Reliability & cost of ownership
Bmw M5 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Bmw M5? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Bmw M5 problems by model year
30 recall entries and 101 owner complaints on file across 18 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 M5 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2022 M5 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 M5 | 1 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 M5 | 3 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 M5 | 3 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 M5 | 3 | 4 | No NCAP test | Full reliability report → |
| 2016 M5 | 2 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 M5 | 1 | 3 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 M5 | 1 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 M5 | 2 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 M5 | 2 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 M5 | 2 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 M5 | 1 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 M5 | 1 | 38 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 M5 | 1 | 3 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 M5 | 2 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 M5 | 3 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 M5 | 2 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Bmw M5, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags43 complaints
- engine21 complaints
- power train12 complaints
- seat belts10 complaints
- electrical system9 complaints
- seats6 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system6 complaints
- unknown or other6 complaints