2011 BMW 5 Series Seats Problems
- Complaints
- 1about this part
- Share
- 1%of 81 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 40,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 1 complaints about the seats of the 2011 BMW 5 Series, 1% of the 81 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 40,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving for 15 minutes with seat warmers on my husband (driver) turned it off. We were travelling on suburban roads around 40 MPH. Then at a stop light he noticed a burning smell. We continued driving when light turned green. Then I noticed the smell a few seconds later, so I opened a window expecting to find smell a fire nearby or hear sirens. At that point we saw a ploom of smoke come from under his seat towards the passenger side open window. He immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and turned everything off. The smoke took some time to clear but did stop. …”
NHTSA complaint #10870649, filed 2016-05, 40,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10035246Oct 1, 2010Bmw vehicles: replaced seat occupancy sensor mat will not enable. After replacing a cis (capacitive sensing passenger occupancy mat), the new mat will not enable when using…
Seats: other model years
Other parts of the 2011 BMW 5 Series
30 complaintsSteering
20 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsElectrical system
6 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsEngine
3 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaintsSuspension
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2011 BMW 5 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology