2008 BMW M5 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 2about this part
- Share
- 33%of 6 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 72,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 BMW M5, 33% of the 6 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 72,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
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.
“The sunroof drains of my vehicle overfill or clog causing water to leak in the trunk and wheel well. The cars wheel well holds the cars battery, rdc, and pdc modules. Surrounded by foam when water reaches the modules they arc and spark causing them to heat up and melt. Also located in the trunk is several other electrical components xm radio amp, etc. If not caught in time could cause fire and maybe even death. You can't tell when they are overfilled/clogged until it's to late. I have replaced them 2 times both times almost causing fire to the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10732757, filed 2015-07, 65,000 miles“All wires leading into the headlights have deteriorated and are bare. It keeps shorting out the lights and seems to be a major fire hazard. This is a garage kept car with 80k miles. Appears many many others have the same problem. Please help.”
NHTSA complaint #11258658, filed 2019-09, 80,000 milesRelated recalls
- 12V126000Mar 26, 2012Bmw 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…Covers: BMW M5 2006–2010, 5 Series 2004–2010, 6 Series 2004–2010 +1 more
Related service bulletins
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- 10162428Jul 10, 2019Various Electrical Problems Caused by Water Ingress. Water ingress into the luggage compartment may cause various electrical problems or faults associated with the MPM (Micro…
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- 10147837Nov 1, 2015"The Disclaimer screen automatically disappears from the CID after 10 seconds. INFORMATION https://www.bmwtis.net/tiscode/cgi-bin/bulletin.aspx?sie_path=/tsb/bulletins/htm_store/2…
Electrical system: other model years
Other parts of the 2008 BMW M5
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 BMW M5
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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