There are 12 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2005 BMW X5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Faulty Check valve connected to brake booster leaks oil into brake booster causing contamination and loss of power braking. Recall issued for roughly 30,000 BMW X5 vehicles produced from 2007-2010 for a similar issue but none issued for this vehicle.
LEAVING HOUSE WE FOUND THE BRAKE PEDAL NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND PEDAL GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BEFORE ENGAGING. BRAKE LINES DAMAGED. BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE FABRICATED AND REPLACED.
I CURRENTLY HAVE A BMW X5 2005, WITH 4.4. VIN # [XXX]. BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. BRAKE SYSTEM HARDENS WHEN VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN AND DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY UNTIL CAR IS RESTARTED. SAME ENGINE AND SAME BRAKE SYSTEM IN DIFFERENT MODEL (740I) HAS BEEN RECALLED TO FIX THE ISSUE. ACCORDING TO BMW SERVICE DESK, THE X5 MODELS HASN'T BEEN RECALLED WITH SAME ISSUES WITH THE BRAKE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW X5. AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, BRAKE FLUID LEAKED UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINE FRACTURED DUE TO RUST FROM WATER THAT ACCUMULATED UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,417. UPDATED 10/04/16*LJ UPDATED 10/13/16.*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW X5. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A LEAK AND THE BRAKES FAILED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP FRACTURED AND LEAKED TO THE BRAKE LINE, WHICH CAUSED A FAILURE WITH THE BRAKE BOOSTER. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED NO SOLUTION AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V045000 (SERVICE BRAKES, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
THE CAR WAS DRIVING FINE UNTIL I WENT TO USE THE BRAKES AS A SLOW SPEED 5-25MPH. THE BRAKE PEDAL GOT REALLY HARD AND THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING. I WAS COMING UP TO A RED LIGHT AND THERE WAS A CAR IN FRONT OF ME I ALMOST HIT, BECAUSE THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING AS NORMAL. THIS CONDITION SEEMS TO BE ONLY WHEN DRIVING REALLY SLOW, OR JUST STARTING. THERE WERE NO INDICATOR LIGHTS (BRAKE LIGHT). I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID AND ALL OTHER FLUIDS, WHICH WERE AT ACCEPTABLE LEVELS. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND BACK ON TO SEE IF IT WAS THE COMPUTER OR ABS SYSTEM, THIS DID NOT HELP. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC (INDEPENDENT) AND HE EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS THE VACUUM PUMP THAT HAD AN OIL LEAK. THIS PUSHED THE OIL UP THE VACUUM LINE AND INTO THE BREAK BOOSTER. SO I NEED TO REPLACE THE VACUUM PUMP, VACUUM LINE, AND BRAKE BOOSTER. HE AND I DID A CHECK AND FOUND A RECALL ON THE SAME ENGINE IN DIFFERENT BMW MODELS IN THAT YEAR AND AFTER 2007 IN THE SAME MODEL. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE I HAVE AND THEY CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION THE IT IS WEIRD THAT THE 2005 X5 4.4 V8 IS NOT IN THE RECALLS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS EXHIBITING THE SAME ISSUES AS OTHER BMW MAKE AND MODELS THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. I AM CONCERNED, BECAUSE THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT BMW AND THE NHTSA IS AWARE OF (BECAUSE OF RECALLS), BUT THE 2005 V8 X5 DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL???? *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW X5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, BRAKE FLUID STARTED TO LEAK AND THE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE BRAKE FLUID AND DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V367000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) BUT DID NOT CONFIRM IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.
I NOTICED THE RECALL ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM FOR 2007 -2010 BMW X5, BUT THINK THEY SHOULD INCLUDE OTHER YEARS OF SAME MODEL. MY BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON SAYING CHECK BRAKE LININGS. HAD THE BRAKE PADS REDONE AND AFTER LEAVING WAS ALMOST IN 4 ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE BRAKE BOOSTERS FAILING. AFTER FULL ANALYSTS FROM BMW THEY SAID 1800.00 TO REPLACE, BUT HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES UNTIL THEY WERE REPLACED. *TR
THE BRAKE BOOSTER HAS FAILED TWICE NOW ON THIS 2005 BMW X5. BMW HAS RECALLED OTHER MODELS IN THE SAME MODEL YEAR FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT REFUSES TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM TO MY VEHICLE. THIS FAILURE OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER HAS PUT MY FAMILY IN DANGER AND HAS COSTED ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. *TT
RESISTANCE IN THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS ON REAR BRAKE LIGHT IS CAUSING MY BRAKE LIGHT TO INTERMITTENT STOP WORKING. *TR
2005 BMW X-5 BRAKES FAIL TO STOP VEHICLE DUE TO MALFUNCTION OF THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE BOOSTER. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. IT WILL REQUIRE BUYING A NEW BRAKE BOOSTER AND PAYING FOR ITS INSTALLATION, COST OF OVER $1000. THE SAME PROBLEM HAS CAUSED THE RECALL OF BMW 7 SERIES FROM SEVERAL MODEL YEARS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2005 BMW X5 4.4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 10 MPH WHEN THE POWER ASSIST FOR THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY REPLACED THE VACUUM PUMP AND BRAKE BOOSTER DUE TO AN OIL LEAK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT THEY WERE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY SINCE HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE VOLUNTARY MANUFACTURERS RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,976 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,000.
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