2006 BMW M5

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2006 BMW M5 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2006 vehicle, but with only 55 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is air bags (26 complaints), typically at 7.3 yr or about 63,000 miles.

Complaints: 55
Median age at failure: 7.2 yr
Median mileage: 63,000 n=54
Crash / fire / tow: 5.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

12V126000 2012-03-26

Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cables

BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 6-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 M5, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 M6 VEHICLES. THE INSULATED BULKHEAD CONNECTOR FOR THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE TRUNK FLOOR PANEL, WHICH CAN LEAD TO A LOOSENING OF THE BOLT CONNECTION. AS IT LOOSENS, AN INCREASE IN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AT THIS CABLE CONNECTION IS POSSIBLE AND COULD CAUSE THE CABLE CONNECTION TO OVERHEAT.

OVERHEATING COULD LEAD TO A FIRE, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN USE. AS A PRECAUTION, OWNERS ARE ADVISED TO PARK OUTSIDE UNTIL THE REMEDY HAS BEEN MADE.

In owners’ own words

Air bags 77,000 mi 5.4 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW M5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL IN FEBRUARY 2011. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR HAD FAILED AND IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HIM THAT THE HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 77,000.

Air bags 52,000 mi 5.3 yr in service

THERE IS A MESSAGE READING PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. I FOUND OUT IT IS THE SEAT SENSOR IN THE SEAT THAT TURNS THE AIRBAG ON AND OFF WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT, SO THE AIRBAG IS ALWAYS OFF REGARDLESS IF SOMEONE IS ON THE SEAT OR NOT. I KNOW THERE WAS A RECALL WITH A BUNCH OF OTHER 2006 5 SERIES BUT THE DEALER IS SAYING MINE IS NOT INCLUDED. I BELIEVE THE 2006 M5 SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL IF IT IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AS THE OTHER VEHICLES IN THE RECALL.

Air bags 66,000 mi 5.6 yr in service

ERROR CODE PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM. DESCRIPTION FROM DEALER IS THAT THE OC3 UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT IS WORN FROM USE. THIS DISABLES THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. *TR

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.

2006 BMW M5

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

How to read this