10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
26,731 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 BMW 535 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2011 BMW 535 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #21

Jun 162024

535

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle is having cooling/ heat problems. Does not overheat while driving but rather driving on high temp. Cools to norm temp here and there. My best thought is electrical. Also same vehicle rattles in rear center when going 65mph.. not sure the cause is.

- Napa, CA, USA

problem #20

Mar 222023

535

  • miles
The drivers headlight has developed significant condensation on its interior caused by a failed seal which in turn damaged or short-circuited the modules disabling my daytime running light, low beam, high beam, and turn signal

- Moore, SC, USA

problem #19

Apr 032023

535

  • miles
Wiring in the headlight assembly is losing its insulation, allowing wires to short and headlamps to fail to operate.

- Weston, FL, USA

problem #18

Feb 142023

535

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver side headlight has an extreme condensation issue. Especially after it rains or using a car wash. The condensation leaks into the control light module, which makes the turn signal, parking lamp and the adaptive light to all fail.

- North Dartmouth, MA, USA

problem #17

Sep 152021

535

  • miles
Passenger side door lock actuator has failed. Door lock actuators should not be failing on cars that are less than 10m years old. This causes a major safety issue when you are unable to open/unlock the door from the inside or outside because the lock can not be actuated (manually or with button). Given the vast amount of actuators failing, this should be addressed with BMW. This has become a common issue with BMW vehicles.

- Island Heights, NJ, USA

problem #16

Aug 202021

535

  • miles
Car failed to start due fuel pump wires malfunction.

- Grayson , GA, USA

problem #15

Jul 172011

535

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Flame erupted out the top of Passenger seat, sitting cushion. Moms butted blistered, used personal health insurance for medical care. I do have pics in other phone. I will resubmit claim

- San Bernardino, CA, USA

problem #14

Jun 262021

535

  • miles
Rear driver windows fault. check engine light came on car scanned and got fault code 030115 " Rear door power window on driver side. invalid characteristics curve- no normalization present

- Rio Rico, AZ, USA

problem #13

Jun 262021

535

  • miles
While driving on the highway my car turned off suddenly. car was towed to home After checking possible causes we found out that even the fuel gauge in the instruments cluster was displaying a large amount of fuel ( 1/2 tank) actually it was empty. We put two gallons of gasoline then car start up again but fuel gauge still showing half of tank

- Rio Rico, AZ, USA

problem #12

Mar 072021

535

  • 98,000 miles
I have a 2011 BMW 535I that has front and rear cameras and I have recordings of the live footage of my incidence. I was driving through a residential street in my neighborhood to my house. I approached the gate entrance for my complex and stopped on the right lane of the road to make a left turn across the opposing traffic lane to approach the gate entrance. When there was no ongoing traffic, I accelerated to cross the lane and once I had cross the opposing lane and entered the driveway to the my residential complex's gate entrance, I pushed on the brakes to slow down to enter the key code to open the gate. The car slowly down after I pushed the brakes, but then it suddenly accelerated in a herky jerk manner for a 5 second burst for no reason (my foot was on the brake the entire time as my car initially started slowly down after I made my approach towards the gate). The car rammed through and broke the gate and accelerated for a few seconds more before the car finally stopped. I had my foot on the brake the entire time and kept down on the brake, which was evident as the car was initially slowly down from an acceleration before the sudden unintended acceleration, as well as eventually came to a complete stop after the acceleration incident. My BMW has both front and rear cameras on it and I was able to record the entire incident. I can provide the footage of the accident. I have a great driving record and have never experienced an incident like this before. My car is in great condition and has been regularly maintained and serviced. Therewere not any check engine or notification lights on the car before or after the incident..

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #11

Apr 022020

535

  • 63,700 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Lighting system malfunction appeared on the dashboard during 1st week of April 2020. It affected battery consumption, turn indicators, window controls, headlight controls, lock/unlock confirmation... the dealership suggested faulty footwell module needs replacement, cost approx. $1323+tax. A warranty extension document found on the internet for footwell module lists all models except mine. Https://bimmerscan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/B012016-1.pdf

- Buffalo Grove, IL, USA

problem #10

Mar 202019

535

  • 37,846 miles
While driving with ac on smoke started coming heavily for the interior ac vents. A very toxic smoke, with electrical smell. I noticed the BMW 3 series has a recall on electrical blower problem. I think my car has the same issue.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #9

Mar 012018

535

  • miles
My ac fan motor has started to make a weird noise when you lift the foot from the accelerator. This happens even when the car is stationary

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #8

Jan 082017

535

  • 101,400 miles
The SRS passenger malfunction light is turning on. I've notified BMW and have shown them that there is an open recall on my car but they have refused to acknowledge my car has been affected.

- La Habra Heights, CA, USA

problem #7

Sep 242016

535

  • 62,000 miles
When trying to exit the car and pulling on the door handle, the door does not unlock, the lock stays in a locked position even after multiple pulles. The issue has been diagnosed as the door lock actuator. This is a safety issue as you are unable to get out of the car. I was able to use the manual unlock button to open the door.

- Lavergne, TN, USA

problem #6

Jan 012016

535 6-cyl

  • 36,000 miles
BMW has disabled the safety and security features of the model year 2013 and older. My vehicle no longer has an active sos button. Among other features, the collision notification system and stolen vehicle recovery system are no longer operational. BMW has changed software from 2G to 3G which makes my dashboard hardware incompatible and, therefore, inoperable. I paid for the safety and security features when I purchased the vehicle, and now they have been disabled. In the event of a serious accident or breakdown, the sos button cannot be used. As of January 1, 2016, BMW assist safety plan is non-operational. I have communicated with various divisions of BMW, and this is their reply: "we do not have a retrofit option in order to upgrade earlier hardware to newer hardware." Rather than run old software and new software simultaneously so that our hardware is operation, BMW was disabled the safety ad security features. My dealer BMW of springfield NJ (formerly jmk) was unaware of this problem. I as an owner was also unaware that the safety and security features were disabled until I tried to use the sos button. I have only 36,000 miles on my car and cannot purchase a new vehicle at this time. BMW made an irresponsible decision to disable very important features and neglected to inform the owners.

- Summit, NJ, USA

problem #5

May 202016

535

  • 40,000 miles
While driving for 15 minutes with seat warmers on my husband (driver) turned it off. We were travelling on Suburban roads around 40 mph. Then at a stop light he noticed a burning smell. We continued driving when light turned green. Then I noticed the smell a few seconds later, so I opened a window expecting to find smell a fire nearby or hear sirens. At that point we saw a ploom of smoke come from under his seat towards the passenger side open window. He immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and turned everything off. The smoke took some time to clear but did stop. Several minutes later we drove 1 mile to the BMW dealership. We were told its not under warranty, and would cost $1,700 to fix. I declined to pay $1,700 to fix and requested they disconnect seat heater. BMW personnel informed me it could not disconnect power to seat heater without disconnecting the entire ac/heat system. This is a personal safety issue, not a warranty issue. For a seat heater to cause smoke it caused a fire and this is a defect. The car will catch on fire if the seat warmer is activated. I asked dealership what if I loan my car to someone who does not know about the defect, they suggested putting tape over the button. This is not acceptable safety measure to prevent burns, fire, or even death. Consider for a moment people have small children that ride in this vehicle. On a cold morning I could have buckled kids in, turned on car, seat heater, and talk to a neighbor for 2 minutes, or teacher at the carpool line.... what would have happened to the children? there is no visible damage to vehicle but BMW personnel did agree there was smoke smell in vehicle caused by seat warmer.

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #4

Nov 252014

535 6-cyl

  • 50,400 miles
Involved in an accident. Other vehicle going southbound crossed over median strip of highway, hit three cars going northbound, mine was third car to be struck. Offending car did a 360 in front of me, I slowed to about 25 and he moved into me. I struck his rear passenger side corner. I had front end damage over $5K. No airbag, but default messages and an airbag icon came on the video screen and the front instrument panel. It states "driver and passenger airbag or restraint system malfunction."

- Mount Laurel, NJ, USA

problem #3

Jul 142014

535 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
I was driving about 40 mph and my car just died on the street and chassis stabilization light came on.. had to restart car 7-8 times to be able to move inside parking lot.

- Fountain Valley, CA, USA

problem #2

Apr 242012

535

  • 3,000 miles
Just parked the vehicle, turned off the vehicle and smelled something burning. Exited the vehicle, observed smoke from under the hood, opened the hood and observed flames from the left side of the engine, mostly on the top left of the engine now. Called the fire department who extinguished the flames, and had the car towed to the dealer. The vehicle is now in their lot waiting for their investigators to look at the vehicle. The first comment out of the dealership, maybe an animal built a nest in the engine area. This vehicle only had 3000 miles on it, purchased in June of 2011, and is garage kept.

- Hoffman Estates, IL, USA

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