The 2006 BMW 5 Series is a wagon that came with a choice of 3.0L 6-cyl and 4.8L 8-cyl engines. At 20 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.
| Body style | Midsize Cars, Midsize Station Wagons |
|---|---|
| Engines | 3.0L 6-cyl, 4.8L 8-cyl |
| Transmissions | Manual 6-spd, Automatic (S6) |
| Drive | Rear-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel | Premium Gasoline |
| Fuel economy | 14–18 city / 20–28 highway / 16–21 combined MPG |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $3,900–$5,150 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles) |
| Tailpipe CO₂ | 423–555 grams per mile |
| Versions tested by EPA | 14 configurations: 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i, 530xi Sport Wagon |
| Age | 20 years |
Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.
NHTSA lists 11 safety recalls covering the 2006 BMW 5 Series. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i…
Risk: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 530xi Sports Wagon, 325i, 325xi, 325xi Sports Wagon, 330i, 330xi, Z4 3.0i and Z4 3.0si vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
BMW of North America, Inc. (BMW) is recalling certain 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, and 550i vehicles equipped with the Sport Seat option and certain 2006 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i vehicles with standard seats. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger…
Risk: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, model year 2007 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi sedans and 328i and 328xi sports wagons, model year 2006-2007 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i sedans and 530xi sports wagons, model year 2006 760i sedans, model year…
Risk: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
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…
Risk: Overheating could lead to a fire, even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
BMW is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, 6-series, and model year 2002-2008 7-series vehicles. A check valve of the brake vacuum pump may leak a small amount of lubricating oil. Over time this could result in contamination of the brake booster.
Risk: Power assist braking performance could be adversely affected. In extreme cases there could be a complete loss of power assist braking. An unexpected reduction or loss in power braking assist may increase the risk of a crash.
BMW is recalling 200,000 my 2006 3 series sport seat, my 2004-2006 5 Series standard and sport seat, and my 2004-2006 x3 passenger vehicles. Depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit, small cracks have developed in the mat. If this occurs, the front passenger air bags, with the exception of the…
Risk: In this situation the front passenger air bags will not deploy even if a sufficiently severe accident would occur and occupant protection provided by the system would not be possible.
On certain vehicles equipped with v8 engines, in conditions of below freezing temperatures combined with low humidity, it is possible for electrostatic discharge to occur at the fuel rails. If this were to occur, the engine electronic control unit (ecu) could be affected so that engine stalling could result.
Risk: If stalling were to occur, the driver may not be able to maintain vehicle speed or accelerate and the power steering could fail increasing the risk of a crash.
On certain passenger vehicles, the lower rubber mount of the rear shock absorbers may not have been manufactured to specifications and may not adhere correctly to its housing within the shock absorber.
Risk: The bushing could loosen and over time could separate from its housing. The driver will experience impaired vehicle handling and control increasing the risk of a crash.
On certain passenger vehicles, the nuts which secure the front axle control arm and tension strut to the front wheel hub may not have been tightened to specification. Over time the nuts could loosen and the control arm and tension strut could be damaged.
Risk: Vehicle handling and control could compromise increasing the risk of a crash.
Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with an incorrectly manufactured automatic transmission parking pawl guide plate.
Risk: This could cause the parking lock system not to engage, after the transmission is placed in the park ("p") position. If the vehicle was parked on an incline, and the parking brake was not engaged, this could result in a vehicle rollaway con
Owners have filed 388 complaints about the 2006 BMW 5 Series with NHTSA. 10 reports involved a crash and 20 reports involved a fire. Owners reported 12 injuries.
Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.
Manufacturers have filed 58 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 2006 BMW 5 Series. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the ba
Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in
Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicle’s equipment and settings, no acoustic
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).
NHTSA opened 2 defect investigations covering the 2006 BMW 5 Series.
BMW airbag light illumination
BMW is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. The specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/
BMW airbag light illumination
In certain my 2005 through my 2006 BMW vehicles, the occupant classification system (ocs) for the passenger frontal airbag may malfunction and render the passenger airbag inoperative.in june 2006, BMW issued a technical service bulletin (si b 72 02 06) regarding the illumination of the airbag warning light and the pass
It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. Its parts make up much of its value. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.
Yes. We buy 2006 5 Seriess that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.
Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 11 recalls for the 2006 BMW 5 Series; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.
Data retrieved October 2026.
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