2020 Bmw X5: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 101 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 11 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
101
Complaints
11
Recalls
3
Crash reports
6
Fire reports
5
Injuries
87.1
Severity index
Severity index 87.1 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 103 2020 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2020 Bmw X5 ranks 28 of 103 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 73% of its model-year peers. See the full 2020 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 38 | 37.6% |
| ENGINE | 27 | 26.7% |
| POWER TRAIN | 16 | 15.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 14 | 13.9% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 14 | 13.9% |
| AIR BAGS | 6 | 5.9% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 5 | 5.0% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 5 | 5.0% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 38 of 101 complaints (37.6%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 20 |
| 2025 | 34 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 28 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 4.2x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V631000 | 28/08/2019 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i and X7 M50i vehicles. The steering rack pinion teeth may break under load, resulting in a loss of steering control. |
| 21V096000 | 19/02/2021 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDr |
| 19V684000 | 27/09/2019 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li |
| 20V434000 | 28/07/2020 | STEERING | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i and X5 xDrive50i vehicles and 2020 X6M vehicles. The steering column shaft bearing plate may not have been properly attached to the vehicle, allowing it to loosen. |
| 20V528000 | 01/09/2020 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X5 sDrive40i, xDrive40i, xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M, X6 sDrive40i, xDrive40i, X6 M50i, X6M, X7 M50i and 2021 X5 xDrive45e vehicles. The headlamps may allow a blue light to illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to co |
| 21V062000 | 10/02/2021 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 8 Series Coupe, Grand Coupe and convertible 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8 and 740 Li, 740 Li xDrive, 750 Li xDrive, M760 Li xDrive, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xdrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, and 2019-2021 X5 sDrive |
| 20V465000 | 07/08/2020 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X5 sDrive 40i, X5 xDrive 40i and one X7 xDrive 40i vehicle. The starter motor may have an extra bolt that could potentially fall into the transmission housing and cause an engine stall. |
| 20V678000 | 04/11/2020 | SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X5 sDrive40i, xDrive40i, X5 M50i, X5M, X7 xDrive40i, X7 M50i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 M50i and X6M vehicles and 2021 X5 xDrive45e vehicles. The weld between the front axle support and the right front control arm bearing bracket |
| 22V267000 | 20/04/2022 | VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive); 2019-2022 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M; 2021-2022 X5 xdrive45e; 2020-2022 X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6M and 2019-2023 X7 xDri |
| 24V576000 | 01/08/2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY | BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain 2019-2020 X5, X7, 2020 3 Series Sedan, X6, 2020-2021 7 Series Sedan, 2020 8 Series Convertible, 8 Series Coupe, and 2020 8 Series Gran Coupe vehicles. Please see the recall report for the complete list of models. In the event the s |
| 25V644000 | 25/09/2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY | BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 340I, X6, 2020-2025 840I, 2020-2022 740LI, 2019-2020 X7, and X5 vehicles. After repeated attempts, the starter motor may overheat from an electrical overload. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.