2003 BMW X5 Engine Problems

“I purchased a Bmw X5 and the fail trans light cam on and the gears are shifting out of control. Almost got my son killed. The check engine light came on and the lights flicker on and off. My son was driving when this happened.”

“I was driving the vehicle in stop and go traffic, the vehicle lost all power forcing me to come to complete stop in the middle of the highway. This occurred 3 other times in the past 4 months , the other incidents were in the parking lot. The car starts up and runs perfectly before and after. I am concerned about my safety. Searching for a solution, I found that Bmw has service bulletin to address this issue. I am surprised that there is no recall on this since it is a huge safety concern.”

“Driving slowly down street, saw smoke coming from front right under hood, puled over to side, flames visible coming from hood, within 15 minutes, entire front on fire, fire department came within 5-10 minutes, major fire, total loss. All this took about 30 minutes. Fortunately, no injuries.”

“The car started losing power while on the road. It got slower and slower, till it finally came to a complete stop. It had to be towed the rest of the way to the house. The engine would start up, but it would not engage any of the gears.”

“Oil separator froze causing high pressure and blown seals. Initial cost about $1100 to repair. Dealer states this happens all the time to X5's in cold weather. Temp was in the single digits. In january 2013 oil separator froze two more times;however, this time damaging the engine - cost over $5000 to repair - basically totaling the car. With about 15 minutes of research, this appears to be a common and known issue on Bmw X5 3.0, 4.4 and 4.8 engines from 2001 to 2008... Looks like the parts were redesigned in 2009. …”