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2011 BMW 5-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (31%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (8%)
Brakes and Traction Control (2%)
Suspension and Steering (8%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (34%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (11%)
Other (4%)
Select a problem area
- Engine
- Transmission and Drivetrain
- Brakes and Traction Control
- Suspension and Steering
- Electrical and Air Conditioning
- Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim
- Other
Chart based on 228 repairs.
2011 BMW 5-Series electrical repair cost distribution
$2500+ (5%)
$1000 - $2499 (8%)
$500 - $999 (11%)
$100 - $499 (17%)
< $100 (59%)
Chart based on 64 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2011 BMW 5-Series
Engine not specified
| 54000 mi | Front seat heating faulty |
| 86700 mi | night view camera faulty |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 181hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 67000 mi £243 |
Module that controls headlamp aim and sidelights blown and needed replacing |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 400hp 4.4L V8 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 23000 mi | Side View Camera in drivers mirror failed. |
| 79000 mi US $200 |
Soft Close door failure Camera Warning Chime and lights |
| 32655 mi | Troubleshoot and replace various electrical components related to the rear steering system. Cut off relays and separate battery. Dealer had to submit ticket to BMW NA to figure out problem. |
| 38200 mi US $50 |
ACTIVE SEAT VENTILATION, SHORT TO GROUND. RAN TEST PLAN, REMOVED BOTH SEAT BACK COVERS FOR DRIVER FRONT SEAT (COMFORT SEAT WITH REAR MONITOR) AND INSPECTED WIRING. FOUND WIRE SHORTING AGAINST FRAME AT BOTTOM OF SEAT BACK. FOUND FAULT 9307A1 STORED FOR OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE ELECTRONIC DRIVER DOOR. RAN TEST PLAN AND FOUND THAT DRIVER FRONT OUTER DOOR HANDLE WILL NOT LOCK USING COMFORT ACCESS. DOOR HANDLE IS FAULTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. |
| 49000 mi US $320 |
Comfort access no longer working to unlock or lock car doors from the handles |
| 38000 mi | Door lock malfunction driver door. Starter replaced. |
| 56200 mi | Rear electric window shade failed to go down. Sketchy covereage under certified warranty. The "shade" is not covered, but the electronics and motor are. Had to do some talking with the shop foreman directly to get a motor ordered. |
| 64000 mi US $725 |
Battery was 50%. Replaced at owner cost. |
| 34000 mi | Getting dash messages which were not correct. |
| 66000 mi US $1350 |
Driver's power seat extender needed repair. Cost to repair was $450. |
| 78000 mi US $600 |
AC was very noisy when running at higher fan speeds. Blower motor was failing and needed to be replaced. Extended service contract paid all but $100 for the repair. |
| 31400 mi | Battery malfunction |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 400hp 4.4L V8 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 12400 mi | side view camera system needed replacement and the car needed reprogramming |
| 36900 mi | Rear sun shade would not retract BMW Online would not start properly. Acted as if I didn't have a subscription for this service. |
| 45700 mi | BMW Online service would still not work, despite previous trip to the dealer. Required a reset by the BMW Assist group. |
| 29900 mi US $600 |
Tire Pressure Monitoring system malfunction. Replaced left front wheel senor. Malfunction still happens, but much less frequent. |
| 64000 mi US $475 |
2 tire pressure sensors were faulty and replaced |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 400hp 4.4L V8 6-speed manual RWD
| 64100 mi US $50 |
I had heard a very random metal on metal sound on a cold start. It took 40k miles for dealer to hear it to repair it. Had I not bought the BMW extended warranty I would have paid for the replacement. |
| 6700 mi | Battery needed to be charged over night. |
| 11160 mi | Dead battery. Replaced with new battery. |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 92000 mi US $50 |
Electrical connection in steering wheel broke . Buttons on wheel inop. Air bag warning lamp lit. |
| 44600 mi | Gas needle acting funny. |
| 47300 mi US $50 |
Blower motor replaced |
| 61380 mi C $650 |
Battery had to be replaced. |
| 7000 mi | lock function for comfort access failed |
| 5000 mi | Fuel Level Sensor replaced under warranty. Preventative TSB. |
| 6000 mi | Comfort Access on driver door handle malfunction. Comfort Access on driver door handle malfunction. |
| 10000 mi | Surround view camera assembly replaced. |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 30000 mi US $350 |
A/C blower motor housing had to be replaced due to it coming loose and causing noise when the A/C was on. |
| 12800 mi | Blackberry bluetooth compatibility resolved. Computer advised car needed new rear brakes, but none required. Computer glitch resolved also with software updates. |
| 15000 mi | Rear passenger door handle was replaced. The car would unlock immediately after it was intentionally locked, unless the driver used the key fob out of range of the proximity sensor. |
| 25000 mi | The passenger restrain system failed, a sensor/pad needed to be replaced on the seat cushion... and the system reprogramed |
| 20000 mi | Seat warning could not be reset. Dealer reset by computer |
| 46000 mi | seat calibration warning would not reset |
| 1000 mi | The Tire Pressure Maintenance System showed a malfunction on the dash board. The dealership discovered one of the tires sensors needed replaced which they did w/o cost. This coincided with the application of my Cilajet sealant. |
| 29000 mi | I had to have the key module replaced. I was getting an error message on the console stating that the battery was low, I replaced the battery ($5) in the key module but I was still getting the same error message. Key always operated ok |
| 52000 mi US $20 |
The fuse kept blowing for the power outlets.the 1 in the front console,1 in the compartment between the 2 frt passenger seats and the 1 in the back seat. I was plugging in my radar detector, GPS and phone. Found another outlet under glove bx |
| 74600 mi US $100 |
I noticed a vibration when the A/C was on and they discovered an issue in the A/C unit that was covered by my extended warranty thank goodness! $850.00. I had to pay the $100 deductible |
| 31000 mi | Nav map had some completely erroneous roads in it. BMW doesn't see this as a problem. Cannot answer an incoming call via the steering wheel button on the first call since starting the car - have to use the iDrive button instead. Once the phone has been used once then the steering wheel button works. Said fixed, didn't. The auto-headlights turn on when they shouldn't. Specifically, the headlights would turn on during sunny cloudless days in the middle of the day. BMW never even commented on this complaint. |
| 31620 mi | Could not answer an incoming call via the steering wheel button on the first call since starting the car. I got sick of trying to get BMW to address this and other complaints. Turned in car at lease end. |
| 36000 mi | Car has surround cameras. One was not working properly. Had to order the part from Germany and then install and rediagnose. In the end all was fixed proerly |
| 12000 mi | Requesting 30,000 miles service with 10K on the odometer |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 300hp 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 41500 mi | Brake sensor malfunction second time the brake service notification came on the second time they just reprogrammed it and said it was not necessary to do brake job. |
| 315000 mi US $1000 |
Adaptive headlight module had water damage. Replaced module and seals. |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 241hp 3.0L I6 Diesel 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 93000 mi €120 |
Rear view camera picture had turned upside down & mirror view. A simple Camera ECU reset would not fix the problem using diagnostics. Re-coding the ECU box (and updating all the SW levels at the same time) fixed the problem. No physical replacements were needed. |
| 120900 mi €200 |
Driver's door lock actuator was replaced due to first signs of malfunctioning. |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4dr Sedan
240-horsepower 3.0L I6 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 63000 mi US $2510 |
Seal is bad on the Xenon Headlamp unit, which allowed water inside, which affected the control module |
| 6800 mi US $800 |
Replacement of angel eyes |
| 5000 mi | A/C was blowing warm. Result was a pinched o-ring in compressor which allowed leakage of freon. |
| 6000 mi | A/C evaporator was defective. Required part order + weekend delay for delivery of part. three day repair as total dashboard assembly required removal for repair. |
| 11000 mi | Computer warning indicated "return to dealer as soon as possible to have battery replaced". Battery had discharged due to a "software problem", and was recharged. As this occured during a holiday weekend, car was in shop longer than nec. |
| 64000 mi US $1000 |
Battery was overcharging. System reprogrammed, battery replaced. |
| 63500 mi US $100 |
Headlight Failure |
| 82000 mi US $2300 |
Parking/Daylights - Two modules malfunctioned. |
| 116000 mi US $300 |
Radio Buttons on BMW are manufactured white and then coated black leaving a white portion for the number. The black covering wore causing button to turn all white. |
| 10000 mi | Electrical - Map-vanity light in visor work sporadically – malfunction EIC unit, part ordered and replace roof switch cluster – no programming – programming encoding control unit - front mud guard torn off, replace $52 - |
| 18000 mi | GPS still unable to locate major retail stores or fast food restaurants |
| 19900 mi US $350 |
Message from car's computer indicated battery needed to be replaced. You cannot do this yourself with a late model BMW. I do my own car work so this is disappointing but had to be done by dealer. |
| 16400 mi | The on-board computer maintenance system sent a messge that the battery was low and needed to be replaced at the next convenient time. |
| 89408 mi US $6298 |
AC compressor leaking. AC Compressor leaking - replaced and freon added. |
| 121075 mi US $919 |
51-21-7-231-931 Grab handle replacement for the driver side soft close door. 51-21-7-231-931 Grab handle replacement for the driver side soft close door. |
| 123536 mi US $955 |
Driver side rear door handle for soft closing door replaced. |
2011 BMW 5-Series 4-door
6-cylinder automatic 2WD
| 13100 mi | Smelly air upon starting the engine |
| 19000 mi | Comfort access at door. |
| 32640 mi $1000 |
Replace battery |
| 65100 mi $500 |
Replaced left headlight. |
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