← New search

2009 BMW 535I

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all 535I years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

61 reports with mileage · 10 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports2 fire reports1 injury reports

Power Train complaints

6 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jul 11, 2025
Power Train

I believe using the manual shift mode for normal usage of optimal shifting in certain driving situations and gentle downshifting caused a malfunction in the functionality of the transmission that led to a complete transmission failure. I don’t believe it’s a mechanical issue or result of misuse. There were no warning signs. Only…

Read full complaint

I believe using the manual shift mode for normal usage of optimal shifting in certain driving situations and gentle downshifting caused a malfunction in the functionality of the transmission that led to a complete transmission failure. I don’t believe it’s a mechanical issue or result of misuse. There were no warning signs. Only that every time the manual shift option was used, it would cause an error to occur that caused an automatic shifting issue that would reset if the vehicle was shut down and restarted.

NHTSA ODI #11672707

110,000 miles · Jul 14, 2019
Power Train

DRIVING ON FREEWAY 65 MPH AND VEHICLE LOOSES POWER COMPLETELY POWER STEERING POWER BRAKES LOST. ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF ERRORS APPEAR SUCH AS P142E OR MALFUNCTION HOWEVER WHEN RESTARTING VEHICLE 5+MIN LATER NO ERRORS AND CODES APPEAR RESULTING IN NO FAILURES NO POSSIBILTY TO DIAGNOSE FOUND 4 INCIDENTS OCCURED 2 NEAR FATAL COLLISIO…

Read full complaint

DRIVING ON FREEWAY 65 MPH AND VEHICLE LOOSES POWER COMPLETELY POWER STEERING POWER BRAKES LOST. ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF ERRORS APPEAR SUCH AS P142E OR MALFUNCTION HOWEVER WHEN RESTARTING VEHICLE 5+MIN LATER NO ERRORS AND CODES APPEAR RESULTING IN NO FAILURES NO POSSIBILTY TO DIAGNOSE FOUND 4 INCIDENTS OCCURED 2 NEAR FATAL COLLISIONS NOTE: BMW CODE LIST HAS NO RECOMMENDATION FOR RESOLVING ONLY THAT P142E IS SHUTDOWN OF ENGINE THIS CODING OF ECU ALLOWED BY BMW IS DANGEROUS TO HUMAN LIVES

NHTSA ODI #11231717

118,900 miles · Feb 22, 2018
EnginePower Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 535I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN AND THE "ENGINE POWER MALFUNCTION" INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN BMW DEALER IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFA…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 535I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN AND THE "ENGINE POWER MALFUNCTION" INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN BMW DEALER IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,900. *TT *TR

NHTSA ODI #11074361

98,000 miles · Aug 29, 2017
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

FUEL PUMP CUT OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING AT POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 60 MPH. ALMOST RUN OVER BY TRACTOR TRAILER WHILE PULLING CAR TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. CAR WAS LATER RE-STARTED.

NHTSA ODI #11020347

111,375 miles · Apr 8, 2017
Power Train

WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH, AND ACCELERATING TO ENTER THE INTERSTATE, THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE TRANSMISSION ENTERED FAILSAFE MODE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCERLERATE. ATTEMPTS TO USE THE SHIFTER TO CHANGE GEARS WERE INEFFECTIVE. ONCE IN A SAFE POSITION, I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OF…

Read full complaint

WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH, AND ACCELERATING TO ENTER THE INTERSTATE, THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE TRANSMISSION ENTERED FAILSAFE MODE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCERLERATE. ATTEMPTS TO USE THE SHIFTER TO CHANGE GEARS WERE INEFFECTIVE. ONCE IN A SAFE POSITION, I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. UPON RESTART, THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED NORMALLY. THIS HAS OCCURED ABOUT SIX (6) TIMES SINCE SEPTEMBER 2016 AND PRIOR TO TAKING IT TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE, ON MARCH 25, 2017. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON APRIL 5, 2017, AND THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: PERFORMED SHORT TEST AND FOUND CLUTCH E FAULTS IS STORED IN THE DME. PERFORMED TEST PLAN AND FOUND NO CURRENT FAULTS WITH TRANSMISSION. CLEARED FAULTS AND ADVISE CUSTOMER TO CONTINUE DRIVING VEHICLE UNTIL FAULTS COME BACK ON. THE NEXT DAY, APRIL 6, 2017 A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURED TWICE WHILE ENTERING TRAFFIC. ISSUE SIMILAR TO NHTSA ID NUMBER 10035010.

NHTSA ODI #10971418

80,325 miles · Jun 13, 2014
EnginePower Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. ALSO, THE CONTACT ADDED THAT THE BATTERY AND ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT M…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. ALSO, THE CONTACT ADDED THAT THE BATTERY AND ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNCIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TENSION AND ISLE PULLEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE CRANK SHAFT BELT AND SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,325.

NHTSA ODI #10598165

Official recalls

1

13V407000 · Exterior Lighting:tail Lights

Sep 11, 2013

BMW is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2010 528i, 535i, 550i, and M5 passenger cars manufactured from March 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009. Over time, increased resistance at the taillight electrical contact points may cause damage to the ground terminal and housing of the connector resulting in an intermittent or permanent loss of functionality of one or more rear lamp functions (tail, brake, turn-signal, reverse).

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Intermittent light operation reduces the ability to warn other motorists of the driver's intentions, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear lamp bulb carriers free of charge. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.