BMW 5 Series

675 complaints across 11 scored model years and 48 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · BMW 5 Series Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2011 vs model median 5.2×

Model median3× median

Tires & Wheels 73

Engine 27

Drivetrain 25

Avoid

2011 · 2012

Best

2015 · 2017

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the BMW 5 Series
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	1.93×	63	F
2011	5.23×	213	F
2012	2.22×	81	F
2013	1.44×	54	D
2014	1.68×	45	F
2015	0.28×	15	B
2016	0.33×	12	B
2017	0.36×	15	B
2018	1.00×	38	C
2019	0.84×	25	C
2021	0.88×	24	C
2022 P	0.86×	26	C
2023 P	0.69×	15	B
2024 P	1.23×	37	D

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	26.5
City / Highway	23.5 / 31.5
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Rear-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$3,000

Recalls

48 campaigns on record, 2 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Treat that as a minimum. NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name, so its campaigns are collected one trim at a time and the list may be short of the full count.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
22V119000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)	2010	917,106
17V683000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)	2010, 2011	740,561
24V608000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:PUMP	2012–2016	720,796
12V126000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES	2010	367,682
24V104000	ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	2024	266,716
19V684000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2018, 2019	257,473
25V636000 Park it	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY	2021, 2022	199,674
23V707000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	2010, 2011	157,796

+ 40 further campaigns

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle. 2 campaigns here carry a Park It or Park Outside warning, which means NHTSA advised owners to stop driving or parking the vehicle indoors until the work was done.

Others in Full-Size Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura RLX	none flagged	C
Audi A6	2019	C
Audi A7	2019	C
Audi A8	none flagged	C
BMW 7 Series	2012	B
Buick Lacrosse	20112012	C
Cadillac XTS	2013	C
Chevrolet Impala	20112014	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2011 5 Series

Complaints in window: 213
Severity-weighted: 285
Model median (weighted): 55
vs model median: 5.23×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 7
Open investigations: 0

Score 10 F