Verdict
2012 BMW 5 Series: Complaints, Recalls & Known Issues
What the public record actually says about the 2012 BMW 5 Series — every figure below is a NHTSA or EPA number, not an opinion.
The read
Not enough federal data to rank this one yet.
NHTSA has no owner complaints on record for this model year — which can mean a quiet car or simply a rare one. No safety recalls on record.
Based on NHTSA complaint volume against 2012 sedans, not adjusted for how many were sold. It describes the model year, not the individual car you are looking at.
Complaints filed
0
Reports to NHTSA, 2012
Safety recalls
0
NHTSA campaigns on record
NHTSA crash test
Not rated
Overall NCAP rating
Combined MPG
No data
EPA estimate
Zero reports is not a clean bill of health; rare or lower-volume cars can simply have less owner data.
Complaint volume vs. segment peers
Fewer complaints than 100% of 2012 sedans
The bar is this car's percentile among 2012 sedans by complaint volume — a full bar means the fewest complaints in its class. Not adjusted for sales.
Known issues
No component pattern to show: there are no owner complaints in the current data. That is not proof the car is problem-free.
Recalls
0 recalls — none issued for this model year as of Jul 2026. Recall records can change as NHTSA publishes new campaigns.
A campaign can apply to this model year without being incomplete on a specific vehicle. Check the VIN with NHTSA or a dealer to confirm whether a particular car needs repair.
Investigations
1 NHTSA investigation on record
Investigations are agency reviews, not findings that a vehicle is defective.
In a letter dated September 26, 2013, BMW Group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (MY) 2012 through 2014 BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, X1 SAV, X3 SAV, and Z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA Recall 13V-454).According to BMW, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft may result in blocking of the oil supply to the vacuum pump, resulting in improper pump operation and loss of power assist braking.On July 11, 2013, BMW initiated a change to the camshaft geometry that prevented the seal disk from blocking the oil port.BMW has not received any braking complaints related to loss of power assist after the design change was implemented in production.The owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail and asked to take their vehicle to a BMW dealer who will install a locking ring into the camshaft to keep the seal disk in its proper location.BMW expects to begin dealer and owner notification in November 2013 and complete dealer and owner notification in December when the remedy is expected to be available.Based on the actions taken by BMW, this investigation is closed.
Crash-test ratings
No NHTSA crash test is on record for this year. Some vehicles and model years were not tested or do not have a published NCAP result.
Fuel economy by trim
No EPA fuel-economy record is available for this model year. Some trims and older vehicles were not tested or are not in the current EPA feed.
Before you buy
Useful next checks
Federal records tell you about patterns. These checks can tell you more about the specific car in front of you.
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Compare model years
"Fewest reports" and "most complained" describe raw NHTSA complaint totals, not vehicle reliability. The last few model years are left unlabelled because they have had less road time.
2012 BMW 5 Series: frequently asked
What does the complaint record show for the 2012 BMW 5 Series?
NHTSA has no owner complaints on record for the 2012 BMW 5 Series in the current data. That is not a guarantee of reliability, especially for a lower-volume model.
What are the most common problems on the 2012 BMW 5 Series?
NHTSA has no component pattern to show for the 2012 BMW 5 Series because there are no owner complaints in the current data. A quiet record is not proof that every car is problem-free.
How many recalls does the 2012 BMW 5 Series have?
No safety recalls are on record for the 2012 BMW 5 Series as of Jul 2026.
What gas mileage does the 2012 BMW 5 Series get?
EPA fuel-economy figures for the 2012 BMW 5 Series aren't available yet.