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2018 BMW X5

Plug-in hybridGasDiesel
Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
6 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
46 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls2 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA71
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA25 mpg
202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

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 the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombRangekWh/100miCharge (240V)Annual fuel*
X5 xDrive40ePlug-in hybridAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 83 kW AC Induction232524 (29 MPGe blended)14 mi electric593 h$3,250
X5 sDrive35iGasRWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo182521———$3,700
X5 xDrive35iGasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo182420———$3,900
X5 xDrive50iGasAWD4.4L 8-cyl turbo152117———$4,550
X5 MGasAWD4.4L 8-cyl turbo141916———$4,850
X5 xDrive 35dDieselAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo232925———$3,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 39526, 39474, 39478, 39521, 39479, 39477.

Factory warranty running out?

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)

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
▲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

Equipment

3,501 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskAn electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 18V652000reported Sep 20, 2018BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Suspension

43 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskIf the lower control arm breaks, vehicle handling and control can be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 18V439000reported Jun 28, 2018BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Suspension

33 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskLoose bolts can affect the performance of the suspension, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.FixBMW 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 campaign 17V727000reported Nov 17, 2017BMW 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
71complaints filed

2 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 3 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2018: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 13 · 2026: 9

Most-cited components

Electrical System14
Fuel/Propulsion System11
Unspecified11
Engine11
Power Train10
Engine And Engine Cooling9

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact stated while his wife was starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooling system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired…”Aug 28, 2023 · Fuel System, Diesel · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the coolant low warning message was displayed. The contact checked the coolant level and noticed that the coolant level was low and added coolant. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no failure was found. The coolant level was topped of…”Jul 10, 2023 · Fuel System, Diesel · NHTSA owner report
“Warning appeared on my vehicle a few months ago stating something was wrong with the restraint system. While driving out of nowhere my vehicle on it's own accord will begin rocking really hard and it has become dangerous for passengers, myself or my animals in my car. Looking further into the issue, this is a common pr…”May 22, 2023 · Air Bags · 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
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆19%
SUV RWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆19%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other X5 model years

A

2027 BMW X5

0 recalls · 0 complaints

C

2026 BMW X5

2 recalls · 21 complaints

D

2025 BMW X5

5 recalls · 61 complaints

F

2024 BMW X5

8 recalls · 144 complaints

D

2023 BMW X5

4 recalls · 31 complaints

A

2022 BMW X5

1 recalls · 69 complaints

F

2021 BMW X5

12 recalls · 104 complaints

F

2020 BMW X5

11 recalls · 107 complaints

F

2019 BMW X5

13 recalls · 184 complaints

F

2017 BMW X5

6 recalls · 73 complaints

F

2016 BMW 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. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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