There are 2 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2019 BMW 5 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
ON FRIDAY, 11/20/20, DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 60-65 MILES SPEED, SUDDENLY WITHIN FEW SECONDS, THE SPEED DROPPED DOWN TO 35-40 MILES WITHOUT ANY BRAKING ACTION BY ME. IT SCARED THE HACK OUT OF ME. I BARELY MANAGED TO GET OFF THE DRIVING LANE. WHILE IN MY CAR, BWW SOS ON-CALL ( DON'T KNOW EXACT NAME) CALLED, AND ASKED ME IF I WAS OK. THEN, THE OPERATOR GOT ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE OR THEIR MECHANIC ONLINE; HE TRIED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. HE SAID IT WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED IN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE OPERATOR ARRANGED FOR THE TOWING TRUCK; THE CAR WAS TOWED IN TO 'GLOBAL IMPORTS BMW' DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE MAN TESTED THE CAR THE NEXT DAY, AND MENTIONED THAT HIS TEST DID NOT REVEAL ANYTHING BUT THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AN UNIQUE SITUATION THAT REQUIRED BMW'S ENGINEER'S ASSESSMENT. THEN THE DEALERSHIP WANTED/ KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT, DROVE, AND TESTED IT THE NEXT DAY. THAT'S WHEN THEY FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE BODY ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY. THEY REPLACED. I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, ON A SMALLER SCALE, EARLY THIS YEAR. I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP BACK THEN. THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING UNUSUAL AT THAT TIME. THE SERVICE ADVISOR MENTIONED THAT VERY LIKELY THAT PROBLEM IN EARLY 2020 MAY ALSO BE DUE TO FAULTY THROTTLE BODY ACTUATOR.
I WAS ON A TOLL ROAD/FREEWAY OVERPASS CONNECTING TO THE 91 FREEWAY IN TRAFFIC GOING 60 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR STARTED BREAKING ON ITS OWN (NO CAR DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME). I TRIED TO ACCELERATE BUT WAS UNABLE TO. MY CAR CONTINUED BREAKING AND SLOWING, THERE WAS NO WHERE TO PULL OVER, AND FINALLY I COASTED TO THE 91 FREEWAY WHERE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. THIS WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO LOSE CONTROL OF ONE'S CAR IN SPEEDING FREEWAY TRAFFIC. THERE WAS NO WARNING SOUND OR WARNING LIGHT, EXCEPT FOR THE 3 RED PEOPLE HEADS THAT INDICATE YOUR BACK SEAT PASSENGERS NEED TO FASTEN THEIR SEATBELTS, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY BACKSEAT PASSENGERS. I CALLED IRVINE BMW TO REPORT MY CONCERN AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS "I CHECKED WITH A BMW GENIUS WHO SAID YOUR CAR IS FINE SINCE THE LIGHT IS NO LONGER ON.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026