: 15; Engine: 12; Power Train: 9; Unknown Or Other: 7; Service Brakes: 6; Air Bags: 5; Fuel System, Diesel: 5
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 12 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 10 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 7 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 3 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 2 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 12; 25,000 to 49,999: 10; 50,000 to 74,999: 7; 75,000 to 99,999: 3; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (12). 39 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 | 2 |
2017: 5; 2018: 6; 2019: 10; 2020: 6; 2021: 8; 2022: 12; 2023: 9; 2024: 6; 2025: 9; 2026: 2
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Fuel system concerns appears in 11 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 7 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 7 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11004191 · 2017-07-11 (July 11, 2017)
WHILE RETURNING FROM TEXAS AND DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS MY CAR'S DRIVETRAIN WARNING LIGHT SAID I NEEDED SERVICE BUT I COULD CONTINUE DRIVING AT MODERATE SPEEDS. I DROVE TO BMW OF DALLAS. THEY DETERMINED MY #5-CYLINDER FUEL INJECTOR HAD FAILED. I STAYED THE NIGHT IN DALLAS AND RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. AFTER REPLACING THE INJECTOR, THE CAR WOULD NOT IDLE PROPERLY. I DROVE A RENTAL CAR HOME AND LEFT MY CAR. THE DEALERSHIP DID EXTENSIVE TESTING TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE ISSUE OVER THE NEXT THREE AND A HALF WEEKS. EVENTUA…
Owner-reported narrative. 11,919 miles reported. Look up ODI 11004191 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11153627 · 2018-11-25 (November 25, 2018)
WE WERE IN OUR 2017 BMW X5 DIESEL DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 14S IN SANTA CLARITA, CA ON THE 17TH OF NOV 2017 AT 1:30PM . ACCELERATED TO PASS A CAR, FELT A SUDDEN SURGE, DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION INDICATION CAME ON, INDICATED SAFE TO PROCEED AT A MODERATE SPEED. ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, NO RESPONSE. WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE RIGHT MEDIAN BETWEEN THE FREEWAY AND THE ON-RAMP AWAY FROM ON-COMING CARS. BMW CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND WAS NOT ABLE TO START. CONTACTED BMW ASSIST, WAS INFORMED THAT IT WOULD BE ABOUT A 3 TO 4 HOUR WAIT FOR THE TOW VEHICLE. TOW …
Owner-reported narrative. 8,600 miles reported. Look up ODI 11153627 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11043164 · 2017-11-04 (November 4, 2017)
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 55 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING. THE DASHBOARD IT UP SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE BRAKE AND STEERING PROBLEM. HAVINING NOWHERE TO PULL OVER SAFELY; I SLOWED DOWN AND CONTINUED ON TO A SAFE LOCATION. ININTIALLY, I COULD NOT TURN IGNITION OFF. THE VEHICLE IS BRAND NEW, HAVING ONLY 385 MILES ON ODOMETER. VEHICLE CONTINUED TO LOOSE ALL POWER, AND BY THE TIME THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED VEHICLE REAR DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN AND COULD NOT GET CAR INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS TERRIFIED WHILE THIS WAS HA…
Owner-reported narrative. 385 miles reported. Look up ODI 11043164 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11078337 · 2018-03-09 (March 9, 2018)
WIFE WAS REAR ENDED CAUSING LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL TO VEHICLE PUSHING HER OVER TRAIN TRACKS IN THE VEHICLE WITH NO CONTROL.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11078337 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11192376 · 2019-03-29 (March 29, 2019)
VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE 5 TIMES WITH ELECTRICAL ISSUES IN THE PAST YEAR. FIRST, THE AIRBAG AND SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. NOW, FOR THE SECOND TIME A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION HAS OCCURRED THAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD IS ALSO DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SOFTWARE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE SHUT OFFS WHILE IN OPERATION (IN MOTION GOING 70 MPH), PUTS ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN NO MATTER THE SPEED. I FEEL UNSAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT SHUTOFF ON ME…
Owner-reported narrative. 27,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11192376 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11010463 · 2017-07-25 (July 25, 2017)
WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE, AT A VERY SLOW SPEED, THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE CAR HIT THE BUILDING BEHIND THE PARKING SPOT. NEXT DAY, WHILE PARKING AT A CONVENIENCE STORE, ALSO AT A VERY SLOW SPEED, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN AND HIT A POST. BOTH TIMES THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE FIRST TIME, I THOUGHT I HAD MADE A MISTAKE, BUT AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT I REALIZED THE BRAKES FAILED. ON THE WAY HOME, I FOUND THAT I COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AT WILL WHILE AT A VERY SLOW SPEED (SIMULATED PARKING SITUATION). I CONTACTED …
Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 11010463 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11075351 · 2018-02-27 (February 27, 2018)
MY BMW X5 2017 HIT MY GARAGE DOOR AFTER I PUT IT IN PARK MODE. I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY ITS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND THE FAILED HANDBRAKE. ON THAT NIGHT, I STOPPED MY CAR ON A SLIGHTLY INCLINED DRIVEWAY. I TURNED ON THE HANDBRAKE, PUT THE CAR IN PARK MODE, TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, AND THEN STEPPED OUT OF THE CAR. ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER, THE CAR ROLLED FORWARD AND HIT MY GARAGE DOOR. IT WAS SNOWING THAT NIGHT, BUT THE SNOW WAS LESS THAN ONE INCH. THE CAR DIDN'T SLIP BECAUSE THE FOUR WHEELS ROLLED FORWARD. I TESTED IT A FEW TIMES RIGHT AFTE…
Owner-reported narrative. 13,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11075351 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11310424 · 2020-02-20 (February 20, 2020)
I HAVE A 2017 BMW X5 35D AND THE TRANSMISSION BROKE DOWN WITHOUT A WARNING WHILE I WAS IN MOTION ON THE CITY STREET . I LOST THE ENGINE POWER BUT I WAS ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT BY PULLING THE CAR ON THE SIDE . I CHECKED THE FAULT MESSAGE ON THE DISPLAY AND IT SHOWED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION YOU CAN CONTINUE TO DRIVE AT MODERATE SPEED " . I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME AT 30 MILES PER HOUR MAXIMUM SPEED . WHILE AT HOME I CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP FOR EVALUATION AND REPAIR . I AM GLAD THAT I AM SAFE IT COULD…
Owner-reported narrative. 41,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11310424 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11435736 · 2021-10-06 (October 6, 2021)
Warning on screen came on suddenly while driving indicating charger system failure. While driving to the dealer for diagnosis and repair, power steering failed, then power brakes failed, then engine stopped running. Could not put vehicle in park and vehicle rolled back when foot brake was released. Car was diagnosed as alternator failure.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11435736 at NHTSA ↗