While driving my truck on a very cold day (0 degrees) in chicago, white smoke began emitting from the exhaust and the truck totally stopped running in the middle of heavy traffic. It would not restart and it had to be towed. It was determined that the cranckcase breather box/oil separator stopped working causing oil to spew everywhere within my exhaust. This also ruined my spark plugs. This is a well documented defect in the x5, and there should be a recall related to this. It seems to occur as soon as the manufacturer or extended warranty expires and it is related to cold weather.
2006 BMW X5 engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 14 of 14, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Oil separator problem with 2006 bmw x5, caused engine to shut down in the middle of the highway. I'm told that this is a problem when driving in cold weather and there is nothing I can do to fix it. $1500 repair and still no assurance it won't happen again.
The engine light went on and stayed on therefore made an appointment with the dealer. I did not notice any changes on the car except the fuel consumption where it consumed more than usual. When I took it to the dealer, they told me that the oil vapor separator needs to be replaced, that I was lucky that the car did not die on me. They are charging 1400 to fix the problem. As I researched on the internet, this part has been failing for people that do not drive their car far enough. The condensation coagulates in the oil passages. One of those passages is the tube from the oil separator which goes back into the oil pan. Over time, the repeated driving on short trips causes the coagulated oil and condensation to build up inside the passage which runs from the oil separator to the oil pan. When enough condensation gathers in the oil separator after the engine is shut off in temperatures below freezing - hydrolock may be caused by oil ingestion. Due to this, the SUV can just stop anywhere, I am one of the lucky ones that made it to the dealership that did not have to compromise my safety. I called bmw and they said, the car is no longer under warranty and it is not considered a defect.
Dt*: the contact stated the transmission would not downshift properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and the transmission was replaced, but the problem persisted. Also, the engine revved while at a stop. The dealership was unable to determine a problem. The vehicle was a 2006 bmw x5.*ak updated 01/10/07.
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