There are 3 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2017 BMW X5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Sunroof drain clogged, causing leaking of water into vehicle. The dealer tested and found the same issue. They stated that there is a fix for this, to reroute the drain, and that it was not done on my vehicle prior to it clogging.
Rear tailgate suddenly flew open while driving at a speed of roughly 25 mph without any user input. Car was fully locked and at speed, trunk/tailgate release button was not pushed. The tailgate was fully closed and locked, and there were no warning lights or chimes indicating otherwise. This has only occurred once as of today and has not been able to be replicated, so it is not necessarily "available for inspection upon request". My safety, as well as others, were put at risk by this malfunction as our family dog is often transported in her crate that is located in the trunk, and if this malfunction had occurred while she was back there, her crate could have very easily fallen out of the car at high speed, undoubtedly leading to death. In this same instance, her crate falling out of the trunk at highway speeds, or really anything else being transported in the trunk, could have easily penetrated another car's windshield, resulting in injury or death of another vehicle's inhabitants. As previously stated, this problem has not been able to be reproduced by a dealer or independent service center at the time of this writing. The tailgate has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or any other parties. There were no warning lamps, messages, or any other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, nor have there been after the fact.
BMW X5 HAS A STORAGE PACKAGE, IT ADDS TWO LASHING RAILS AND 4 LASHING EYES IN CARGO/TRUNK. THE FINISH OF THIS LASHING RAILS IS LIKE A RAZOR. I WAS UNLOADING A BOX AND MY PINKY FINGER GOT TRAPPED INSIDE THIS LASHING RAIL AND IT SLICED THE FINGER SKIN. IT TOOK ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO CONTROL THE BLEEDING FROM FINGER AS LASHING RAILS HAD SLICED GOOD CHUNK OF PINKY FINGER.
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