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.
2011 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
Compare all 535I years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
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When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
65 reports with mileage · 47 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.
- Engine. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. 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.
Power Train complaints
17 reportsThe 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.
THE BACK AND FRONT AXLES AREN'T RELIABLE AT ALL. ALL FOUR ON MY CAR ARE DAMAGED AND EVERY TIME I GO OVER A BUMP IT'S A VIOLENT SOUND AND FEELING.
A WARNING CAME ON FOR DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO CHOKE AND LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND VEHICLE SENT AN OVERHEATING MESSAGE AND INSTANTLY THE POWER TO THE MOTOR WAS CUT OFF CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RAPIDLY SLOW DOWN WITH NO BRAKE SIGNAL SO THE REAR CAR ALMOST REAR ENDED THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE SIGNAL CUTTING POWER TO THE ENGINE DURING THE OVERHEAT MESSAGE, ONCE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER …
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND VEHICLE SENT AN OVERHEATING MESSAGE AND INSTANTLY THE POWER TO THE MOTOR WAS CUT OFF CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RAPIDLY SLOW DOWN WITH NO BRAKE SIGNAL SO THE REAR CAR ALMOST REAR ENDED THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE SIGNAL CUTTING POWER TO THE ENGINE DURING THE OVERHEAT MESSAGE, ONCE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP IT WAS FINE? I CHECKED THE COOLANT AFTER I GOT HOME AND IT WAS AT THE LEVEL REQUIRED, AFTER I WAS ABLE TO THE READ THE CODES IT SHOWED WATERPUMP ? I RECENTLY SAW RECALLS FOR 2011 BMW 5 SERIES ON WATER PUMP ISSUES, I WOULD LIKE TO AD THIS PROBLEM AND OR SAFEY ISSUE TO BE NOTICED, IF ALL THOSE VEHICLES ARE BEING REPORTED TO HAVE WATERPUMP ISSUES ,L BELIEVE MY CAR SHOULD BE ON THAT LIST OF RECALLS AS WELL , THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME WATER PUMP ,SO THAT WOULD EFFECT ALL MODELS 6 CLYINDER ,8 CYLINDER ETC,, TTHE AFTER A MONTH OF NO CODES NO ISSUES, I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY TO GET SOMETHING FROM THE HOUSE, I LEFT THE CAR RUNNING, WHEN I CAM OUT IT HAD SENT AN OVER HEAT SIGNAL AGAIN, WHEN THE CAR WASNT OVERHEATING? IT WAS JUST WEIRD, IT MIGHT BE WISE TO INCLUDE ALL VEHICLES WITH THE 2010-2011 STYLE WATER PUMP TO BE REPLACED AND LOOK INTO THE POWER CUT OFF DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE PUMPS/AND OR THEIR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WHICH ARE BEING RECALLED , PLEASE LET KNOW IF MY CAR CAN BE ADDED TO THE RECALL SO IT COULD BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT HAS THE SAME ISSUES AS THE OTHER MODELS THAT RECALLED, HAVENT DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY SINCE, SCARED I MIGHT GET REAR ENDED, IF THE POWER CUTS OFF TO SLOW THE VEHICLE BRAKE LIGHTS SHOULD GO ON OR SOME INDICATOR TO LET VEHICLES FOLLOWING BEHIND KNOW THE VEHICLE IS SLOWING DOWN, LIVE AND LEARN I GEUSS,
2011 535I XDRIVE GT CV JOINTS ON DRIVE SHAFT FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY DESTROYING THE CAR RENDERING IT UNDRIVABLE. NO RECALLS ON THIS MODEL OR THIS VIN ALTHOUGH ALL OTHER LIKE MODELS WERE ON RECALL. CAR PURCHASED AND SERVICED AT BMW DEALERSHIP.
THIS RECALL HAS MY POWERTRANS NOT PREFORMING AS IT SHOULD. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN 2017 AND THIS RECALL WAS NEVER DONE. I TURN MY CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN TAKING MY CAR FREQUENTLY TO MECHANICS FOR POWERTRANS PROBLEMS. WHEN I TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TELL ME THEY DON'T SEE A FAULT FOR THE POWERTRANS …
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THIS RECALL HAS MY POWERTRANS NOT PREFORMING AS IT SHOULD. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN 2017 AND THIS RECALL WAS NEVER DONE. I TURN MY CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN TAKING MY CAR FREQUENTLY TO MECHANICS FOR POWERTRANS PROBLEMS. WHEN I TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TELL ME THEY DON'T SEE A FAULT FOR THE POWERTRANS IT AS SOON AS I LEAVE THE FAULT RETURNS. I PAID MONEY FOR NUMEROUS DIAGNOSTICS FOR THIS PROBLEM AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS AFTER REACHING SPEEDS OVER 65 MPH.
SES LIGHT ILLUMINATED. CHECKED THE OBD2 SYSTEM FOR A CODE. P-2763 IS PRESENT. TROUBLESHOOTING FOR THE ISSUE REVEALED THE ORANGE TCC PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID IS MALFUNCTIONING. ZF WILL NOT SELL THE SOLENOID INDIVIDUALLY. THEY REQUIRE THE CONSUMER TO PURCHASE A MECHATRONIC UNIT. THE ORANGE SOLENOID IS A SCARCE PART TO FIND LOCALL…
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SES LIGHT ILLUMINATED. CHECKED THE OBD2 SYSTEM FOR A CODE. P-2763 IS PRESENT. TROUBLESHOOTING FOR THE ISSUE REVEALED THE ORANGE TCC PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID IS MALFUNCTIONING. ZF WILL NOT SELL THE SOLENOID INDIVIDUALLY. THEY REQUIRE THE CONSUMER TO PURCHASE A MECHATRONIC UNIT. THE ORANGE SOLENOID IS A SCARCE PART TO FIND LOCALLY IN THE U.S. ONLINE PRICES ARE AROUND $90. ON THE GLOBAL MARKET. THESE ARE NOT NEW SOLENOIDS. THE MECHATRONIC UNIT, OVERHAULED IS $1600 PLUS A CORE CHARGE. PLUS LABOR. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT ZF WILL NOT SUPPORT THE 8HP TRANSMISSION BY SELLING THE SOLENOID INDIVIDUALLY. COSTING ME SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS WHEN A SINGLE PART AROUND $100 DOLLARS WILL REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. ZF CUSTOMER SERVICE INFORMED ME THAT I SHOULD SOURCE THE PART THROUGH A USED PARTS DEALER OR LOCAL JUNK YARD. I TRIED BUT NO TRANSMISSIONS ARE AVAILABLE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING SINCE MAY OF 2019. I TALKED TO BMW AND CHRYSLER PARTS DEPARTMENTS AT MY LOCAL DEALERS. THE TELL ME THEY CAN ONLY ORDER THE MECHATRONIC UNIT.
DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION IS ON MAY BE DUE TO A BAD FUEL PUMP OR ENGINE COILS
MY VEHICLE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DRIVE TRAIN/ DRIVE SHAFT MESSAGE CAME ON WHICH MADE MY ENGINE LIGHT COME ON SHUDDERING WITH HEAVY SHAKING MAKING WEIRD NOISES WHICH ARE THE SYSTEMS OF A DEFECTED DRIVE SHAFT SAME SYMPTOMS THAT APPLY TO RECALL 17V067000 VERY SCARY MY VEHICLE WAS JUST AT BMW DEALERSHIP FOR A RECALL DUE TO AN AGGRE…
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MY VEHICLE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DRIVE TRAIN/ DRIVE SHAFT MESSAGE CAME ON WHICH MADE MY ENGINE LIGHT COME ON SHUDDERING WITH HEAVY SHAKING MAKING WEIRD NOISES WHICH ARE THE SYSTEMS OF A DEFECTED DRIVE SHAFT SAME SYMPTOMS THAT APPLY TO RECALL 17V067000 VERY SCARY MY VEHICLE WAS JUST AT BMW DEALERSHIP FOR A RECALL DUE TO AN AGGRESSIVE FUEL LEAK...,I ASKED ABOUT THE RECALL FOR THE DRIVE TRAIN I WAS ADVISED YES IT'S A RECALL BUT NOT FOR MY VEHICLE WHICH IS A 2011 535I AT THE TOP OF THE RECALL LIST THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND THE 2ND TIME THIS CAR HAVE PUT MY LIFE IN DANGER HOW CAN YOU HAVE A RECALL ON THE 2011 535I AND THEN SAY NOT MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE BMW IS THE WORST I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER BMW I CANNOT BELIEVE IT THESE PARTS CANNOT BE FROM WEAR AND TEAR THIS STARTS FROM PRODUCTION OF VEHICLE
Official recalls
417V067000 · Power Train:driveline:constant Velocity Joint
Feb 2, 2017
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 1 Series M Coupe and 135i Convertible vehicles, 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i, 335i, 335d, 335i Coupe, 335is Coupe, 335i Convertible, 335is Convertible, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535i Gran Turismo and 550i xDrive Gran Turismo vehicles and 2012 740i and 740Li vehicles. The rear driveshaft constant velocity (CV) joint on the affected vehicles may fatigue and break.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the CV joint breaks, the vehicle may have a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear driveshaft CV joint and, based on its production date, will replace it, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
16V832000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Nov 17, 2016
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011 BMW 528i, 528xi, 535i, 535xi, 550i and 550xi vehicles manufactured March 1, 2010, through August 31, 2011. The affected vehicles may have received a replacement Sensor Cluster Unit (SCU) during a service visit. These SCUs have an acceleration sensor that may have been incorrectly programmed and, as a result, the SCU may not accurately determine if activation and deployment of the air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and head restraints is necessary in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Depending on the severity of the crash, inadequate activation of the driver and/or passenger air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and active head restraints may increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the SCU, free of charge. The recall began on December 16, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
16V746000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Oct 17, 2016
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 BMW X5 3.0si, X5 4.8i, X5 M, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i and X5 xDrive50i, 2008-2011 X6 x Drive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 535i xDrive Gran Turismo, 535i Gran Turismo, 550i xDrive Gran Turismo and 550i Gran Turismo, 2011-2012 528i, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i and 550i xDrive and 2012 535i ActiveHybrid, 640i Convertible, 650i Convertible, 650i xDrive Convertible, 650i Coupe and 650i Coupe xDrive vehicles. The affected vehicles have in-tank fuel pumps that may have insufficiently crimped wire contacts.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The loose wires may cause the connector to melt, resulting in a fuel leak. Additionally, the fuel pump may stop working, possibly causing an engine stall and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
14V176000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
Apr 10, 2014
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and 2010-2012 535i Gran Turismo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and may possibly break.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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