2018 Bmw M5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (1) · Seats (1) · Seat Belts (1)
Safety recalls (3)
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2019-09-27 · campaign 19V684000 · 257,473 vehicles
Defect: 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 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly 2018-07-17 · campaign 18V473000 · 1,645 vehicles
Defect: 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: An incorrect fuel reading may lead to the vehicle stalling and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:software 2018-05-16 · campaign 18V323000 · 846 vehicles
Defect: 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: If the fuel pump stops, the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (208)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2025-09-19 · B011724 · Warranty Program/Extension
the 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 engine’s center fuel injector bore area that resulted after thi
Fuel/Propulsion System 2025-07-09 · B011724 · Warranty Program/Extension
the 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 engine’s center fuel injector bore area that resulted after thi
Air Bags 2025-06-11 · B720417 · Warranty Program/Extension
the supplemental restraint systems (srs) front passenger’s seat occupancy capacitive interior sensor (cis) mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original inservi
Electrical System 2025-04-09 · B720417 · Warranty Program/Extension
the supplemental restraint systems (srs) front passenger’s seat occupancy capacitive interior sensor (cis) mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original inservi
Service Brakes 2025-01-14 · B340921 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
a turbine-like noise can be heard from the rear axle while deceleration during the first 300 miles of operation when braking from low speed.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2024-12-10 · B011724 · Warranty Program/Extension
the 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 engine’s center fuel injector bore area that resulted after thi
Showing the 6 most recent of 208 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-09 · 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.…”
2026-04-04 · 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.…”
2024-06-17 · 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…”
2024-04-26 · 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 t…”
2024-03-12 · 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 presently acting out, they won't do anything about it …”
2018-05-26 · Power Train · 750 mi“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 a…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.