High Severity Issue
This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.
This Problem Across All Years
While attempting to park forward into a handicapped parking space, the car lurched forward approximately 4 feet instead of braking/stopping. The braking system appeared to fail and the electrical/sensors/ADAS warnings did not engage. The vehicle drove over a cement parking block and struck a building shrub, signage and hvac unit.
While attempting to park forward into a handicapped parking space, the car lurched forward approximately 4 feet instead of braking/stopping. The braking system appeared to fail and the electrical/sensors/ADAS warnings did not engage. The vehicle drove over a cement parking block and struck a building shrub, signage and hvac unit.
On September 2, 2025, my 2025 BMW X5 xDrive50e was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Despite the severity of the impact, the following safety systems failed to deploy: Front airbags Driver seatbelt pretensioner BMW Assist / automatic emergency notification Witnesses reported that my vehicle briefly went airborne before landing with the rear wheels up on a curb. I suffered neck injuries, and my vehicle sustained significant frontal damage. BMW later downloaded the Event Data Recorder (EDR) and confirmed: A frontal non-deployment event Three fault codes in the airbag control module (ACSM) post-crash The crash algorithm activated and reset ΔV reached approx. 12.4 mph longitudinal Forward Collision Mitigation system issued an acute warning 0.5 seconds before impact BMW states the “impulse was not sufficient” to trigger restraint deployment BMW has refused to provide: The deployment thresholds (ΔV criteria) for airbags or pre-tensioners Any engineering explanation for why restraint systems did not activate Any technical rationale for the ACSM fault codes Any escalation beyond Customer Relations All I have been given is an unsigned summary letter and the raw EDR file. BMW Customer Relations stated that engineering is “not customer-facing” and that no additional information will be provided. This leaves serious concerns that: The restraint systems did not function properly in a real-world impact. BMW is refusing to disclose the engineering basis for its conclusions. Consumers may be at risk if this is a repeatable failure mode. I am requesting NHTSA review this incident as a potential defect in the airbag, pretensioner, and/or crash-sensing system in the 2025 BMW X5. I can provide the EDR report, photos, BMW’s letter, and full correspondence upon request. VIN: [XXX] Mileage: ~10,700 Crash Date: 09/02/2025 BMW Case #: XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On September 2, 2025, my 2025 BMW X5 xDrive50e was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Despite the severity of the impact, the following safety systems failed to deploy: Front airbags Driver seatbelt pretensioner BMW Assist / automatic emergency notification Witnesses reported that my vehicle briefly went airborne before landing with the rear wheels up on a curb. I suffered neck injuries, and my vehicle sustained significant frontal damage. BMW later downloaded the Event Data Recorder (EDR) and confirmed: A frontal non-deployment event Three fault codes in the airbag control module (ACSM) post-crash The crash algorithm activated and reset ΔV reached approx. 12.4 mph longitudinal Forward Collision Mitigation system issued an acute warning 0.5 seconds before impact BMW states the “impulse was not sufficient” to trigger restraint deployment BMW has refused to provide: The deployment thresholds (ΔV criteria) for airbags or pre-tensioners Any engineering explanation for why restraint systems did not activate Any technical rationale for the ACSM fault codes Any escalation beyond Customer Relations All I have been given is an unsigned summary letter and the raw EDR file. BMW Customer Relations stated that engineering is “not customer-facing” and that no additional information will be provided. This leaves serious concerns that: The restraint systems did not function properly in a real-world impact. BMW is refusing to disclose the engineering basis for its conclusions. Consumers may be at risk if this is a repeatable failure mode. I am requesting NHTSA review this incident as a potential defect in the airbag, pretensioner, and/or crash-sensing system in the 2025 BMW X5. I can provide the EDR report, photos, BMW’s letter, and full correspondence upon request. VIN: [XXX] Mileage: ~10,700 Crash Date: 09/02/2025 BMW Case #: XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Driving home on a two lane road that is joined by a side road at a 45degree angle. A woman ran the stop sign and suddenly appeared on my road right in front about 40-50 feet away. The BMW did not show any visual or audible warning and the forward collision mitigation system functioned in a substandard way not mitigating the crash into the woman’s drivers door. Damages amounted to 25.8k to my vehicle and took 48 days to repair at my local BMW dealer in Albany NY. BMW states to me that the system worked properly. If that was the case how come I had massive front end damage impacting about 30 mph. The BMW manual shows a frontal cross traffic intrusion and leads one to believe in the system. It is substandard and needs revision by BMW engineering.
Driving home on a two lane road that is joined by a side road at a 45degree angle. A woman ran the stop sign and suddenly appeared on my road right in front about 40-50 feet away. The BMW did not show any visual or audible warning and the forward collision mitigation system functioned in a substandard way not mitigating the crash into the woman’s drivers door. Damages amounted to 25.8k to my vehicle and took 48 days to repair at my local BMW dealer in Albany NY. BMW states to me that the system worked properly. If that was the case how come I had massive front end damage impacting about 30 mph. The BMW manual shows a frontal cross traffic intrusion and leads one to believe in the system. It is substandard and needs revision by BMW engineering.
Driving home on a two lane road that is joined by a side road at a 45degree angle. A woman ran the stop sign and suddenly appeared on my road right in front about 40-50 feet away. The BMW did not show any visual or audible warning and the forward collision mitigation system functioned in a substandard way not mitigating the crash into the woman’s drivers door. Damages amounted to 25.8k to my vehicle and took 48 days to repair at my local BMW dealer in Albany NY. BMW states to me that the system worked properly. If that was the case how come I had massive front end damage impacting about 30 mph. The BMW manual shows a frontal cross traffic intrusion and leads one to believe in the system. It is substandard and needs revision by BMW engineering.
Driving home on a two lane road that is joined by a side road at a 45degree angle. A woman ran the stop sign and suddenly appeared on my road right in front about 40-50 feet away. The BMW did not show any visual or audible warning and the forward collision mitigation system functioned in a substandard way not mitigating the crash into the woman’s drivers door. Damages amounted to 25.8k to my vehicle and took 48 days to repair at my local BMW dealer in Albany NY. BMW states to me that the system worked properly. If that was the case how come I had massive front end damage impacting about 30 mph. The BMW manual shows a frontal cross traffic intrusion and leads one to believe in the system. It is substandard and needs revision by BMW engineering.
Multiple issues with the software. 1. Since yesterday, [XXX] car failed to start with the message "software upgrade failed". Sitting like a brick now - engine doesn't start and can't get the car off parking mode. 2, Last week, the remote functions of the software as well as emergency call system stopped working. Called the local dealer BMW of North Canton on June 25, Ohio to check and fix and they scheduled it for Monday June 30. But car refused to start per point 1. 1. Couple of times got the message while driving that driver inability to drive detected and suddenly slowing down the car and veering it to a side. Transient actions. Took it to the dealership, supposedly a software bug was fixed but then the message flashed one more time recently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Multiple issues with the software. 1. Since yesterday, [XXX] car failed to start with the message "software upgrade failed". Sitting like a brick now - engine doesn't start and can't get the car off parking mode. 2, Last week, the remote functions of the software as well as emergency call system stopped working. Called the local dealer BMW of North Canton on June 25, Ohio to check and fix and they scheduled it for Monday June 30. But car refused to start per point 1. 1. Couple of times got the message while driving that driver inability to drive detected and suddenly slowing down the car and veering it to a side. Transient actions. Took it to the dealership, supposedly a software bug was fixed but then the message flashed one more time recently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Forward Collision Braking, a safety system, is deactivated when cruise control is activated. Further BMW sells the X5 with the mode button of the Driver Assistance Package available on the steering wheel. This to me is deceptive. My previous X5 had the system a when I activated it by pressing the mode button it worked. I assumed by pressing the mode button on the new X5 it would also work. To me this is like activating the turn signal- the feature is there, you activate it, you expect it to work.
Forward Collision Braking, a safety system, is deactivated when cruise control is activated. Further BMW sells the X5 with the mode button of the Driver Assistance Package available on the steering wheel. This to me is deceptive. My previous X5 had the system a when I activated it by pressing the mode button it worked. I assumed by pressing the mode button on the new X5 it would also work. To me this is like activating the turn signal- the feature is there, you activate it, you expect it to work.