There are 7 stored owner reports matching the brakes leading-label group for the 2001 BMW X5 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 7 of 7 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW X5. WITHOUT WARNING, THE MOTOR ASSEMBLY FAN FAILED AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE RADIATOR AND ENGINE DAMAGE. THE RADIATOR WAS EXTREMELY HOT DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE MOTOR ASSEMBLY FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS INTERMITTENT BRAKE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO MADE SEVERAL UNKNOWN REPAIRS, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT COMPLETELY STOPPING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 03V001000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), 02V194000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), 01V197000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), 02V138000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), AND 01V206000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES AND PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 181,060.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW X5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILED TO SHUT OFF AND THE ABS WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, BLACK SMOKE STARTED TO EMIT FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS COMPLETELY MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 157,000. *TR
THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO HONOR RECALL # 03 V 001 000. REGARDING THE BRAKE LINE. *JB
ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN ON, BRAKING ACTION NORMAL. DEALER CANNOT REMEDY PROBLEM. VEHICLE AT DEALER SINCE 25 MAR 2001.*AK
MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE BOTH EXPERIENCED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WITH OUR BRAND NEW BMW X5. I EXPERIENCED THE BRAKE FAILURE TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO VOB BMW FOR WORK. VOB SAID THEY NEVER FOUND ANY PROBLEM, AND CLAIMED TO HAVE REPLACED THE HYDRALIC SYSTEM. THEY HAD THE CAR FOR 14 DAYS. WE PICKED UP THE VEHICLE ON A MARCH 15TH. THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN, WITH MY HUSBAND DRIVING ON THE 17TH. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO VOB, WHERE IT IS STILL SITTING TODAY 4/2/01. BOTH BRAKE FAILURES WERE SIMULAR. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE BOTH DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT. IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE ON, AND WE WERE BOTH DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED (APPROX. 35 MPH). NEITHER OF US WERE DOING HARD BREAKING, RATHER JUST TYING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. UPON PRESSING ON THE BRAKE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR IN BOTH CASES. THE DEALERSHIP STILL CLAIMS THEY CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FURTHER. WE HAVE SENT NUMEROUS CERTIFIED LETTERS TO THE MANUFACTURER, AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY, THAT THIS SAME SITUATION ACCOURED TO A DR. LIVING IN THE COLUMBIA MD AREA. HE WAS ISSUED A NEW VEHICLE FROM HIS DEALER. MY HUSBAND AND I ASSUMED WE HAD A LEMON ON OUR HAND, HOWEVER, NOW AFTER LEARNING OF THIS OTHER INCIDENCE I HAVE TO WANDER HOW MANY OTHERS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO.
WHILE DRIVING, A SPRING FELL OUT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL AREA. *JB
ABS BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING A NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN BRAKING. ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED EVEN AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN FIXED BY THE DEALER. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES. *AK
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.