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2006 Bmw M5 Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

54 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.33 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical12V126000

Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery:Cables

OVERHEATING COULD LEAD TO A FIRE, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN USE.

Remedy & full details

BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND SECURE THE BATTERY BOLT CABLE CONNECTION AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.

BMW 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 INSULATED BULKHEAD CONNECTOR FOR THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE TRUNK FLOOR PANEL, WHICH CAN LEAD TO A LOOSENING OF THE BOLT CONNECTION. AS IT LOOSENS, AN INCREASE IN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AT THIS CABLE CONNECTION IS POSSIBLE AND COULD CAUSE THE CABLE CONNECTION TO OVERHEAT.

Complaint volume

54 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

3Crashes
0Fires
3Injuries
0Deaths

Across 54 complaints. Severity Index 0.33.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Air Bags23 · 43%Seat Belts7 · 13%Power Train3 · 6%Air Bags · Frontal3 · 6%Seats3 · 6%Engine3 · 6%Engine And Engine Cooling2 · 4%Electrical System2 · 4%
  1. Air Bags — 23 reports
  2. Seat Belts — 7 reports
  3. Power Train — 3 reports
  4. Air Bags:Frontal — 3 reports
  5. Seats — 3 reports
  6. Engine — 3 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling — 2 reports
  8. Electrical System — 2 reports
  9. Power Train:Manual Transmission — 1 reports
  10. Unknown Or Other — 1 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2000 (2) · 2001 (3) · 2002 (2) · 2003 (1) · 2006 · 2007 (1) · 2008 (2) · 2010 (2) · 2013 (2) · 2014 (1) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (2) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (3) · 2020 (3) · 2021 (1) · 2025 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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