2010 BMW 135I Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2010 BMW 135I, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Fuel system853.3%
- Airbags213.3%
- Electrical213.3%
- Visibility213.3%
- Other / unspecified16.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR LOST POWER AND HAD TO BE TOWED. *TR
2010 BMW 135I PURCHASED LATE APRIL...3000 MILES WHEN PROBLEM STARTED...THE CAR TOOK LONGER THAN NORMAL TO START...WHILE IN TRAFFIC IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA...EXPERIENCED LOSE OF POWER OR STALL...SPITTING AND SPUTTERING TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD...CALLED LOCAL DEALER AND THEY TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND REPLACED THE HPFP AND RE-FLASHED THE COMPUTER...SINCE THEN I HAVE TURBO-LAG AND STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD...THE FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT IS FINE, BUT THE LOWER PERFORMANCE OF THE NEW PROGRAM IS UNACCEPTABLE...I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THE PERFORMANCE AND TO DUMB DOWN THE COMPUTER TO KEEP FROM REPLACING OTHER COMPONENTS IS WRONG...FIX THE PROBLEM FOR REAL AND THERE WOULD BE NO ISSUE. *TR
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
TAKATA RECALL-- I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH 2016 NOTIFYING ME OF THE TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL. IT STATED THAT REPAIR TIME WAS UNKNOWN AS YET. I CALLED OUR LOCAL BMW DEALER, BMW OF COLUMBIA, COLUMBIA, SC, RECENTLY AND WAS TOLD NO REPAIR CAN BE SCHEDULED YET. I AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF DRIVING THIS CA RAND UPSET THEY CAN IGNORE THE DANGER.
ON NOVEMBER 6, 2015, WHEN I TURNED ON MY CAR, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT LIGHT OF MY CAR ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WAS ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS NO ONE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I DROVE THE CAR FOR 40 MINUTES AND THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF. I ASKED MY SPOUSE TO SEAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT LIGHT REMAINED ON WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE BMW DEALER ON NOVEMBER 7, 2015 AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR DIAGNOSED THAT THE CAR NEEDED THE SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE THAT DETECTS SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT, WHICH IS CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT LIGHT TO REMAIN ON. IN 2008 & 2013, BMW ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALL INVOLVING FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT ON U.S.A. MODEL BMWS. THE MODEL AND YEAR OF MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. ON MARCH 31, 2015, BMW DECIDED TO EXPAND RECALLS 08V-384 AND 13V-564 TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SEAT MAT ON ADDITIONAL AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE WIRING GOING TO THE BLOWER MOTOR ON MY 2010 BMW 135I IS MELTED. I COULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING AND THE BLOWER MOTOR STARTED WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING IN MY DRIVEWAY WITH THE HEAT ON AT THE TIME. THE PROBLEM IS THE SAME AS RECALL 17V-676 WHICH COVERS THE BMW 3 SERIES FROM THE SAME YEAR BUT NOT THE 1 SERIES WHICH USES THE SAME PARTS.
AT APPROX 70 MPH, "ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION, POWER DECREASE" MESSAGE LIGHTS. VEHICLE COMES TO DEAD STOP DURING RUSH HOUR ON FL TURNPIKE. DRIVER PUTS ON FLASHERS. WATCHES REAR VIEW MIRROR AS DOZENS OF VEHICLES APPROACH. TWO CAR CRASH OCCURS BEHIND STALLED VEHICLE. DRIVER MUST EXIT CAR AND RUN TO SHOULDER TO AVOID POTENTIAL INJURY. MULTI CAR ACCIDENT MIRACULOUSLY AVOIDED. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BMW 135I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND ACTIVATING THE REAR DEFROSTER, THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR DEFROSTER BURNED OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.
WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES CHATTERS AND DOES NOT CLEAR THE RAIN! ON 2010 BMW X6 VIN #[XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES CHATTERS AND DOES NOT CLEAR THE RAIN! ON 2010 BMW X6 VIN #[XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .