2011 BMW 535I — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 112 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (27 complaints · 24.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 6
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 27 of 112 owner complaints (24.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 27 complaints, 24.1% of reports ENGINE 27 · 24.1% · 2 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 27 complaints, 24.1% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 27 · 24.1% POWER TRAIN: 13 complaints, 11.6% of reports POWER TRAIN 13 · 11.6% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 8 complaints, 7.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 7.1% · 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 4 complaints, 3.6% of reports AIR BAGS 4 · 3.6% · 1 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 4 complaints, 3.6% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 3.6% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 4 complaints, 3.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 · 3.6% · 1 crash reports WHEELS: 4 complaints, 3.6% of reports WHEELS 4 · 3.6% TIRES: 3 complaints, 2.7% of reports TIRES 3 · 2.7% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 16 complaints, 14.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 · 14.3% · 3 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 27 24.1% 0 crashes · 2 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 27 24.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 13 11.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 7.1% 0 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 4 3.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 3.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
WHEELS 4 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
TIRES 3 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 14.3% 3 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2013; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2014. 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2013 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 14V176000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V176000 Recall campaign 16V746000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V746000 Recall campaign 16V832000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V832000 Recall campaign 17V067000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V067000
  • Campaign 14V176000 was reported 415 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V746000 was reported 432 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 17V067000 was reported 902 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 8
2015-Q3 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 4
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 9
2017-Q3 Owner reports 5
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 4
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 3
2019-Q4 Owner reports 7
2020-Q1 Owner reports 5
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q3 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 4
2023-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 4
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 4
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 14V176000
Recall campaign 1 16V746000
Recall campaign 1 16V832000
Recall campaign 1 17V067000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V176000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V746000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V832000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V067000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 112 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources