2011 Bmw 535i problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (29) · Engine (19) · Power Train (14)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw 535i model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
65 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Power Train:driveline:constant Velocity Joint 2017-02-02 · campaign 17V067000 · 8,752 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 1 Series M Coupe and 135i Convertible vehicles, 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i, 335i, 335d, 335i Coupe, 335is Coupe, 335i Convertible, 335is Convertible, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535i Gran Turismo and 550i xDrive Gran Turismo vehicles and 2012 740i and 740Li vehicles. The rear driveshaft constant velocity (CV) joint on the affected vehicles may fatigue and break.
Risk: If the CV joint breaks, the vehicle may have a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear driveshaft CV joint and, based on its production date, will replace it, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/Control Module-Inactive 2016-11-17 · campaign 16V832000 · 91 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011 BMW 528i, 528xi, 535i, 535xi, 550i and 550xi vehicles manufactured March 1, 2010, through August 31, 2011. The affected vehicles may have received a replacement Sensor Cluster Unit (SCU) during a service visit. These SCUs have an acceleration sensor that may have been incorrectly programmed and, as a result, the SCU may not accurately determine if activation and deployment of the air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and head
Risk: Depending on the severity of the crash, inadequate activation of the driver and/or passenger air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and active head restraints may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the SCU, free of charge. The recall began on December 16, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2016-10-17 · campaign 16V746000 · 136,188 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 BMW X5 3.0si, X5 4.8i, X5 M, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i and X5 xDrive50i, 2008-2011 X6 x Drive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 535i xDrive Gran Turismo, 535i Gran Turismo, 550i xDrive Gran Turismo and 550i Gran Turismo, 2011-2012 528i, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i and 550i xDrive and 2012 535i ActiveHybrid, 640i Convertible, 650i Convertible, 650i xDrive Convertible, 650i Coupe and 650i Coupe
Risk: The loose wires may cause the connector to melt, resulting in a fuel leak. Additionally, the fuel pump may stop working, possibly causing an engine stall and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2014-04-10 · campaign 14V176000 · 156,137 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and
Risk: If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Service bulletins (354)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2023-12-20 · B160623 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 the dme: 032b43 - low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low cda594 - message (- 0x33e) missing, rec
Equipment 2023-11-22 · B653423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers may state that the alarm system (dwa) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. depending on the vehicleã¢ââs equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. additionally, the red anti-theft alarm led in
Wheels 2023-06-01 · B340914 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the dynamic stability control (dsc) warning light comes on while driving. the following dsc fault codes for the wheel speed sensors are stored: 480712 and/or 480715 and/or 480718 and/or 48071b they cannot be cleared, even though the wheel speed sensors work correctly and no problem can be found
Electrical System 2023-05-01 · B651523 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
after programming the head unit (hu-h2), activating the fsc (german word freischaltcode) enabling codes repeatedly fails.
Showing the 6 most recent of 354 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-20 · Power Train“valvetronic motor and eccentric shaft is a very common issue that my specific car has. affects the timing and makes a loud sound. dangerous to drive in this condition.…”
2026-03-03 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 143,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2011 bmw 535i. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck. no warning lights were illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated into oncoming tra…”
2025-08-21 · Air Bags · 132,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 535i. the contact stated that when pressing the accelerator pedal to drive from being idle at a red light, the driver's side air bag deployed out of the steering wheel without impact. the contact sustained burns to the left arm, right cheek, and chest area. the contact had suffered stomach issues due to inhaling the dust…”
2025-06-16 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased the bmw 535 and it continues to have drivetrain malfunction issues. this feels like a safety concern for several reasons. the first is that were not able to identify the issue, but i believe it has to do with the systems diagnostics being triggered or misfiring this is an unfortunateissue because wherever we are, we can get stuck random…”
2025-03-28 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my car suddenly shut off when i came to a stop at a red light while on a busy state route. the information cluster then began to read “fuel supply” and “battery discharge” my car would not turn back on and still has not turned back on since and it's been over a month now. according to the obd results, the fuel pump and injectors were somehow seized…”
2025-02-10 · Electrical System · 140,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2011 bmw 535i. the contact stated that while the vehicle was unoccupied and parked in a parking lot, it was brought to the attention of the contact that the vehicle caught on fire. the local fire department arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire. the contact stated that it was unknown if a fire report was filed. a police re…”
2025-01-30 · Wheels“product safety alert: jan 30, 2025 stop using the following item because of a potential safety issue. visit the public recall notice for more guidance. 245/45r18 100y xl rft pir cintura p7 (m0e)(bmw/rr) 245/45r18 100y xl rft pir cintura p7 (m0e)(bmw/rr)…”
2025-01-17 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“from very low speed (less than 5 mph), car would not stop with full brakes applied. front brakes were fully locked as evidenced by skid marks, but car kept pushing forward until stopped by solid object.…”
2024-08-01 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 535i. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle was losing motive power and was running rough. the contact stated that the instrument cluster went black. the contact turned into a parking lot as the vehicle stalled. the contact attempted to restart the vehicle but after several attempts failed to…”
2024-06-21 · Power Train“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. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.