Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2008 record →
2008 BMW 535XI WAGON. ENGINE MISFIRING/LOSING POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER FIRST RESET COMPUTER..HAPPENED AGAIN. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP..HAPPENED AGAIN. DEALER REPLACED A CYLINDER INJECTOR....GOOD SO FAR. *TR
I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BMW 525I M SPORT WHICH HAS DONE 1000 MILES. IT IS JUST 6 WEEKS OLD AND THE HIGH PRESSURE PUMP (HPP) WENT BUST. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I BUY A CAR WITH MY HARD EARNED MONEY AND THIS HAPPENS. BMW SHOULD REALIZE THE IMPACT IT HAS ON SOMEONE WHO EXPECTS A LOT FROM HIS CAR SINCE HE IS PAYING OUT OF HIS NOSE. *TR
ADDED EXXONMOBIL GAS 9/2/2008. CAR DEAD BY 9/7/2008, AFTER DRIVING APPROX. 50 MILES. THE FUEL PUMP ON THIS VERY NEW CAR HAS FAILED. THE DEALER CLAIMS THE GAS WAS BAD (SAYS ALCOHOL LEVEL TESTED TO 15%), WHILE EXXONMOBIL INSISTS THE FUEL WAS FINE AT 10% ALCOHOL, FROM THE ETHANOL. I BELIEVE THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT THE 2008 BMW 535XI'S CAN'T HANDLE EVEN 10% ETHANOL, SO THE FUEL PUMPS ARE FAILING. *TR
I PURCHASED A NEW BMW 535I ON MAY 26, 2008 AND ON AUG 8, 2008 WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT 70 MILES AND HOUR THE CAR STARTED WAS SHAKING AS IF RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS. THERE WAS A MESSAGE FROM THE CAR STATING ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER! I WAITED 3 HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK AND AFTER A FEW DAYS I RECEIVED A CALL FROM RICHMOND BMW STATING I NEEDED A NEW HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. I SAID FINE AND THEN RECEIVED A CALL THE NEXT DAY SAYING MY CAR WAS READY. WHEN I PICKED IT UP THEY DIDN'T REPAIR ANYTHING THEY SAID THEY WERE TOLD BY MUNICH TO JUST RESET THE LIGHT AND CLAIM ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS!! ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5TH WHILE TRYING TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION I WAS ALMOST T-BONED WHEN MY CAR AGAIN LOST POWER. THEN ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6TH THE ENGINE LOST POWER AGAIN AND SAME MESSAGE POPPED UP ON THE IDRIVE SCREEN. WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION WAS A "HIGH PROFILE" PART IN MUNICH AND THEREFORE THEY WERE TOLD TO JUST RESET THE LIGHT TO SEE IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM OUTRAGED THAT BMW PUT MY FAMILY IN SUCH DANGER SO AS TO NOT HAVE TO REPLACE HIGH PROFILE PARTS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH BMW THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT COMES ON WITHOUT NOTICE OR WARNING POWER JUST IS GONE. I HAVE ASKED BMW TO REFUND MY MONEY BUT THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR SINCE SEPTEMBER 6TH AND I AM GETTING NOTHING BUT THE RUN AROUND. *TR
TRUNK HAS UNEXPECTADELY OPENED WHEN THE RELEASE BUTTON WAS ACCIDENTALLY BUMPED WILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. APPARENTLY THERE IS NO LOCK OUT ON THE BUTTON PREVENTING TRUNK OPENING WHILE VEHICLE IS IN GEAR AND MOVING. *TR
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2008 BMW 5 Series → · Every 5 Series year → · How the figures are calculated →