2018 BMW M5
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 2018 BMW M5. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 2018 BMW M5. Newest first.
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 xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5…
Risk and remedy
Risk
The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW M5 vehicles. The fuel level sensor in the fuel tank may become stuck against an in-tank fuel line, causing the fuel gauge to display an inaccurate and possibly larger amount of fuel than is actually available.
Risk and remedy
Risk
An incorrect fuel reading may lead to the vehicle stalling and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will secure the in-tank fuel line to keep the fuel line from contacting the fuel level sensor, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW M5 vehicles. In certain driving conditions, the engine control unit software may cause the fuel pump to stop.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the fuel pump stops, the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine control unit software, free of charge. The recall began on June 25, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Owner complaints
6 complaints
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags · Seats
The passenger seat occupancy sensor, an electrocapacitive mat (ecm), is defective on a large number of cars on the g30/fop platform including mine. This leads to intermittent sensor faults which cause an airbag warning.
- Engine · Service brakes · Structure › Body
I had gotten into a head on collision in January. My insurance had refused to cover me because I had only been insured for a month. Now I’m trying to get it fix out of pocket. I’m finding out about more repairs needed ASAP. My engine might be gone.
- Engine · Unknown or other
BMW issued a stop sale on 2017-2023 bmw F90 M5 chassis regarding the expansion tank failure. All vehicles should be affected by the recall. My current vehicle is experiencing the issues stated on the recall notice. Expansion tank is failing and causing coolant to seep into engine bay
- Engine
The coolant tank on my 2018 M5 failed causing a coolant leak. This is a highly documented problem on the forums and mine needed replacement at 22k miles. The bigger issue is the location of the tank because the coolant leaks on the ignition coils and fuel injectors causing failures later. My coils and spark plugs needed replacement along with the tank. This is unacceptable and BMW needs to address this issue.
- Air bags · Seat belts
This is for the front passenger seat only.The idrive system will give an error for the passenger restraint system and will mention there is a seat belt issue and turn off the airbag. This is intermittent and will happen with or without a passenger. I contacted BMW about it but because it is not…
This is for the front passenger seat only.The idrive system will give an error for the passenger restraint system and will mention there is a seat belt issue and turn off the airbag. This is intermittent and will happen with or without a passenger. I contacted BMW about it but because it is not presently acting out, they won't do anything about it unless I want to just start paying for new parts and do "exploratory" surgery on it trying to resolve this. Unacceptable as this has been happening for a couple of years and is a danger because of it happens during an accident it could prove fatal.
- Fuel/propulsion system · Power train
I almost had a terrible accident in my 2 week old 2018 M5 on the 1-95 highway on the night of may 25, 2018 at about 9:45pm. Without warning, at about 65mph, the car jerked for about 3seconds , kicked out of drive into neutral and started decelerating. I was in the middle lane surrounded by…
I almost had a terrible accident in my 2 week old 2018 M5 on the 1-95 highway on the night of may 25, 2018 at about 9:45pm. Without warning, at about 65mph, the car jerked for about 3seconds , kicked out of drive into neutral and started decelerating. I was in the middle lane surrounded by speeding vehicles. I managed to guide it to the shoulder and turned off the ignition for 2minutes, after which I re-started the car and was able to engage drive. I contacted my dealership today, only to be informed, this was as a result of computer glitch controlling the fuel pump causing it to shut off without warning. I was told there has been a software patch to remedy this problem. If it IS true, I believe the correction should have been done before the car was picked up or promptly notified to return the car for fixing. I could have been killed on the highway last night if not for my prompt situation awareness and experience in handling this powerful car which IS my fourth M5 since 2006. owners need to be notified immediately for fixes like this that can lead to fatal incidents. I don't know if anything similar has been reported about this model
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 11012076the Fuel Injector Condition-Specific Repair Coverage Program applies to qualifying repairs for the required replacement of one or more the fuel injectors which were determined to have failed due to a buildup of external corrosion in the engines center fuel injector bore area that resulted after this location was periodically contaminated by engine coolant residue over time. This special programs coverage is 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original in-service / first delivery date.
- 11000498Under certain driving situations, coolant leaks onto the fuel injectors on cylinder bank (5-8).
- 10253345BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop (effective April 15, 2024) on certain Model Year 2018 - 2023 BMW vehicles that were produced between November 7, 2017, and September 9, 2022.
- 10252031One or more of the LED daytime running lights are dim or discolored.
- 10249437The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
- 10249032The Central Information Display goes black intermittently due to resets of the Head Unit (HU-H3). FaultB7F8F9 HU-H: Reset will be stored in the HU-H3.
- 10249027The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints.
- 10249018At low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned. This can be felt (jerking)/ heard via an acoustic acknowledgement (clunk) as seen at the 11 second mark of the video. See attached video V36 01 21.
- 10249017SITUATION Unusual noises occur only when operating the steering column in the axial direction. 1. A one-time thump sound at the start of movement Shortly after the steering column starts moving, retracting, or extending, a one-time thump noise is heard. See attached video V32 03 23 2. Humming noise while steering column extends in the axial direction. The sound is only heard when the steering column is extended, not when the steering column is retracted. When the steering column starts to move in the extended direction, the humming noise can be heard. See attached video V32 04 23
- 10249015A vehicle arrives at your center to be diagnosed for a micro-leak in the fuel evaporative (EVAP) system(NVLD natural vacuum leak detection). For this condition, the following fault is stored in the DME: 190302 - fuel tank ventilation and scavenging air system, micro-leak: leakage more than 0.5mm For: Model vehicles other that the ones listed above, or for EVAP faults related to a large leak, after confirming that the fuel filler cap is fitted properly, then, proceed to follow the corresponding test plan
- 10244237Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material-
- 10242698?The sunroof will not operate in either direction.
- 10242694?The front seat will not calibrate/initialize, and the stored faults cannot be deleted.
- 10242691?Unusual noises occur only when operating the steering column in the axial direction.
- 10239614The air conditioning cycles from cold to warm air while driving or while at a stand still. The vent outlet temperatures vary by 25 degrees Fahrenheit or more (38 F to 60 F +) without changing any climate control settings.
- 10239611Headlight check control (CC) message 128 "High beam headlight failure" is displayed. The following fault codes are stored during a vehicle test: 80419A - Left high-beam headlight: Short circuit and/or 8041A5 - light outputs: Number of permitted short circuit cycles exceeded
- 10239604A groaning type noise is heard during the height adjustment.
- 10239602A vehicle arrives at your center to be diagnosed for a micro-leak in the fuel evaporative (EVAP) system (NVLD natural vacuum leak detection). For this condition, the following fault is stored in the DME: 190302 - fuel tank ventilation and scavenging air system, micro-leak: leakage more than 0.5 mm.
- 10239599With the introduction of the BMW Remote Software Upgrade, all Service Pack 18 vehicles and partial Service Pack 15 vehicles may receive new functionality or modifications in their features.
- 10238090After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails.
- 10238081Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.
- 10235206Customer is shown an incorrect GPS location in the vehicle (i.e., Nav Map, coordinates).
- 10235205The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose, the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration. The Connected Drive voice services (Concierge Call, BMW Assistance, and emergency call voice) can no longer be used regionally in the US in vehicle with telematics control units ATM-1 and TCB-4G. Voice control of the vehicle and all other telephone (paired mobile devices) functions are not affected. Emergency call location data is unaffected.
- 10235203Customer states there is no audio playback (telephony, navigation, radio) and system sounds (PDC, turn indicators, acoustic signals) may also have failed.
- 10235200One or more of the LED daytime running lights are dim or discolored.
- 10235198In SPORT mode, a black square appears in the RPM gauge (tachometer) section of the instrument cluster display.
- 10235181A groaning type noise is heard during the height adjustment.
- 10230740Customer is shown an incorrect GPS location in the vehicle (i.e., Nav Map, coordinates).
- 10230738Acoustic and visual warnings indicate that the front passenger seat is occupied, and the safety belt is not fastened when the seat is actually unoccupied. If the situation is currently present, sit in the seat and move the seat to a slightly different position. The POL (Passenger Occupancy Light) light should now function correctly. In some cases, the air bag Warning Light was illuminated. Advanced Crash Safety Module (ACSM) fault "930A1C - Front passenger seat occupancy detection transmitting fault (moisture)" is stored.
- 10230734Due to a software error, Remote Software Upgrade (RSU) and Remote Support are currently not possible. Additionally, the Integrated Owner's Handbook cannot be displayed.
- 10230732The saved steering column positions, vertical and horizontal, are not stored long term.
- 10228433The sunroof will not operate in either direction. There are NO faults stored related to the sunroof. If the vehicle has any faults stored related to the sunroof, this bulletin does not apply.
- 10227575The customer complains that the radio stations change by themselves.
- 10227558After opening the vehicle with the radio remote control and changing the profile, the exterior mirror settings are lost.
- 10225126Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column.
- 10225107Coolant is leaking from under the car which is equipped with the S63 engine. A low coolant warning might also be displayed (CC Message ID166).
- 10224210The sound output intermittently drops out entirely. This can be reproduced with all audio sources as well as telephone and voice output.
- 10215750BMW offers a new special ISTA Installation made available for Roadside Assistance / Mobile Service technicians. The new ISTA Version is also able to be used in case of a Remote Software Upgrade (RSU) programming failure to get the customer car reprogrammed on site. In case of a Remote Software Upgrade failure, the engine start is prevented for safety reasons until the vehicle is programmed correctly. Most of the errors occur when only one control unit fails to program correctly.
- 10214990The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 4 (HU-H4, also called MGU21) superseded the MGU starting with certain MY2021 vehicles with option code 6U3 Live Cockpit Professional. This uses map North America JOY. The ENTRY Media/Navigation (HU-B) is the low line business version of the navigation system and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America ROUTE. The ENTRY NAV EVO (HU-B2) replaced Entry Media/Navigation as the low-line business version and was introduced in certain MY2018 vehicles. This uses map North America WAY.
- 10214989Mist formation on the windshield inside surface may occur at departure or after MSA (automaticstart/stop). Acoustic abnormality in the area of the recirculated air flap (recirculation flap closing and opening severaltimes). The above may occur individually or in combination.
Every BMW M5 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.