2018 BMW X5
Plug-in hybrid Gas Diesel Midsize / large SUV
The 2018 BMW X5 is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid, gas and diesel midsize or large SUV with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the X5 xDrive 35d, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 71 complaints, most often about electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X5 xDrive40e | Plug-in hybrid | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 83 kW AC Induction | 23 | 25 | 24 (29 MPGe blended) | 14 mi electric | 59 | 3 h | $3,250 |
| X5 sDrive35i | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 18 | 25 | 21 | — | — | — | $3,700 |
| X5 xDrive35i | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 18 | 24 | 20 | — | — | — | $3,900 |
| X5 xDrive50i | Gas | AWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 15 | 21 | 17 | — | — | — | $4,550 |
| X5 M | Gas | AWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | $4,850 |
| X5 xDrive 35d | Diesel | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 23 | 29 | 25 | — | — | — | $3,600 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2018 BMW X5 is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (5)
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Fuel System, Diesel
highProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Equipment
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a fire.
Risk: An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Suspension
highProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 xDrive35d, and X6 sDrive35i vehicles. The pivot bolt on the front lower-left control arm may not have been properly hardened, which may cause the control arm to break.
Risk: If the lower control arm breaks, vehicle handling and control can be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lower-left control arms and replace if necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 11, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Suspension
highProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW X5 SAV, X5 M SAV, X6 SAV, and X6 M SAV vehicles. Bolts that secure the front suspension may not have been properly tightened.
Risk: Loose bolts can affect the performance of the suspension, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the wishbone suspension bolts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel System, Diesel:Delivery:Fuel Pump — High pressure fuel pump failure (open)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both FCA and BMW, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by FCA and BMW.During the investigation FCA filed rec
Opened Mar 17, 2023 · action EA23001
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (open)
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002
Owner complaints
71 complaints filed
2 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 3 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2018: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 13 · 2026: 9
Most-cited components
- Electrical System — 14
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 11
- Unknown Or Other — 11
- Engine — 11
- Power Train — 10
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 19% |
| SUV RWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 19% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Other X5 model years
2027 X5
0 recalls · 0 complaints
C2026 X5
2 recalls · 21 complaints
D2025 X5
5 recalls · 61 complaints
F2024 X5
8 recalls · 144 complaints
D2023 X5
4 recalls · 31 complaints
A2022 X5
1 recalls · 69 complaints
F2021 X5
12 recalls · 104 complaints
F2020 X5
11 recalls · 107 complaints
F2019 X5
13 recalls · 184 complaints
F2017 X5
6 recalls · 73 complaints
F2016 X5
5 recalls · 72 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 39526, 39474, 39478, 39521, 39479, 39477). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.