2006 Bmw 5 SERIES - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2006 BMW 5 Series 4-DR w/SAB has not been rated for its safety by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Despite the lack of specific crash test ratings, it is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which is a positive feature for enhancing vehicle safety by helping drivers maintain control during adverse conditions. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems which are increasingly common in newer models for preventing accidents caused by driver distraction.

Additionally, there have been 385 complaints and 12 recalls associated with this vehicle, indicating some potential issues that owners have experienced. It is advisable for BMW 5 Series owners to address any concerns promptly to ensure optimal safety and performance of their vehicles.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

385

Recall Count

12

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2006 BMW 5 Series 4-DR w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2006 BMW 5 Series 4-DR w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2006 BMW 5 Series 4-DR w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2006 BMW 5 Series 4-DR w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2006 Bmw 5 SERIES

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 530xi. the contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light had remained illuminated for a month. the contact stated that two years ago he had a recall completed on the passenger’s side air bag. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 224,500."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2023-01-08
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 550i. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light remained illuminated. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. the contact was informed that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 17v428000 (air bags). the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. the failure mileage was 184,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2025-04-08
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 530i. the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated, and remained illuminated. additionally, the check engine and brake warning lights also illuminated. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. the failure was intermittent. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 127,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-08-11
Complaint:
"approximately two months ago (march 2021) the instrument panel airbag and seat belt warning lights had begun to remain on. the bmw dealer determined it was a faulty front passenger air bag occupancy sensor mat which was then replaced and repaired at the owner's expense. this defect was specifically covered in a service information bulletin sb-10056703-9690, dated september 2014, which superseded si b01 09 14, dated august 2014, which extended bmw's limited warranty to 15 years, without mileage limitation, if the warning light came on within the extended 15 year period. unfortunately, bmw corporate determined this defect was not within the 15 year period based on the vehicle's in-service date. said bmw is an original owner vehicle with less than 45,000 miles or driven an average of 3,000 miles per year."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-01-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2006 bmw 525i. the contact stated that the air bags warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer passport bmw (4730 auth pl, suitland-silver hill, md 20746, (301) 423-2700) where it was diagnosed with needing a bolt tightened. the vehicle was not repaired. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 17v428000 (air bags). the vehicle was previously repaired under recall however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 112,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-01-02
Complaint:
"car gave a passenger restraint system malfunction error that has been identified in two prior nhtsa recall campaigns that include the the 2006 bmw 530i."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2020-12-12
Complaint:
"my 2006 bmw has an airbag light on i brought it to a dealership and they said it's the passenger side occupancy mat in the seat i received an email for a recall my year make and model but when i called they said that i'm not part of that recall i would like to get further explanation of why other year make and model the same as mine is under warranty and i'm having that problem and it will not be compensated for if i have my son in the passenger seat in the airbag does not go off and he dies his bmw responsible for that"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2017-05-12
Complaint:
"passenger air bag restraint light is activated."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2018-01-10
Complaint:
"i recently started getting passenger restraint system warning message appearing. after searching online, i discovered 2006 525i vehicles have a recall on the same issue. however when i contacted bmw, i was told based on vin number my vehicle is not under any recall even though i have same issue with the vehicles under recall and referenced nhtsa campaign number: 17v428000 (air bags). currently, the passenger airbag will not deploy and can cause serious harm to the passenger if involved in any type of accident, therefore, my vehicle should be part of the recall."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2020-06-08
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2006 bmw 550i. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 13v564000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the vehicle was taken to bmw of las vegas (6900 w sahara ave, nv 89117, (702) 570-0279), but the part was not available for the repair. the manufacturer was not contacted. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2016-05-04

Recalls for the 2006 Bmw 5 SERIES

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"bmw is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, model year 2004-2010 6-series, model year 2006-2010 m5, and model year 2007-2010 m6 vehicles. the insulated bulkhead connector for the positive battery cable may have been incorrectly attached to the trunk floor panel, which can lead to a loosening of the bolt connection. as it loosens, an increase in electrical resistance at this cable connection is possible and could cause the cable connection to overheat."
Consequence:
OVERHEATING COULD LEAD TO A FIRE, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN USE. AS A PRECAUTION, OWNERS ARE ADVISED TO PARK OUTSIDE UNTIL THE REMEDY HAS BEEN MADE.
Remedy:

BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND SECURE THE BATTERY BOLT CABLE CONNECTION AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.

Component(s) Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM > 12V/24V/48V BATTERY > CABLES
Date of incident: 2012-03-26

BMW Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

BMW ranks 12 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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