2001 BMW X5 Latches, locks and linkages Problems

“My 2001 Bmw X5 has serios issues with its design that Bmw corp refuses to acknowledge or fix. 1st there is a faulty design on the pvc causing the valve to freeze and drain the oil into the engine. This almost caused a fire in my car. And cost me about $1200 to fix. 2nd there is a design flaw with the front doors whereby the either freeze shut or refuse to lock in temperatures below 17f. This is a hazard waiting to happen. Please help us ( consumers) since Bmw apparently has no interest in adressing these issues.”

“Front doors are freezing up in cold weather. Once the temperature rises the doors will open. Happens early in the morning/ late night when I need to leave for work. Sometimes you can force the handle to open but then the door will not close and have to drive holding the door shut. There must be a recall on this,there have been so many complaints about this issue. This has happened to me dozens of times. Went to dealer many times, replaced bowden cable/actuators. Cost me $600.00 to fix, will see if it works next winter.”

“I have 2001 Bmw X5 3.0. After last week's snow storm and cold weather in boston area, my 2001 X5 doors are frozen. Actually, I opened them from outside yesterday morning (feels like door handle got frozen). But then I could not get them closed. So, I had to push down door lock (little knob) by window and pull hard to get them closed. Now, I could not open them at all. I am climbing in and out of the trunk door to get inside. Fortuately, there is no accident. But, I think this is a serious safety issue when an accident does occur (hard to escape). …”

“Read that the Bmw X5 had problems with it's door lock mechanism. I had experienced the locks not opening in the cold myself, and had seen several people at the dealership with the problem. During a ski trip to mountt snow vermont my door locks were slow to open. The passenger door wouldn't close at first. Then when pushed hard it closed. The door would not open with my passenger inside. She tried the door handle, from inside and I had tried it from outside. The door was unlocked, but would not open at all. I then tried the driver's door and it wouldn't open. …”

“The driver and front passenger door mechanism freezes (frequently) in cold weather such that the door will open but will not latch when closed. The result is that a driver must drive holding the door closed or not drive the car at all, which is difficult if you need to get home.”