Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2021 BMW M5, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Exterior lighting1
- Power train1
- Engine1
- Electrical system1
- Fuel/propulsion system1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2021 BMW M5 failed the safety check 0.40% of the time — 58% less often than the average 2021 passenger car (0.95%). Median odometer at inspection: 22,397 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2021
1,000 new BMW M5 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2021; the largest markets were Germany (560), Poland (108), the Netherlands (66).
- Average mass
- 1,956 kg
- Average CO₂
- 256 g/km (WLTP)
- Average power
- 458 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Petrol 100%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
In the Netherlands
48 first registered in 2021 are on Dutch roads; 50% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €199,828.
Most common APK defects
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld3
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm2
- Lambdawaarde wijkt af1
- Ruitensproeierinstallatie werkt niet goed1
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
560 cars built in 2021 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 34 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In New Zealand
1 2021 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 BMW M5 4 DR AWD | — | 0.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 13.8 L/100 km (about 17 mpg US), CO₂ 323 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5 Competition · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 16.0 | 11.0 | 13.8 |
| M5 Sedan · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 16.0 | 11.0 | 13.8 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 2021 BMW M5: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11002676 | Under certain driving situations, coolant leaks onto the fuel injectors on cylinder bank (5-8). |
| 11000498 | Under certain driving situations, coolant leaks onto the fuel injectors on cylinder bank (5-8). |
| 10253345 | BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop (effective April 15, 2024) on certain Model Year 2018 - 2023 BMW vehicles that were produced between November 7, 2017, and September 9, 2022. |
| 10252031 | One or more of the LED daytime running lights are dim or discolored. |
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10249032 | The Central Information Display goes black intermittently due to resets of the Head Unit (HU-H3). FaultB7F8F9 HU-H: Reset will be stored in the HU-H3. |
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 10249018 | At low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned. This can be felt (jerking)/ heard via an acoustic acknowledgement (clunk) as seen at the 11 second mark of the video. See attached video V36 01 21. |
| 10249017 | SITUATION Unusual noises occur only when operating the steering column in the axial direction. 1. A one-time thump sound at the start of movement Shortly after the steering column starts moving, retracting, or extending, a one-time thump noise is heard. See attached video V32 03 23 2. Humming noise while steering column extends in the axial direction. The sound is only heard when the steering column is extended, not when the steering column is retracted. When the steering column starts to move in the extended direction, the humming noise can be heard. See attached video V32 04 23 |
| 10249015 | A vehicle arrives at your center to be diagnosed for a micro-leak in the fuel evaporative (EVAP) system(NVLD natural vacuum leak detection). For this condition, the following fault is stored in the DME: 190302 - fuel tank ventilation and scavenging air system, micro-leak: leakage more than 0.5mm For: Model vehicles other that the ones listed above, or for EVAP faults related to a large leak, after confirming that the fuel filler cap is fitted properly, then, proceed to follow the corresponding test plan |
| 10244237 | Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material- |
| 10242698 | ?The sunroof will not operate in either direction. |
| 10242694 | ?The front seat will not calibrate/initialize, and the stored faults cannot be deleted. |
| 10242691 | ?Unusual noises occur only when operating the steering column in the axial direction. |
| 10239614 | The air conditioning cycles from cold to warm air while driving or while at a stand still. The vent outlet temperatures vary by 25 degrees Fahrenheit or more (38 F to 60 F +) without changing any climate control settings. |
| 10239604 | A groaning type noise is heard during the height adjustment. |
| 10239602 | A vehicle arrives at your center to be diagnosed for a micro-leak in the fuel evaporative (EVAP) system (NVLD natural vacuum leak detection). For this condition, the following fault is stored in the DME: 190302 - fuel tank ventilation and scavenging air system, micro-leak: leakage more than 0.5 mm. |
| 10239599 | With the introduction of the BMW Remote Software Upgrade, all Service Pack 18 vehicles and partial Service Pack 15 vehicles may receive new functionality or modifications in their features. |
| 10238090 | After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails. |
| 10238081 | Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator. |
| 10235206 | Customer is shown an incorrect GPS location in the vehicle (i.e., Nav Map, coordinates). |
| 10235205 | The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose, the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration. The Connected Drive voice services (Concierge Call, BMW Assistance, and emergency call voice) can no longer be used regionally in the US in vehicle with telematics control units ATM-1 and TCB-4G. Voice cont |
| 10235203 | Customer states there is no audio playback (telephony, navigation, radio) and system sounds (PDC, turn indicators, acoustic signals) may also have failed. |
| 10235200 | One or more of the LED daytime running lights are dim or discolored. |
| 10235198 | In SPORT mode, a black square appears in the RPM gauge (tachometer) section of the instrument cluster display. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)