FaultScore

2010 BMW 535I engine problems

16 of the 81 complaints about the 2010 BMW 535I are about the engine — 20% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 66,250 miles.

C

16

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Engine 11 68.8%
Engine AND Engine Cooling 3 18.8%
Engine 2 12.5%

Engine & Cooling across every BMW 535I year

2008 27 18.4%
2009 28 19.0%
2010 16 10.9%
2011 41 27.9%
2012 14 9.5%
2013 10 6.8%
2014 11 7.5%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 120,000 miles Port Washington, NY

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20-25 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER. THE CONTACT COASTED AND MANUALLY STEERED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO RALLYE BMW (1 BRUSH HOLLOW RD, WESTBURY, NY 11590, (516) 226-7947) WHO HAD REPLACED AN UNKNOWN PART HOWEVER, APPROXIMATELY A WEEK LATER THE FAILURE RECURRED WITH THE SAME WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE SAME DEALER AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

NHTSA complaint #11413933 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 70,000 miles Hagerstown, MD

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE BATTERY DISCHARGING MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DRIVE BELTS, BATTERY, INTELLIGENT BATTERY SENSOR (IBS) SYSTEM, BOLTS, HOSE AND ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V176000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #11337163 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 145,000 miles Lindenhurst, NY

ENGINE

I HAD THE CAR SERVICED BY A MECHANIC BECAUSE I HAD CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FAULTS. WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT WAS REPLACED. SPARK PLUGS AND COPS WERE REPLACED. SOME OF THE FUEL INJECTORS WERE ALSO REPLACED. MECHANIC ASKED ME TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR 100 MILES TO SEE IF ANY CHECK ENGINE ISSUES WILL REAPPEAR. THE VEHICLE FIRST BEGAN STATING IT HAD LOW OIL PRESSURE AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO JUST STOP AT 15%. I THEN RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE INDICATOR WENT AWAY FOR THE LOW OIL PRESSURE. I DROVE ABOUT 10 MORE MILES AND DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION APPEARED AND I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. ENGINE WAS SEIZED. WHAT WAS FOUND IN THE ENGINE WAS "SHARDS OF METAL". MANY PEOPLE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE 5 SERIES BMW ENGINES. I THINK THAT BMW IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE ENGINE FAILURES.

NHTSA complaint #11331245 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 88,924 miles Glendale, AZ

ENGINE

MY BMW 2010 5 SERIES GT ( CAMPAIGN 10V446000 ) HAS HAD ISSUES PERTAINING TOO A CHECK VALVE OF THE BREAK VACUUM PUMP THAT LEAKS A SMALL AMOUNT OF LUBRICATING OIL. OVER TIME THIS HAS CONTAMINATED MY BRAKE BOOSTER, AND ALSO THERE HAS BEEN ISSUES WITH THE POWER ASSIT BRAKING PERFORMANCE THAT HAS LED TOO LOSS OF POWER ASSIST BRAKING WHICH I'VE DONE RESEARCH AND THAT COULD POTENTIALLY INCREASE A RISK OF AN ACCIDENT. MY FUEL GUAGE HAS ALSO DISPLAYED A LARGER AMOUNT OF FUEL THAN WAS ACTUALLY IN THE TANK, WHICH COULD ALSO INCREASE MY VEHICLE TOO STALL AND INCREASE A CHANCE OF ME BEING IN A ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint #11309893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 115,000 miles Schenectady, NY

ENGINE

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BRING VEHICLE UP TO SPEED ON THE ON-RAMP OF THE HIGHWAY, THE "FUEL PUMP WARNING" WILL DISPLAY ON SCREEN. THIS IS THEN FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER IN THE ENGINE UNTIL THE ENGINE STOPS AND THE VEHICLE NO LONGER RUNS. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOWED AND DIAGNOSED AS THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP BE TECHNICIAN. TECHNICIAN ADVISED ME THAT BMW HAS RECALLED "CERTAIN" MODELS FOR THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #11308210 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 110,000 miles Atlanta, GA

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WHILE IN TRAFFIC BUT IT FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER REAR SIDE OF THE VEHICLE DROPPED CLOSER TO THE ROAD AND WAS DRAGGING WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT COASTED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BUT DID NOT NOTICE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HYDRAULIC DETACHED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NALLEY BMW OF DECATUR DEALER, LOCATED AT 1606 CHURCH ST, DECATUR, GA 30033, (404) 994-4329, FOR THE STALLING FAILURE AND IT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V746000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

NHTSA complaint #11207323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 75,000 miles Houston, TX

ENGINE

ENGINE VALVE COVERS CRACKED, LEADING TO ACCUMULATED OIL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD.

NHTSA complaint #11044069 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 80,000 miles Houston, TX

ENGINE

ENGINE OIL LEAKING FROM COMMON VALVE COVER LEAK. CAUSES SUDDEN POWER LOSS WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA complaint #10888062 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 62,500 miles Riverview, FL

ENGINE

MY 3 KIDS AND I HAD LEFT THE BMW DEALER AFTER I HAD PARTS SERVICED/PARTS REPLACED, AND JUMPED ON THE INTERSTATE. I WAS CRUISING AROUND 70MPH WHEN I FELT THE CAR SLOW DOWN AND THE MSG "ENGINE MALFUNCTION, REDUCE SPEED" APPEARED. I VEERED TO THE RIGHT A LITTLE,BUT I QUICKLY FOUND AND EXIT AND PULLED OVER. FORTUNATELY, THE TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE WAS LITE AND AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED, BUT IT DID GET MY HEART RACING. THE DEALER SAID THIS WAS A "COMMON" TYPE OF MSG, BUT I'M WEARY. I TRIED TELLING THEM ABOUT THE FUEL PUMP ISSUE, BUT THEY SAID MY CAR WAS NOT AFFECTED. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC FEE AND I JUST PAID TO HAVE MY CAR SERVICED AND DIAGNOSED! THEY ALSO SUGGESTED I CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT UNTIL THE ISSUE FORCES ME TO HAVE TO BRING IT IN - BASICALLY UNTIL SOMETHING BREAKS. I WOULD HAVE THE DEALER WOULD HAVE STARTED WITH REPLACING THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND MOVING ON FROM THERE SINCE IT IS A DOCUMENTED PROBLEM. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

NHTSA complaint #10584812 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 62,000 miles Sunrise, FL

ENGINE

I PURCHASED A PRE-OWNED 2010 BMW 535I ON 12/31/2013. THE NEXT DAY (NEW YEAR'S DAY), AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING OR INDICATION, THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY SHUT DOWN, COMING TO A ROLLING STOP. AS SOON AS THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN, THE DASHBOARD SHOWED A "FUEL PUMP" WARNING, WHICH ALSO NOTED THAT "CONTINUED DRIVING IS POSSIBLE." HOWEVER, SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RE-START WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL, AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE PUSHED TO A SAFE LOCATION. PRIOR TO THE ENGINE FAILURE, I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 35 MPH ON A 2-LANE DIVIDE ROADWAY, WHERE CONSTRUCTION BARRICADES REPLACED THE SHOULDER. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED JUST AROUND MIDNIGHT, AND THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC, SO WE WERE SPARED CERTAIN CATASTROPHE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MY HOME, AND ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON, WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FROM THERE. FOR THE NEXT 30+ DAYS, VARIOUS FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM COMPONENTS WERE SERVICED AND/OR REPLACED INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED; LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED; FUEL INJECTORS FLUSHED, IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS REPLACED. AFTER EACH OF THOSE "FIXES", THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO US, AND SHUT DOWN AGAIN ON THE ROAD AND IN TRAFFIC WITHIN 2 DAYS. FINALLY, THE INJECTION PUMP CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED, AND THE VEHICLE UNDERWENT A COMPLETE SOFTWARE SYSTEM UPDATE. WE PICKED UP THE VEHICLE FOR THE 4TH TIME ON 2/3/2014, AND IT APPEARS THAT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED AND OUR SAFETY RESTORED....

NHTSA complaint #10563583 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 58,000 miles Houston, TX

ENGINE

IGNITION COIL MALFUNCTION RECURS AFTER DEALERSHIP REPAIRS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. CAUSES ENGINE SPEED TO VARY AND BE OUTSIDE THE DRIVERS CONTROL.

NHTSA complaint #10562212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 32,007 miles Long Beach, CA

ENGINE

ON JANUARY 12, 2013, WHILE DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY ON A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OF ROUGHLY 70 MPH, OUR 2010 BMW 535I SEDAN, SUDDENLY LOST POWER, STALLED, COULD NOT ACCELERATE, AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AS I CROSSED 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC; SURPRISINGLY GUIDED THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. AT THE TIME THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, A WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT DISPLAYED, "ENGINE MALFUNCTION-REDUCED POWER." AS A RESULT, IT REQUIRED A TOW SERVICE TO A LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA complaint #10492993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 1,370 miles Foster City, CA

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURE ON 2010 BMW 535XI THE FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED TWICE, AND HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. ENGINE LOSES POWER - UNSAFE TO OPERATE. FIRST FAILURE IN OCTOBER OF 2009, SECOND FAILURE ON JUNE 22, 2010.

NHTSA complaint #10356356 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 20 miles Cortez, FL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

UPON DELIVERY OF VEHICLE LEAKING OIL, TURNS OUT TO BE THE HEAT TRANSFERER UNTIL. PART REPLACED FROM MFG, THEN FUEL PUMP CAUSED THE CAR TO STOP DEAD WITH 5000 MILES ON IT, NOISE ON CAR FROM DELIVERY IN FOR SERVICE MORE THAN 3 TIMES REQUIRED A NEW TRANSMISSION. WANTING TO LEMON LAW THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA complaint #10343446 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 3,900 miles Durham, NC

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

BRAND NEW BMW 535I WITH LESS THAN 4000 MILES. ENGINE MALFUNCTION WITHOUT WARNING IN MIDDLE OF BUSY TRAFFIC. ALL POWER, STEERING, EVERYTHING WENT DEAD WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BARELY GET TO MIDDLE LANE TO AVOID ACCIDENT. UPDATED 6/21/10 *CN THE DEALER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS AN ACUTE FAILURE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. UPDATED 06/24/10.*JB

NHTSA complaint #10335904 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 2,299 miles Palm Springs, CA

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, IT HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER REBOOTED THE COMPUTER AND REPROGRAMMED FAULTY CODES AT LEAST SIX TIMES. THE VEHICLE ALSO WOULD NOT START AT TIMES. THE CONTACT REFUSED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS PARKED AT HIS HOME AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,299. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000.

NHTSA complaint #10324095 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2010 BMW 535I problems

← Full 2010 BMW 535I report