2011 BMW 5 Series

Early-defect pattern

15.7% of complaints about the 2011 BMW 5 Series came in its first year of service — a higher share than 95% of the 203 2011 model-years on record. That points to problems present from new rather than wear. The most-reported system is engine (118 complaints), typically at 7.6 yr or about 76,000 miles.

Covers 6 variants: 528I (164), 535I (156), 550I (144), 535I US (45), 535XI (44), 550I GRAN TURISMO (14)

Complaints: 654
Median age at failure: 6.2 yr
Median mileage: 50,000 n=456
Crash / fire / tow: 13% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

118 reports · 76,000 mi

7.6 yr

13.6%

Power train

78 reports · 50,000 mi

6.0 yr

3.8%

Tires

75 reports · 5,000 mi

11 mo

1.3%

Fuel / propulsion

74 reports · 75,000 mi

6.5 yr

8.1%

Electrical system

56 reports · 55,000 mi

7.8 yr

28.6%

Engine cooling

46 reports · 103,000 mi

13.2 yr

28.3%

Other

31 reports · 80,000 mi

8.2 yr

19.4%

Wheels

28 reports · 13,010 mi

2.4 yr

Steering

24 reports · 900 mi

1.8 yr

8.3%

Speed control

20 reports · 40,000 mi

4.2 yr

10%

Air bags

19 reports · 71,000 mi

5.6 yr

21.1%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

23V707000 2023-10-20

Engine and engine cooling:engine

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3 xDrive 30i, X5 xDrive30i, and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The aluminum bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and possibly break.

Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling 67,000 mi 12.5 yr in service crash / fire / tow

The contact owns aÂ 2011 BMW 5 Series. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as a camshaft failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number- 14V176000 ( Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000. The VIN was not available.

Engine cooling 35,000 mi 1.5 yr in service

THE VEHICLE HAS AN ACCELERATION PROBLEM AND HESITATES AND PAUSES WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP OR WHILE IN LOW SPEED CONDITIONS. IT IS DANGEROUS TO, FOR EXAMPLE, PULL OUT IN TRAFFIC WHEN ONE DOES NOT KNOW IF YOUR VEHICLE IS GOING TO ACCELERATE PROPERLY. THERE IS A DEFINITE LAG AND PAUSE THAT IS A PROBLEM WHEN ACCELERATING. *TR

Engine cooling mileage not reported 7.1 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 528I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (BMW OF BAYSIDE, 266 E SHOE RD, GREAT NECK, NY 11023, 516-304-3700) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

Speed control 500 mi 0 mo in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 528I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE WHENEVER HE ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT IT WAS NORMAL; HOWEVER, SHIFTING INTO SPORT MODE WOULD PREVENT THE FAILURE FROM OCCURRING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1575.

Other 5 Series model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.