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2016 BMW 5 Series

HybridGasDiesel
Midsize Cars
11 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls3 critical7
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA81
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA30 mpg
202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 BMW 5 Series is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid, gas and diesel midsize car with 11 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 535d, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 81 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
ActiveHybrid 5HybridRWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo + 374V Li-Ion233026$3,000
528iGasRWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233427$2,850
528i xDriveGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo223326$3,000
535iGasRWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo203023$3,350
535i xDriveGasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo202923$3,350
535i Gran TurismoGasRWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo192722$3,500
535i xDrive Gran TurismoGasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo182621$3,700
550iGasRWD4.4L 8-cyl turbo172520$3,900
550i xDriveGasAWD4.4L 8-cyl turbo162419$4,100
535dDieselRWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo263830$3,000
535d xDriveDieselAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo263730$3,000

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37112, 36742, 36680, 36207, 36681, 36686, 36687, 36682, 36683, 36743.

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Recalls (7)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

720,796 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskAn electrical short increases the risk of a fire.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 24V608000reported Aug 13, 2024BMW of North America, LLC
!critical

Fuel System, Diesel

50,404 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.RiskA melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.FixDealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer
NHTSA campaign 21V907000reported Nov 19, 2021BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Fuel System, Diesel

11,216 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskFuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V586000reported Jul 29, 2021BMW of North America, LLC
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

44,368 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.RiskThe melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.FixBMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA campaign 18V755000reported Oct 25, 2018BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Air Bags

3,506 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Mini 4-Door Cooper, Cooper S, Mini 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and 2016 BMW 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, M5 and 535d vehicles. The affected vehicles have seat- mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.RiskIf the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the seat-mounted air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.FixBMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA campaign 16V914000reported Dec 20, 2016BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Seat Belts

15,455 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, MINI Hardtop 4 Door Cooper, Mini Hardtop 4 Door Cooper S, MINI Cooper Clubman, and Cooper S Clubman, 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost, and 2016 528i vehicles. The vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism of the seat belt Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) for the driver's seat may not lock as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."RiskIn the event of a crash where heavy braking is applied, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) may activate when the occupant is more forward in the seat, possibly increasing the risk of injury.FixBMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA campaign 16V747000reported Oct 17, 2016BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Seats

7,162 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535d xDrive, M5, 550i, 550i xDrive, and 535d sedans. The affected vehicles have an inboard lower anchor for child restraints on the left rear seat that may have been bent downwards, preventing the child seat from fully engaging both lower anchors. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."RiskIf the child seat is not properly attached to the lower anchors, it can increase the child's risk of injury in the event of a crash.FixBMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair the inboard lower anchor on the left rear seat, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA campaign 15V718000reported Oct 30, 2015BMW of North America, LLC

NHTSA defect 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

Source: NHTSA complaint database
81complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 5 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2017: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 21 · 2025: 34 · 2026: 5

Most-cited components

Electrical System33
Engine And Engine Cooling26
Engine22
Air Bags12
Unspecified8
Fuel/Propulsion System6

What owners describe

“On [XXX], the coolant connector flange on my 2016 BMW 535d (VIN: [XXX] ) catastrophically failed, causing complete coolant loss. I immediately contacted BMW of Las Vegas and was instructed to drive it in despite fluid visibly leaking through the undercarriage. The next day, [XXX], BMW performed Recall 21V-907 (EGR cool…”Jul 29, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 BMW 535D. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with high-pressure fuel pump failure. The vehicle was left at the local dealer, wher…”Apr 14, 2025 · Fuel System, Diesel · NHTSA owner report
“Valve cover leak Oil filter housing leak Super common that these items leak in the bmw N57 diesel engines. Increased risk of fire. I am in the Facebook group with many other owners of the same engine, and almost everyone runs into the same problems by 100,000 miles.”Apr 4, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

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

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%
4 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%
4 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%
5 HB AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%
5 HB RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★9%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other 5 Series model years

A

2027 BMW 5 Series

0 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2026 BMW 5 Series

1 recalls · 1 complaints

F

2025 BMW 5 Series

6 recalls · 2 complaints

F

2024 BMW 5 Series

7 recalls · 18 complaints

F

2023 BMW 5 Series

4 recalls · 9 complaints

F

2022 BMW 5 Series

5 recalls · 17 complaints

F

2021 BMW 5 Series

10 recalls · 26 complaints

F

2020 BMW 5 Series

8 recalls · 15 complaints

D

2019 BMW 5 Series

3 recalls · 38 complaints

F

2018 BMW 5 Series

7 recalls · 85 complaints

B

2017 BMW 5 Series

2 recalls · 38 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. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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