2006 BMW M5: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 38 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (54% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Mar 2012
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 38 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Clearance failure on s85 engine to rod bearings causes oil starvation. This in turn causes engine catastrophic failure. If driving this will effect power breaking, power steering and all components requiring the engine to be running. This is a very common issue, I now have symptoms requiring a change of rod bearings. *tr”Owner report · Engine · May 2020
“Upon starting my car, I received an error message " fault in passenger restraint system affecting air bags, belt tensioner or belt force limiter" the message continues to show up every day.. This is the same issue that has a recall in all other 5 series models for this year, 2006 and has a recall for those vehicles. This model should be added since its the same issue. See attached.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2017
“The car has an issue with passenger airbag occupancy sensor, when someone sits on the passanger seat the airbag turns on, these bmws has many recalls for this issue, for some reason mine does not fall into the recall. I have scanned the computer and confirmed that the sensor is the issue, I would like this issue to be recalled on my car because this a common issue for these, I have read many other people with this issue, on forums, but a recall has not been issued, I think its important to do this recall because it is not safe for my passanger, in case some sort of accident happens and the airbag does not deploy.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2015
Show 7 more owner reports
“Malfunction in passenger restraint system. Warning message stating "fault in passenger - restraint system affecting airbag, belt tensioner or belt force limiter" is activated every few minutes that car is in drive. Was informed that the passenger airbags will not deploy in the event of a crash. Dealership informed me that this was not covered by warranty and my extended warranty provider (hendricks autoguard) has refused to honor its obligations by claiming the part is a non-covered electrical component. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2014
“Seat sensor mat for the passenger seat air bag disengages when passenger is seated. The disengaging of the passenger air bag poses a great danger for the passenger due to the passenger air bag will not deploy in a accident causing injury or death. Bmw is aware of this ongoing problems with the m5 e60 series, but will not address this issue of safety. Bmw charges the owner up to 5000.00 dollars to fix this safety issue. I have a car that's unsafe for my family or any passenger. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2014
“The vehicle warning system displayed a passenger restraint fault which disables the passenger air bag deployment. The problem was initially intermittent, but within one week is now permanently displayed. A diagnostic scan by my dealer indicates a fault with the passenger seat occupancy sensor(s). This same problem resulted in a recall for other models/years, but apparently not this one for some reason. The dealer quoted $2500 for the required repair/replacement. Meanwhile, any person in the front passenger seat is not protected by the air bag. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2014
“My vehicle is reporting a passenger restraint system malfunction as reported in the NHTSA campaign id number: 08v384000. I have contacted bmw na multiple times and the state my VIN is not listed in the recall. I find this very alarming and unsafe. My vehicle fits all parameters as stated by the recall documentation but I am still left in this possibly unsafe situation when a problem has been documented and recalled. Please assist if possible. Thank you in advance for your time. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2014
“I was pulling out of my driveway when my car had a smell of burning oil so I stopped, as I stopped my car began smoking from the hood. I lost oil all down the street and my driveway, after,I stopped my car and pushed it into my garage and I saw were it was dripping from underneath the car so I took off the under panel and saw a hole in the pressure hose(vanos pressure hose assembly). There had been a recall when the car first came out on the lines but my car was a month out of the recall range. My car is an 06 with just at 40k miles...the car is used by the way. *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2013
“Headlight went off while driving, when I went to replace the bulb discovered that all the wiring inside the headlights have the insulation crumbling off causing exposed bare wires to short together. This is unacceptable on a car that is only 7 years old. I researched on the internet and found that is a common problem on bmws. If your warranty expired bmw will not fix it. This is especially dangerous at night went the headlight start to flicker on and off. *tr”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jul 2013
“With an smg transmission, when accelerating from a complete stop, there is a loud thump in the rear of the car as if somebody hit you from behind. It is very startling and I am sure something is wrong with the car. This is a common complaint among all bmw m5 drivers. I am surprised nobody placed a complaint about this yet. *tr”Owner report · Power Train · May 2013
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 6-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 M5, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 M6 VEHICLES. THE INSULATED BULKHEAD CONNECTOR FOR THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE TRUNK FLOOR PANEL, WHICH CAN LEAD TO A LOOSENING OF THE BOLT CONNECTION. AS IT LOOSENS, AN INCREASE IN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AT THIS CABLE CONNECTION IS POSSIBLE AND COULD CAUSE THE CABLE CONNECTION TO OVERHEAT.
Remedy: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND SECURE THE BATTERY BOLT CABLE CONNECTION AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2006 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
Check your exact M5 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 BMW M5 reliable?
NHTSA has 38 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2006 BMW M5. The most complained-about area is air bags (54% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 BMW M5 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 54,000 miles or less.
Does the 2006 BMW M5 have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cables. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.