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2009 BMW 535I

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

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

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

What owners actually said

71 reports
18,500 miles · Aug 19, 2010
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel System, Gasoline

PURCHASED A BMW 535I X DRIVE IN APRIL 2009. SINCE APRIL 2010, THE CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE 4 TIMES, MOST RECENTLY AUGUST 2010. ALL 4 TIMES, THE CAR'S ENGINE LIGHTS HAVE COME ON - OXYGEN SENSORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE. A PROBLEM IN THE FUEL AREA/CATALYST CONVERTER WAS JUST FIXED IN JULY. LAST PROBLEM WAS AT 18,400 MILES - DR…

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PURCHASED A BMW 535I X DRIVE IN APRIL 2009. SINCE APRIL 2010, THE CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE 4 TIMES, MOST RECENTLY AUGUST 2010. ALL 4 TIMES, THE CAR'S ENGINE LIGHTS HAVE COME ON - OXYGEN SENSORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE. A PROBLEM IN THE FUEL AREA/CATALYST CONVERTER WAS JUST FIXED IN JULY. LAST PROBLEM WAS AT 18,400 MILES - DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 70MPH OUT OF TOWN IN ANOTHER STATE AT 10:45PM, AN AUDIBLE SIGNAL WENT OFF AND THEN 2 ENGINE LIGHTS APPEARS IN MY SPEEDOMETER AREA. ALSO, IN THE NAVIGATION AREA, ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER ERROR MESSAGE. THE CAR BEGAN SHAKING AND THE POWER WAS REDUCED DOWN TO 40MPH. AT THAT POINT, 225 MILES FROM HOME, NEEDED TO TURN BACK AND DRIVE 45 MINUTES FROM THE CITY THAT I JUST LEFT. CAR WAS TOWED TO A CITY 60 MILES FROM THERE AND THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME IMMEDIATELY IT WAS THE HPFP PROBLEM. AT THAT TIME, HE ALSO STATED THAT THE FUEL INJECTORS ARE NOT A PROBLEM NOW, BUT IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THEY WILL GO BAD WITHIN 6 MONTHS FROM NOW. CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN LOST IN THIS NEW CAR AND SAFETY CONCERNS FOR DRIVING THIS CAR MORE THAN 25-30 MILES OUT OF MY HOME CITY. EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT BREAKING DOWN AND STRANDED AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10350470

13,000 miles · Jul 14, 2010
Fuel System, Gasoline

WHILE DRIVING MY BMW, THE ENGINE STALLED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY AND FORCED ME TO EXPEDITE MYSELF TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE ENGINE WOULD SHAKE AND RATTLE AT IDLE, AND THE CAR WAS SENT INTO LIMP MODE BY THE PCM. THIS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS, AND ALWAYS AT RANDOM TIMES AND SPEEDS. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO NOT BE PASSIN…

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WHILE DRIVING MY BMW, THE ENGINE STALLED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY AND FORCED ME TO EXPEDITE MYSELF TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE ENGINE WOULD SHAKE AND RATTLE AT IDLE, AND THE CAR WAS SENT INTO LIMP MODE BY THE PCM. THIS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS, AND ALWAYS AT RANDOM TIMES AND SPEEDS. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO NOT BE PASSING SOMEONE ON THE HIGHWAY, OR ENTERING/EXITING THE ON/OFF RAMPS WHEN IT OCCURRED. I AM FORCED TO TAKE ULTRA SAFE ROUTES THAT OFFER SLOWER SPEEDS. THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON WITH THIS ENGINE MAKE AND MODEL, AND MUST BE ADDRESSED AS THIS WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE A INJURY/ACCIDENT/ OR WORSE, FATALITY. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND HAVE THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FIX THEIR MISTAKES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10343208

9,000 miles · Jun 14, 2010
Fuel System, Gasoline

NORMAL DRIVING THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO SHAKE LOSING POWER. THE VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE COMPUTER SCREEN STATES "ENGINE MALFUNCTION! REDUCING POWER". THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES BY BMW. BMW ACKNOWLEDGES THEY HAVE A PROBLEM BUT HAS NO REPAIR FOR THE SITUATION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10336130

10,000 miles · Feb 17, 2010
Fuel System, Gasoline

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER ENTERING HIGHWAY. DEALER CONFIRMED FAILURE OF HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP 2009 BMW 535I WITH 10K MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10311456

1,000 miles · Feb 12, 2010
Engine And Engine Cooling

2009 BMW 535I ENGINE DIED ON THE FREEWAY 5 GOING 70MPH WITH MY FAMILY AND WAS VERY LUCK TO PULL OVER WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. BMW SAID IT WAS THE BRAIN AND HAD THE CAR FOR 7 DAYS TO PROGRAM IT. I FOUND OUT THAT ABOUT 5% OF ALL 335I AND 535I HAS THE SAME ISSUE, IT IS THE NEW TWIN TURBO ENGINE 3.0 IS HAVING ISSUES IN BOTH CAR…

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2009 BMW 535I ENGINE DIED ON THE FREEWAY 5 GOING 70MPH WITH MY FAMILY AND WAS VERY LUCK TO PULL OVER WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. BMW SAID IT WAS THE BRAIN AND HAD THE CAR FOR 7 DAYS TO PROGRAM IT. I FOUND OUT THAT ABOUT 5% OF ALL 335I AND 535I HAS THE SAME ISSUE, IT IS THE NEW TWIN TURBO ENGINE 3.0 IS HAVING ISSUES IN BOTH CARS. PLEASE CHECK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10308910

10,400 miles · Dec 28, 2009
Fuel System, Other

2009 BMW 335IX WITH 10,400 MILES. SUDDEN HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURE, CAUSING IMMEDIATE DECREASE IN POWER, ROUGH IDLE, AND POOR HANDLING. ENGINE SERVICE ICONS ILLUMINATED. CAR TOWED TO DEALER, DEALER FIXED PROBLEM, DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN AS..."BMW IS AWARE OF THESE FU…

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2009 BMW 335IX WITH 10,400 MILES. SUDDEN HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURE, CAUSING IMMEDIATE DECREASE IN POWER, ROUGH IDLE, AND POOR HANDLING. ENGINE SERVICE ICONS ILLUMINATED. CAR TOWED TO DEALER, DEALER FIXED PROBLEM, DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN AS..."BMW IS AWARE OF THESE FUEL PUMP FAILURES. THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT IT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW." THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD HAVE TO DISCLOSE THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND DEAL WITH IT EFFECTIVELY... NOT WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT WITH THE OPTION RETURNING THE CAR UNTIL THEY FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10297102

5,500 miles · Dec 25, 2009
Fuel System, Gasoline

MY FAMILY AND I WAS DRIVING TO SAN FRANCISCO AND READY TO CROSS THE BAY BRIDGE. I WAS IN MY 2010 BMW 535I (THE CAR WAS THREE MONTHS OLD WITH ABOUT 5500 MILES ON IT. WITH NO WARNING, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT GOES ON AND I GET A MESSAGE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. IN ABOUT 2 MINUTES, THE ENGINE DIES AND THE CAR IS STALLED. I WAS…

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MY FAMILY AND I WAS DRIVING TO SAN FRANCISCO AND READY TO CROSS THE BAY BRIDGE. I WAS IN MY 2010 BMW 535I (THE CAR WAS THREE MONTHS OLD WITH ABOUT 5500 MILES ON IT. WITH NO WARNING, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT GOES ON AND I GET A MESSAGE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. IN ABOUT 2 MINUTES, THE ENGINE DIES AND THE CAR IS STALLED. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC, VERY DANGEROUS, NO WHERE TO EXIT. I TRIED TO START THE ENGINE AND EVERYTIME I TRIED TO DRIVE, THE ENGINE DIES. WE WERE BLOCKING TRAFFIC FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE CHP ARRIVED TO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THE TRAFFIC LANES. I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP SYSTEM (HPFP) - BMW KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY STILL HAVE NOT FIXED THIS ISSUE. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS -- THERE IS NO TELLING WHEN THIS FUEL PUMP WILL FAIL AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296937

12,447 miles · Dec 15, 2009
Fuel System, Gasoline

MY BMW 535XI SPORT WAGON HAD A HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED AFTER 12500 MI. THE ENGINE LOST MOST OF ITS POWER AND I NEEDED TO QUICKLY EXIT HWY.IN ORDER NOT TO POSE A THREAT TO OTHERS. PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM I NOTICED THE ENGINE TOOK LONGER TO START, AND ONE TIME THE ENGINE SEEMED TO SPUTTER AND TEMPORARILY BECOME UN DRIVABL…

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MY BMW 535XI SPORT WAGON HAD A HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED AFTER 12500 MI. THE ENGINE LOST MOST OF ITS POWER AND I NEEDED TO QUICKLY EXIT HWY.IN ORDER NOT TO POSE A THREAT TO OTHERS. PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM I NOTICED THE ENGINE TOOK LONGER TO START, AND ONE TIME THE ENGINE SEEMED TO SPUTTER AND TEMPORARILY BECOME UN DRIVABLE. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE DEALER SAID THEY HAD TO FIX A PROBLEM IN THE CARS COMPUTER. THE SECOND TIME , THE DEALER SAID THE PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296014

15,000 miles · Nov 30, 2009
Fuel System, Gasoline

PURCHASED 2009 BMW 335CI IN MARCH OF 2009. IN SEP THE CAR STALLED, BMW REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP OR HPFP (HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP). TODAY WE STARTED THE CAR AND MOVED IT IN OUR DRIVEWAY. 1.5 HOURS LATER WE STARTED THE CAR AGAIN TO GO TO WORK AND IT STALLED. WE TRIED TWICE TO RESTART IT WOULDN'T. AT THAT TIME WE NOTICED A FUEL SMELL…

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PURCHASED 2009 BMW 335CI IN MARCH OF 2009. IN SEP THE CAR STALLED, BMW REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP OR HPFP (HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP). TODAY WE STARTED THE CAR AND MOVED IT IN OUR DRIVEWAY. 1.5 HOURS LATER WE STARTED THE CAR AGAIN TO GO TO WORK AND IT STALLED. WE TRIED TWICE TO RESTART IT WOULDN'T. AT THAT TIME WE NOTICED A FUEL SMELL AND STEPPED OUT OF THE VEHICLE INTO A PUDDLE OF GASOLINE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10294079

Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2009
EquipmentEquipment Adaptive/mobilitySteering

THIS IS AN ENFORCEMENT COMPLIANCE REQUEST ON A WEEKLY CONTINUUM FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC ON THE FOLLOWING : TIRES: GOODYEAR AND MICHELIN , ALL TYPES, TREADS, SIZES, HEIGHTS, WIDTHS. AUTOS: MERCEDES BENZ, BMW, CADILLAC, FERRARI, BUGATTI, ALFA ROMERO, ROLLS ROYCE, BENTLY, LAMBROGHINI, LINCOLN. PLEASE ASSIST WITH ALL PARTS …

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THIS IS AN ENFORCEMENT COMPLIANCE REQUEST ON A WEEKLY CONTINUUM FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC ON THE FOLLOWING : TIRES: GOODYEAR AND MICHELIN , ALL TYPES, TREADS, SIZES, HEIGHTS, WIDTHS. AUTOS: MERCEDES BENZ, BMW, CADILLAC, FERRARI, BUGATTI, ALFA ROMERO, ROLLS ROYCE, BENTLY, LAMBROGHINI, LINCOLN. PLEASE ASSIST WITH ALL PARTS INSPECTIONS, ANALYSIS FOR INTEGRITY, SAFETY, MAINTENANCE - UPKEEP. PLEASE ASSIST TO NOTIFY THE PROPER AUTHORITIES ON THESE FINDING, IF APPLICABLE. PLEASE BEGIN INSPECTIONS FROM ALL 1990 MODELS, MAKES, TO THE PRESENT 2009 YEAR'S PARTS, AUTOMOTIVES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10292352

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.