Vehicle safety record

2002 BMW M5 Problems, complaints & recalls

Q: Which BMW M5 years have the most complaints?

2002 (19), 2003 (18). See every BMW M5 year compared .

Owners have filed 19 complaints about the 2002 BMW M5 with NHTSA, most often about the engine & cooling (4) and the transmission & drivetrain (4). Those complaints describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 2 injuries. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in January 2017 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2001 has 0 and the 2003 has 18.

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NHTSA data checked 22 hours ago

7/100Safety Index

FFar more problems than a typical M5 year, for its age

#196 most complained-about 2002 vehicle

Complaints: 19
Recalls: 2
Crashes: 1
Fires: 1
Injuries: 2
Deaths: 0

Most common 2002 BMW M5 problems

Share of all 19 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

2002 BMW M5 recalls 2

Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do

Air bags: inflator module

17V047000Jan 20, 2017230,117 vehicles affected

Do not drive

The problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2002 BMW 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 323Ci, 325Ci, 330Ci, M3, 323iT, 325iT and 325xiT vehicles, 2001-2002 525i, 530i, 540i, M5, 525iT and 540iT vehicles, and 2001-2003 X5 3.0i, X5 4.4i, and X5 4.6is vehicles. These vehicles may have had a driver-side air bag module installed as replacement equipment such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bag, or as a remedy part for a prior recall. These replacement modules contain an air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to lower absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
The risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver side air bag module, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Air bags: inflator module

15V318000May 28, 2015419,235 vehicles affected

Do not drive

The problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, and 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity Vehicles. Please note that the 5-series and X5 vehicles are only included if they are equipped with the optional sports steering wheel. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
The risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Note: On December 17, 2015 BMW removed the model year 2004 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity vehicle from this recall. Those vehicles were mistakenly identified as including the air bags that are subject to this recall.

What owners say

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19 complaints about the 2002 BMW M5

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Transmission & drivetrainBody, doors & structure

There are no power modifications to my vehicle, I just recently installed a lower mileage engine, along with all of the parts surrounding the engine and transmission (ie clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing, clutch fork, etc). The break-in period for a new clutch is 500 miles of normal driving and 1000 miles for the engine. I completed the break-in period on saturday july 20, 2019, for the clutch but still have some miles to go for the engine break-in, so on 7-24-19 I was entering the fwy from a stop light and when I...

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pushed the gas peadal it sounded like something exploded and I hadn't even gotten out of 1st gear yet!!! So, I pulled over to the side of the road, b/c I heard something rubbing, and called a tow truck to tow it back to the shop that had just installed the new engine. The shop contacted me with news and pictures, showing me that the factory welds on the differential's subframe mount had snapped apart, dropping the differential from its correct position and destroying my driveshaft, in the process. I called bmw of north america and they said there's a recall for the m3 subframe but not the m5??? Then goes on to say with the age and mileage...But welds are supposed to withstand age and mileage, especially being that it's a sports sedan design to shred tyres and achieve 3-digit speeds. The internet is flooded with the very same incidents with other m5 owners but it seems no one else has bothered to voice their concerns b/c if it had not been for the exhaust system then the driveshaft would have dropped to the ground and flipped my car into freeway traffic (see photos)

Body, doors & structureEngine & coolingFire

I have a 2002 525i which I drove to work on january 15, 2019. After being in work for 15 minutes, I was notified that the entire front end of my car was engulfed in flames. The top of the hood, under the hood, and under the front end of my car was completely on fire. I have read about the pvc recall for 2007-2011, but I also read "bmw had looked into heat damage involving the heating and cooling system as early as 2007 but stepped up its analysis work in september." That was from a chronology report provided by...

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bmw to nhtsa, and quoted from abcnews.Go.Com. What this tells me is bmw didn't look back any earlier than 2007. It was terrifying, and thank god no one was hurt. What is bmw doing about this? And what is my next course of action?

Airbags

Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 bmw m5. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v047000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Seats & seat belts1 injury

While moving the seat forward (valet moved it back) we found that the seats twisted; in our case, the outer side of the seat bottom moved further than the inner side, causing the seats to twist towards the center of the car and leaving them uneven with the dash and front of the car. Attempts to correct the seat positioning by moving the seat backwards via power switch caused the inner bottom portion of the seat (around the thigh bolsters) to bind and jam against the center console. We found that the power...

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passenger seat had the same problem. We researched the issue on bmw-related websites (in particular, m5board.Com) and found that each seat has three separate motors that are supposed to move in unison with the control switch via one cable. As designed and built, these power cables leading to each motor are twisted to fit within the confines of the under seat design. The cable end adjacent to each motor makes contact during normal seat movement with other under-seat components. After some unknown number of movements the cable end(s) fail rendering its seat motor inoperable (these components are inaccessible so the operator cannot in any way contribute to the product failure). We believe that bmw is aware of the problem and made design and material changes in subsequent model years to correct this problem. The only way to repair this problem is to remove the affected seats entirely from the vehicle so that the technicians can access and replace the broken defective components (cost per seat in excess of $1000). While the defect often occurs during the warranty coverage period, the problem often is not be readily apparent to drivers). This defect presents a clear danger to vehicle occupants, occupants of other vehicles, and to bmw drivers or front seat passengers who suffer from spinal or other health problems. *Tr

Transmission & drivetrainEquipment & accessoriesCrash

Driving at 50 mph I was being harassed by another motorist because I was driving the speed limit. I decided to let him pass but first I had to speed up to 58 mph inorder to completely overtake a passenger car to my right (passenger side) I gave the throttle some gas and the car went nowhere. The needle went all the way into the red zone on the tachometer. The driver behind me (another bmw 3 series),tailgated me. It scared me so bad, that I did not see a deep pot hole in the road surface. I hit it so hard, that I...

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spun around and all of my wheels were damaged. I had all four wheels repaired and tires at a cost of $2000.The day before, I noticed the service engine soon light was on. Of course, I want this checked out.So I scanned the car. It was displaying 000030 bmw/ or for/ p code p0741 " torque converter clutch valve stuck off .So I went to a bmw dealer. Explained everything. They show me the codes pulled from the car. The code for the tc clutch valve not working was shown.(Their equivalent to p0741) they tell me it is the disa valve.???? Is bmw trying to cover this up?.Disa has zero to do with the torque converter. I see how many have failed and bmw does nothing? I could have been killed. The car did not respond with my request in a manner that affected my well being. If this problem is involved with many, many claims because of a part that is proven to be deficient as it sounds, I am sure if investigated you will find some injuries and/or damages and deaths have occurred and when the dealer sees a bad one, they try to bill it out as something else. I can not be the only one. And why did the bmw dealer try to rip me off? I like my car but the letters bmw put a bad taste in my mouth. Right down to the jerk who tried to run me off of the road. Bmw= ? Anyone else? Anyone who was told something else was bad when it is a bad seal inside the torque converter? *Tr

Electrical system

Unknown battery drain causes premature failure of battery and more than average replacement intervals - every two years as opposed to 5-7 yrs. Car will not start if idle for 24-48 hours. I would like to file a claim for the charging system and associated equipment for any bmw m5 (e39) built between 2000-2003. *Tr

Visibility & wipers

For some months now, my rearview mirror has been discolored/obstructed with a fluid "bubble" in the glass. I generally only drive the car on weekends in bright and sunny weather, so the decreased visibility isn't a real big a deal as it would be if driven at night or during inclement weather. However I've recently looked into replacing the mirror myself--the dealer wants a relatively large sum of money to perform the work as the car is no longer under warranty--and have discovered there might be adverse health...

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effects if exposed to the fluid contained inside. (Fellow owners of vehicles with these mirrors note that it is not uncommon for this fluid to leak out or explode, particularly on hot days as I often experience here in florida; this fluid subsequently causes damage to the interior in addition to the aforementioned possible health effects.) The original manufacturer of the mirror has not publicly disclosed any information at this time in regards to the fluids chemical composition or proper handling measures. If nothing else, I'd also like to know what the proper disposal method is for the old mirror (which I assume to contain hazardous materials of some sort as defined by the epa), so as not to throw it in with normal household waste. Any assistance in determining potential risks and protective measures for both health and environmental reasons would be most appreciated. *Tr

Suspension

Had my front thrust rod bushings replaced at bmw dealer due to vibration in steering at about 40,000 miles. Problem returned at 74000 miles (2.5 Years later). Defective material results in bushing cracks which negatively affects steering. *Tr

Visibility & wipers

Rubber around the windshield is crumbling. Obvious defective material used in the rubber compound. Bmw refuses to addres the problem. *Tr

Visibility & wipers1 injury

My rear view mirror failed and leaked a substance which dripped onto my shift lever. Unknowingly I placed my hand on the lever and was contaminated. I also was breathing the vapors which smelled somewhat like dry cleaning fluid. I have been researching and have found that the substance inside the mirror may be highly toxic. How do I know for sure if I have a problem? If I do what type of treatment do I seek? Thanks *tr

Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrainEquipment & accessories

My bmw m3ci is again in the shop. In the last 23k miles, the car has seen the shop more than anyone's imagination. Now the engine revs high at idle, transmission light (smg 2 of m3) came on, which no one seems to know why, and mysteriously disappeared. The car now vibrate trhough out the cabin and at steering wheel it vibrates abnormally. The dealer tries to down play it. It's been in th shop for the last 14 days, and still no ending insight

Fuel system

Bmw, r1150r, 2002; the consumer stated upon cold start, the motorcycle leaked 2 ounces of fuel onto the exhaust. The dealer said the problem was the o rings on quick disconnect fuel lines. *Ak *cb *jb

Engine & cooling

Car has hesitated while being driven at or above 50 mph. Car has stalled completely while accelerating out of a parking lot and while being driven at 40 mph. *Nlm

Transmission & drivetrain

The vehicle failed to shift, which caused the vehicle to stall.*Jb

Lights

Xenon headlights are too bright, blind oncoming traffic. These headlights should be banned! What ever happened to headlight standards.

Fuel system

Bmw, r1150r, 2002;gas leak coming from vehicle. Consumer can smell gas, and gas is all over the garage floor. Consumer is concerned for his sagety. Please provide any further information.*Ak

Fuel system

Spontaneous fuel leak from quickconnect devices and fuel hose clamps. The crimp type clamp loosens over time; leaked fuel could spill on catalytic converter.

Engine & cooling

While in traffic on the highway, the engine died without any warning. Dealer serviced the vehicle on 04/15/2002 because of difficulties in starting the engine. Failure of the engine while in traffic of 60+ mph placed myself and a passenger in great peril because I was unable to put the car on the shoulder when the engine died with the car in a traffic lane. I want to know if bmw has experienced similar problems with other new models and what is going to be done to prevent another occurrence. The car is only a few months old.*Ak

Lights

All xenon headlights should be banned. They blind oncoming drivers !!*Ak

BMW M5: every year compared

'89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '00 '01 19'02 '03 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '13 '14 '15 '16 '18 '19 '20 '21 '25 '26

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Crashes	Fires	Top problem	Grade
2006	0	1	0	0	-	B
2003	18	1	1	1	Airbags	F
2002	19	2	1	1	Engine & cooling	F
2001	0	3	0	0	-	D
2000	0	2	0	0	-	C

All M5 years

2002 BMW M5 vs rivals

Vehicle	Complaints	Recalls	Crashes	Grade
2002 BMW M5	19	2	1	F
2002 BMW 3 Series	442	0	18	F	Compare
2002 BMW 7 Series	100	1	6	C	Compare
2002 BMW 5 Series Sport Wagon	98	0	8	-	Compare
2002 BMW M3 Convertible	90	0	4	C	Compare
2002 BMW M3 Coupe	84	0	4	-	Compare
2002 BMW K1200LT	37	0	1	D	Compare
2002 BMW R1150GS	21	1	0	F	Compare
2002 BMW K1200RS	18	0	2	-	Compare

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

Questions about the 2002 BMW M5

Does the 2002 BMW M5 have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2002 BMW M5: inflator module (January 2017); inflator module (May 2015). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.

What are the most common problems with the 2002 BMW M5?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the engine & cooling (4), transmission & drivetrain (4), visibility & wipers (3).

How many complaints has the 2002 BMW M5 had?

19 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on May 15, 2002 and the latest on August 1, 2019. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 1 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2002 BMW M5 a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 7 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical BMW M5 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which BMW M5 years have the most complaints?

2002 (19), 2003 (18). See every BMW M5 year compared.

What should I do if my 2002 BMW M5 has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked 22 hours ago. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

2002 BMW M5 Problems, complaints & recalls

Most common 2002 BMW M5 problems

2002 BMW M5 recalls 2

What owners say

19 complaints about the 2002 BMW M5

BMW M5: every year compared

2002 BMW M5 vs rivals

Own a 2002 BMW M5? Share your experience.

Questions about the 2002 BMW M5