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2006 Bmw X5 Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

220 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.58 · updated 2026-10-27

The recalls

Serious13V564000

Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification

Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, raises the risk of personal injury.

Remedy & full details

BMW will notify owners with an interim notification letter in January 2014 since parts are not currently available. When parts are available, BMW sent a second letter in August and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, free of charge. Additionally, owners of model year 2006-2007 3 Series with standard seats, 5 Series with comfort seats, and Z4 models, will receive an extended warranty on their front passenger seat occupant detection mat. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, model year 2007 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi sedans and 328i and 328xi sports wagons, model year 2006-2007 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i sedans and 530xi sports wagons, model year 2006 760i sedans, model year 2006-2007 750i, 750Li, and 760Li sedans, and model year 2006 X5 sports activity vehicles, equipped with certain seat types. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if and how the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.

Moderate05V504000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

THIS COULD CAUSE THE PARKING LOCK SYSTEM NOT TO ENGAGE, AFTER THE TRANSMISSION IS PLACED IN THE PARK ("P") POSITION.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPAIR AND REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GUIDE PLATE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 30, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-332-4269.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH AN INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING PAWL GUIDE PLATE.

Complaint volume

220 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

6Crashes
17Fires
16Injuries
0Deaths

Across 220 complaints. Severity Index 0.58.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Air Bags77 · 35%Seats24 · 11%Service Brakes21 · 10%Electrical System18 · 8%Seat Belts8 · 4%Engine7 · 3%Air Bags · Frontal6 · 3%Power Train6 · 3%
  1. Air Bags — 77 reports
  2. Seats — 24 reports
  3. Service Brakes — 21 reports
  4. Electrical System — 18 reports
  5. Seat Belts — 8 reports
  6. Engine — 7 reports
  7. Air Bags:Frontal — 6 reports
  8. Power Train — 6 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 5 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling — 5 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2000 (6) · 2001 (12) · 2002 (3) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (4) · 2005 (3) · 2006 · 2007 (8) · 2008 (10) · 2009 (12) · 2010 (14) · 2011 (14) · 2012 (10) · 2013 (6) · 2014 (8) · 2015 (6) · 2016 (5) · 2017 (6) · 2018 (5) · 2019 (13) · 2020 (11) · 2021 (12) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (4) · 2024 (8) · 2025 (5) · 2026 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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