While driving home vehicle began to smoke. Pulled over thinking it may be overheating, not realizing it was smoke. No warnings or messages were displayed. Parked, turned off ignition and called husband from vehicle. When smoke became overwhelming I got out of vehicle. Noticed sparks dripping from under vehicle. Called 911 as sparks became a fire. Entire engine was engulfed in flames as fire department arrived. Police arrived on scene and vehicle was towed and inspected the following day by Geico who declared vehicle a total loss.
2020 BMW X5: fire, smoke or burning smell
5 of the 114 complaints about the 2020 BMW X5 describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 77 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
While driving through west Los Angeles, the vehicle suddenly began emitting white smoke from the engine compartment. There were no prior warning lights, messages, or symptoms indicating a problem. The smoke quickly intensified and turned dark. Thick smoke filled the air, and the cockpit, with the smell of toxic fumes. I safely maneuvered to the shoulder and exited the vehicle with my passenger. Flames erupted from the front of the vehicle. We called 911, which dispatched the fire department. The LAFD responded, cutting open the hood in order to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to a yard following the incident. The vehicle and its contents were declared a total loss. Â BWM North America dispatched a technician to inspect the vehicle. After inspection, the manufacturer indicated that the starter was the source of the fire. At the time of the incident, the vehicle was subject to a safety recall related to the starter with no remedy available. The failure occurred without warning. Both occupants were exposed to heavy smoke.
I own a 2020 BMX X5 S40i. Car was parked and turned off. When I tried to turn the car ON, the car refused to start and smoke and fire smell started coming from engine compartment. I opened the hood and could smell a burning smell. Waited for smell to disappear and tried starting the car again. Car would not start and burning smell appeared again. Got a warning on the dashboard that engine compartment was overheated and car would be ready to start after 180 seconds. Called AAA to jump start car and same behaviour was observed and car refused to start. Technician also stated that battery was completely dead. Took car to dealer and replaced main and start/ stop battery. Car still would not start. On inspection dealer observed started mechanism was shorted and needed to be replaced. After replacement, car starts fine without burning smell. Going through recall database, this issue with fire hazard from starter assembly is documented for my make, model and year but when I enter the VIN number it doesnt apply to ny vehicle VIN number. 4 year old child and me were occupants of the vehicle when burning incident happened originally.
The car caught on fire spontaneously when it was parked and locked. The fire started approximately 5 minutes after it was driven for 20 minutes. The fire started under the hood. There was light smoke to begin with which got worse after around 13 minutes and then flames started spewing out at the opening between the hood and the windshield. The car was fully engulfed in flames 5 minutes later with flames going as high as 2 floors. It was finally extinguished by the fire department. The car is currently with my insurance company in their tow yard.
The contact owned a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that she parked the vehicle in her garage. No warning light was illuminated. The contact entered her home and 15 minutes later, a neighbor knocked on the door, alerting her that the garage had caught fire. When the contact opened the garage door, she saw flames. The contact called 911 and evacuated her family. There were no injuries sustained. The police and fire departments arrived on the scene, and the firefighters extinguished the fire. The fire destroyed all three vehicles in the garage and engulfed the residence. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard. The insurance company deemed the vehicle totaled. The contact later became aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V576000 (Electrical System, Engine And Engine Cooling) associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Once the Telematics Module (TCB2) enters sleep mode, a BMW Data Services trigger for Remote...
- After performing a BMW Remote Software Upgrade (RSU), the functionality of the Comfort Access andPassive...
- Electrical system
- The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few...
- Check Engine light is on IHKA has stored fault 80131C âIHKA: 12V voltage sensor plausibilityâ
- ?BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop for BMW X5, X6, X7, and 7 Series sedan vehicles that were produced...
- With the introduction of the BMW Remote Software Upgrade, all Service Pack 18 vehicles and partial Service...
- BMW AG has issued an Emissions Recall (effective March 17, 2023) on a certain Model Year 2021
Related recalls
Electrical system: starter assembly
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 340I, X6, 2020-2025 840I, 2020-2022 740LI, 2019-2020 X7, and X5 vehicles. After repeated attempts, the starter motor may overheat from an electrical overload.
- Risk
- An overheated starter motor can ignite nearby combustible material in the engine compartment, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. This recall includes vehicles repaired under recall 24V576 and those owners will need to have their vehicle repaired again. Owner notification letters were mailed February 9, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on November 17, 2025.
Recall number 25V644000 · Recall details
Electrical system: starter assembly
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X5 sDrive 40i, X5 xDrive 40i and one X7 xDrive 40i vehicle. The starter motor may have an extra bolt that could potentially fall into the transmission housing and cause an engine stall.
- Risk
- An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the starter motor for the extra bolt, removing it if necessary. Dealers will also inspect the starter for damage, and check if the bolt has fallen into the transmission housing, replacing any damaged parts as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 2, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 20V465000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2020 BMW X5 fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2020 BMW X5?
5 of 114 owner complaints about the 2020 BMW X5 (4%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 BMW X5?
There are 2 recalls and 77 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2020 BMW X5
Overheating 11Engine failure 8Check engine light 6Won't start 6
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