2008 BMW 535I: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 74 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (30% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2013
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 74 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The vehicle front passenger seat sensor MAT (SRS) failure. This is a safety-related issue. The same item was recalled for prior years' models. A recall should issued be for this model and and year.”Owner report · Seats · Oct 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 535i. The contact stated while driving at 30 mph, when warning message of "engine hot and drive moderately" was illuminated on the instructional panel. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and then saw smoke exiting the front passenger side of the hood. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a bottle of water she had in hand. No fire or police report was filed. The contact was currently waiting to have the vehicle towed to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as of yet. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 138,000.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2020
“Copious amounts of smoke are released upon start and now it smokes even worse no matter what. It used to stop but not anymore. So many people have a problem with this. I noticed my car couldn't accelerate and then smoke started coming everywhere and then it ran ok but as soon as I got home my car smoked and smoked so much I was barely able to get into a spot”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“I was driving home stopped at a red light , then turned green went to accelerate car took off and lost all power would not move pressing accelerator and 2 semi trucks coming real fast from cross traffic almost killed me light turned red for me and green for semi trailers with no time to exit car.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 5351. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed of a misfire cylinder # 2. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted and stated the vehicle was not subjected to a recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.”Owner report · Engine · Feb 2020
“Driving if freeway 65 mph, all the sudden car stalled lost power I drove it off the freeway the steering wheel was very hard to turn, try to startup the car did not start called aaa for tow truck after 15 min I start the car, start fined and no problem, to bmw usa made appointment with bmw dealer 4 days later was available for service, the day before my appointment, after dropped my daughter the car stalled in middle of the street cause bad traffic called tow truck again waited after 15 min started everything was fined but I tow it to bmw dealer to check it. Idrive should fuel pump once flashed. This is very dangerous .”Owner report · Engine · Oct 2018
“The electric water pump failed. The system did not show any visible warning on the dashboard at time of failure even though the ecu registered a failure code internally when it detected that the pump had stopped working (as compared to mileage/timestamps from diagnostic codes at the time of failure). Some time later suddenly the system displayed an engine overheat warning and lost power in the middle of the road. Driving at about 35-40mph on a local highway.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2018
“Currently having issues with a wastegate rattle on turbos. Rough engine idle. Having multiple misfires, and stuck open fuel injectors. Causing tailpipes to excessively smoke (white color) while going into limp mode could not go past 20mph and surging. Issues happen when stationary and while driving. Had to get vehicle towed home. 'fuel injector recall 16e-a01 'hpfp recall- could not find number 'turbo recall- could not find number”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2018
“Driving family down the highway around 65 mph. I loose all power in the cabin. The car starts throwing all warning lights, ABS, steering,sway control, transmition, etc. Engine still running would not shift into neutral had to use e brake to pull over then it wanted to keep going had to turn car off to stop it. Called tow truck sent family home.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Aug 2018
“Tip in as it is called, lag in the response time from when you step on the gas pedal till the car actually takes off. Also passenger side seat sensor sensing someone is there when they are not causing the fasten seat belt error to contantly go off.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Mar 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 0 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
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).
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2008 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact 535I by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 BMW 535I reliable?
NHTSA has 74 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2008 BMW 535I. The most complained-about area is engine (30% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 BMW 535I problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 72,250 miles or less.
Does the 2008 BMW 535I have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting:tail lights. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.