2009 BMW 535I problems
NHTSA has received 100 complaints about the 2009 BMW 535I, and 42% of them involve fuel system. After that come engine (28%) and drivetrain & axles (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 100 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 82 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 20 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 82 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 80,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 70,000 miles (39 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the BMW 535I with enough data (42 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The engine and engine cooling:cooling system:fan recall for the e60 BMW 535I needs to be taken seriously! The car will blow up. BMW needs this problem explicitly taken off the street. You dont expect the ultimate driving machine to explode. In accordance to a total loss claim my insurance usaa claim number 013162236000000007001 . The engine caught complete fire and engulfed the car. I was inside the bavarian motor works vehicle. I could have died.
2009 BMW 535I. Consumer writes in regards to engine malfunction that caused vehicle fire. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle was in the process of being towed, when it caught on fire. The consumer stated there was no unusual service history. The high pressure fuel pump was replaced twice, once as a recall. The vehicle was serviced for stalling problems, which was the same issue that occurred on the day of the fire.
Fuel pump failures, car shut down while driving on the highway (numerous times) lost power steering while going over 60 MPH. Cost over $10,000 to make repairs on the vehicle because BMW said it is no longer under warranty.
Within 15 min of arriving home in said vehicle, wife started car in driveway to go shopping. Immediately, dense black smoke began pouring from under the dash. She turned the car off, but left key fob in column. She summoned me from inside our house and when I arrived the smoke was still pouring out from under center to driver side of dash. I removed the key fob from column and approx.