BMW 535I engine problems

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11732394 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

BMW N63 Engine Powertrain Issues 2012 535i The N63 engine, utilized in various BMW models including the 2012 535i, has been subject to multiple customer complaints regarding premature timing chain wear and other powertrain-related issues. This led BMW to introduce a "Customer Care Package," detailed in Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) B110614, to address the concerns reported by multiple owners and noted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under ID Number 11016414. A primary cause of the issue is accelerated timing chain wear. The N63 engine's design features timing chains that are prone to stretching prematurely. This stretching can disrupt the precise timing of the engine's valves, leading to a cascade of problems. As a consequence, owners have reported a variety of symptoms, including the illumination of the "drivetrain malfunction" warning light, noticeable engine noise, excessive vibration, and potentially catastrophic engine failure. The "drivetrain malfunction" message, in particular, is a frequently cited indicator of this underlying powertrain problem. To address these widely reported issues, the N63 Customer Care Package was implemented. This service bulletin instructs authorized BMW technicians to perform a series of diagnostic tests. The main objective is to detect if the timing chains have stretched beyond acceptable tolerances. If excessive wear is confirmed, the TSB provides a detailed procedure for the necessary repairs. This often involves replacing the timing chains and related components to restore proper engine function. Beyond the core timing chain replacement, the Customer Care Package also includes several proactive and preventative measures. Technicians are instructed to check and potentially replace other components, such as fuel injectors and boost solenoids, which may have been impacted or contributed to the engine's performance issues. Furthermore, the service includes reprogramming the vehicle's software

NHTSA complaint #11696232 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 535I. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the engine overheated. The engine temperature gauge was between 250 and 300 degrees. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with a water pump connector failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #11686396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. Additionally, the contact noticed an abnormal burning odor while driving, with smoke coming from underneath the hood while at a complete stop. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA complaint #11666052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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 and therefore have caused the car to become inoperable. I was forced to spend over $1000 just to get my car out of the police tow yard and towed to my home because I could not afford the cost of the repairs needed. The NHSTA website states that there is a recall on both the fuel system and the electrical system for my exact vehicle, but according to my Vin search results, there are 0 recalls. That doesn't make sense. I had just got my new inspection done maybe a month prior to my car breaking down.

NHTSA complaint #11651226 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

2014 BMW 535i Oil housing filter started leaking oil into serpentine belt causing the belt to shred and snap then was sucked into the crankshaft causing the motor to seize. Car was towed to bmw dealership and was diagnosed with catastrophic engine failure resulting in $28,000 estimate for engine replacement. Then vehicle was towed to licensed BMW repair facility and was repaired for $15,000 engine replacement.

NHTSA complaint #11647235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds or while the vehicle was parked, the message “Engine Coolant Level Low" and "Top off Soon as Possible - See Owner’s Manual” were displayed. Additionally, the message “Possible Engine Damages - Attention Scudding Hazard" was displayed. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine. The contact stated that coolant was added approximately every two days. Additionally, there was an abnormal burning coming from the engine, with an abnormal odor coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was leaking coolant. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 121,397.

NHTSA complaint #11637293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Water pump electrical plug not properly protected from water causing short circuit and possible fire hazard. Smell wires burning at water pump plug. It’s a known issue and actual recall on other bmw models.

NHTSA complaint #11637165 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 535I. The contact stated that the engine cooling fan was running at abnormal high speed upon starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, and the vehicle hesitated to respond while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with defective water pump and water pump electrical system. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in an undisclosed recall. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA complaint #11627692 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the engine temperature and "Pull Over - Stop Vehicle" warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and let the vehicle cool down and drove to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there was an active recall, NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

NHTSA complaint #11621488 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed, with a message to “Drive Moderately” displayed as well. The driver started to slow down and the message to turn off the engine was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle four times and waited 15 to 20 minutes. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA complaint #11613529 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 535I. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and shut off. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the result of the diagnostic test was not provided. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was taken to a local Midas where it was diagnosed that the water pump was exposed to water and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA complaint #11610425 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving approximately 50–55 MPH, the engine overheated and the vehicle shutoff. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The contact continued to drive to her residence. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V746000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the fuel pump and the water pump. The water pump and fuel pump were replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA complaint #11609875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was left overnight in a hotel parking lot. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump, plug connector, and head gasket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA complaint #11609695 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

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 restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact had an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle at the residence. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the VANOS bolts had fractured and the timing camshaft had detached. The mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA complaint #11605862 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11595837 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

BMW REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY OF CONSEQUENTIAL ISSUES CAUSED MY FAULTY FUEL PUMP RECALL AND IS TRYING TO CHARGE ME 21000 to fix. Engine reads maximum drivetrain output drive moderately

NHTSA complaint #11590623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Been fixing an unknown issue due to fuel presure, loss of engine power and car gets extra hot but doesn’t over heat, I have fixed the issue more on 2 different occasions. I didn’t pass the smog text so that’s when I was told to check for any recalls, now the issues returned with same problems and probably won’t pass smog again. I have all recorded from all the years of maintenance and I’m very diligent on on time maintenance or if theirs is any kind of malfunction. I’m now addressing the situation to you as I believe that there’s something wrong that’s beyond my control. I’ve also encountered other people with same vehicle with similar issues.

NHTSA complaint #11588254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.