Reliable Auto DB

2018 BMW X5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 BMW X5 over 9 years — 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most X5 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Pump, Fuel pump, and Electrical.

2012 BMW X5
Photo by Alexander Migl, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

72

Per year

3

Recalls

5

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (15 of 72), then Engine (11) and Fuel and propulsion system (11). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 X5 has 74 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2019 has 188 complaints, 12 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 BMW X5. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall engine and cooling, cooling system, pump 2024-08-13 · NHTSA campaign 24V608000
Summary BMW 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.
Remedy Dealers 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.
Recall diesel fuel system, delivery, fuel pump 2021-07-29 · NHTSA campaign 21V586000
Summary BMW 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.
Remedy Dealers 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.
Recall equipment, electrical 2018-09-20 · NHTSA campaign 18V652000
Summary BMW 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.
Remedy BMW 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.
Recall Front lower control arm 2018-06-28 · NHTSA campaign 18V439000
Summary BMW 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.
Remedy BMW 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.
Recall Suspension 2017-11-17 · NHTSA campaign 17V727000
Summary BMW 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.
Remedy BMW 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.

Complaints by component (72 total)

Electrical system
15
Engine
11
Fuel and propulsion system
11
Powertrain
10
Engine and engine cooling
9
Diesel fuel system
6
Suspension
6
Air bags
4
Service brakes
3
Tires
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Steering
2
Structure
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Seat belts
1
Speed control
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

4201852019120209202162022102023142024132025102026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "TWO INCIDENTS ACCURED WITH 24HRS. MY WIFE CALLED ME INFORMING THAT THE 2018 X5 WAS SMOKING FROM THE FRONT AND MAKING A WEIRD NOISE, SHE STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN. WHEN SHE GOT HOME, I CHECKED THE…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-18
  • "The windshield wiper reservoir leaks fluid. The reservoir has been filled by the dealership and I was informed it is a safety hazard to not have it repaired. After some research, this is a common issue in 2016-2018 BMW…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-09-04
  • "The driveshaft malfunctioned which caused the vehicle to lose control. Yes, it is available at the repair shop. Wife was driving with mother-in-law and [XXX] child at highway speeds (55) requiring her to maintain…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-21
  • "On August 4, 2026, my vehicle was involved in a direct frontal collision with a brick wall. I was driving with two minor passengers, one seated in the front passenger seat and one seated in the rear passenger seat. The…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-08-13
  • "I am reporting a recurring catastrophic high-pressure fuel-pump/fuel-system failure in my 2018 BMW X5 after BMW previously repaired the same type of failure, and subsequently performed the NHTSA HPFP recall on my…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-11

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 BMW X5 M SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 BMW X5 PHEV SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 BMW X5 SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2018 BMW X5 SUV RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
X5 M 4.4L, 8-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $5000
X5 sDrive35i 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3800
X5 xDrive 35d 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 23 29 25 MPG $3750
X5 xDrive35i 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 18 24 20 MPG $4000
X5 xDrive40e 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 23 25 24 MPG / 540 mi range $3300
X5 xDrive50i 4.4L, 8-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $4700

Specs and fitment

F15 generation, 2014–2018
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 full synthetic (gasoline); diesel may differ , 6.5 qt capacity
Tire size 255/55R18 to 285/35R21 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 24V608000 covers certain 2016-2018 X5 xDrive40e models (among about 720,796 vehicles across many BMW N20/N26 applications) where an improperly sealed water-pump electrical connector may short circuit and increase fire risk; dealers inspect and replace the pump and connector as needed and install a protective shield. Diesel X5 xDrive35d units in this era are also named in multi-model campaigns such as 21V586000 (high-pressure fuel pump) and 21V907000 (EGR cooler / intake manifold fire risk on diesel models).

Compare

Previous year 2017 BMW X5 Next year 2019 BMW X5 See every BMW X5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 BMW X5 reliable?

Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 BMW X5 over 9 years — 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most X5 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Pump, Fuel pump, and Electrical.

What are common problems with a 2018 BMW X5?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (15 of 72), then Engine (11) and Fuel and propulsion system (11). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2018 BMW X5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 X5 has 74 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2019 has 188 complaints, 12 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 BMW X5 been recalled?

The 2018 BMW X5 has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 BMW X5?

Owners have filed 72 complaints about the 2018 BMW X5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 BMW X5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 BMW X5 is 20.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2020 BMW X5?

G05 generation (2019-on).

What oil does a recent BMW X5 take?

G05 US gasoline fills commonly use 0W-20 full synthetic; earlier F15/E70 notes often list 5W-30.

What tire sizes does a BMW X5 use?

Sizes span a wide trim range; G05 examples run about 265/50R19 to 315/35R21.