2013 BMW M5: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2013 BMW M5
On the 2013 BMW M5, the failure owners report most often is differential or transfer case failure, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 15,000 miles. Overall it scores 80 out of 100, severe risk for a 2013.
Severe risk for a 2013 — 17th riskiest of the 284 2013 vehicles we can rate. 16 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 9 named failure modes on the 2013 BMW M5, and the three most-reported carry 56% of everything filed.
Differential or transfer case failure leads with 3 reports and about 3.6 per 1,000 vehicles.
Loss of power steering follows with 3 reports, median 200 miles.
Other engine problem follows with 3 reports, median 60,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into drivetrain (4), steering (4) and engine (3).
The mileage the reports cluster at
16 of the reports on the 2013 BMW M5 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 15,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 75% by 50,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 44% of the dated reports.
63% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 2 a fire. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.25, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: differential or transfer case failure at $900–$4,200, loss of power steering at $600–$2,800, other engine problem at $300–$4,000 and CV axle or driveshaft failure at $450–$2,200. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
44% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 3 | 3 | — | 413 | — | 3.6 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 3 | 3 | — | 200 | — | 3.6 | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Other engine problem | engine | 3 | 3 | — | 60k | — | 3.6 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| CV axle or driveshaft failure | drivetrain | 1 | 1 | — | 29k | — | 1.2 | $450–$2,200 | High |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 60k | — | 1.2 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 16k | — | 1.2 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 45k | — | 1.2 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 45k | — | 1.2 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 16k | — | 1.2 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 1 | — | 51k | — | 1.2 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2013 BMW M5 draws about 19 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 93rd percentile of complaint rates among 2013 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 840 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2013 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Differential or transfer case failure
While making a slow right turn the vehicle's engine suddenly shut down and immediately restarted a few moment later. However, when the vehicle stalled all power steering was lost which was followed by multiple system failure warnings that were displayed, such as: rear differential is locked, power steering has failed, seat belt tensioner system failed and to stop driving the vehicle immediately and contact a service center immediately. I drove the vehicle into my driveway which was 100 yards away and shut the vehicle down and called orange county bmw in harriman, ny. I was told to shut the vehicle off and let it sit for ten minutes and the system should reset itself, which I did. I was told this is a common problem in the 5 series and it happens all the time from the sales manager, [xxx], to whom I spoke to about the problem. The errors cleared but I was able to recreate the failure making the same turn with the same failures occurring as listed above. If I had been driving at a higher speed this would have resulted in loss of ability to steer the vehicle. When the first failure occurred I ended up driving into the oncoming lane…
While making a slow right turn the vehicle's engine suddenly shut down and immediately restarted a few moment later. However, when the vehicle stalled all power steering was lost which was followed by multiple system failure warnings that were displayed, such as: rear differential is locked, power steering has failed, seat belt tensioner system failed and to stop driving the vehicle immediately and contact a service center immediately. I drove the vehicle into my driveway which was 100 yards away and shut the vehicle down and called orange county bmw in harriman, ny. I was told to shut the vehicle off and let it sit for ten minutes and the system should reset itself, which I did. I was told this is a common problem in the 5 series and it happens all the time from the sales manager, [xxx], to whom I spoke to about the problem. The errors cleared but I was able to recreate the failure making the same turn with the same failures occurring as listed above. If I had been driving at a higher speed this would have resulted in loss of ability to steer the vehicle. When the first failure occurred I ended up driving into the oncoming lane…
Other engine problem
For the second while driving my vehicle it shutoff without warning while I was driving. The vehicle completely died leaving the car in gear with no way of moving the vehicle. The only way to move the vehicle out of park is if it is running. I lost all power steering, braking, and ability to control the vehicle. After about an hour passed while I was stuck in traffic with no way to move the vehicle, the vehicle then started and stated the battery was operating at a higher than normal discharge rate. Had I been on a major road I would have lost control of the vehicle due to the lack of steering and braking when the engine died. This is the second time this has happened. The first time my vehicle veered into the oncoming lane of traffic without warning when the engine failed. Had there been a vehicle in the other lane I would have been hit head-on. *tr
Recalls on the 2013 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2013 BMW M5, affecting an estimated 1,188 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover exterior lighting and engine and engine cooling:engine. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
13,443 vehicles 2015-03-31- Defect
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2013 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, and ActiveHybrid 5 vehicles. The rear reflex reflectors may not reflect enough light. As such, the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Consequence
- The vehicle may be less visible to other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear reflex reflectors, free of charge. The recall began July 28, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
696 vehicles 2012-09-28- Defect
- BMW is recalling certain model year 2013 M5, M6 Coupe, and M6 Convertible vehicles, manufactured from July 19, 2012, through September 11, 2012. Due to a manufacturing process error, the tolerance between the engine oil pump's drive shaft and the pump's rotor was not within specification. As a result, the pump's driveshaft could separate from the rotor.
- Consequence
- Separation of the pump's driveshaft from the rotor could lead to a sudden loss of oil pressure causing the possibility of complete engine failure, resulting in an engine stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pump, free of charge. The safety recall began on November 30, 2012. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2013 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
Severe risk for a 2013 — 17th riskiest of the 284 2013 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Where these figures stop being useful
16 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 16 reports, 16 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 100% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2013 BMW M5?
The most-reported failures are differential or transfer case failure (3 reports, median 400 miles), loss of power steering (3 reports, median 200 miles) and other engine problem (3 reports, median 60,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2013 BMW M5 reliable?
It scores 80 out of 100 on our risk index, which is severe — 17th riskiest of the 284 2013 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2013 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed