There are 4 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2019 BMW X5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Attached is a detailed description of my complaint. I'm attaching it because it is more than 2,000 characters.
Parking brakes can only be applied but cannot be released due to faulty design of the parking switch. This will cause the vehicle not able to move or be towed in an emergency especially when an engine failed to start. This problem confirmed by an independent repair shop and also has highlighted in several BMW group chats.
Traveling west on I-70 at the Eagle Colorado exit the brakes failed as we pulled off the highway the brakes failed. Went up the ramp at 50-60 MPH. Missed the cars waiting to enter the round-a-bout and went over a decorative divider about 3 feet high. Went in the air and was then traveling on the wrong side of street. Saw a fireplug and hit it at 20-30 MPH and that stopped us. No airbags deployed at either hit. Four in the car and no serious medical issues, just soreness. Had police and fire test the brakes to show they didn't work. Obviously the air bags Hadn't deployed. Filed police report with Eagle City, 2021-000417 and AIG insurance report 80255229. Car was declared totaled.
Over the 2 years of ownership I had about 5 incident where I lost control of my 2019 BMW X5 40i. The specific trim was XLine with standard brake option. It occurred rather randomly so I was not able to identify the pattern to reproduce. Right after the ignition to leave a parking space (and while still holding the brake since starting the car) the car would push my foot up and I would lose control of the brake. After a few seconds of desperate tries to press the brake, I was able to stop the car from drifting backwards as I engaged "Park" gear. Similar situation occurred and each time I was fortunate that there wasn't a car directly heading towards me. However I experienced this life threatening experience and BMW seems to acknowledge with their service bulletin of "SIB 34 04 19" but no fix was given to me.
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