2009 BMW 335 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 2009 BMW 335, 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
- Airbags741.2%
- Engine317.6%
- Fuel system211.8%
- Electrical211.8%
- Interior & seats15.9%
- Seat belts15.9%
- Visibility15.9%
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
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
TAKATA RECALL FAULTY AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT DURING MINOR ACCIDENT CAUSING NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. IMPACT OCCURED FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE AND AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AFTER VEHICLE WAS AT COMPLETE STOP AFTER ACCIDENT CAUSING NOSE DAMAGE AND BURN AND BRUISE ON LEFT ARM. IRREGULAR DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS BECAUSE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AS WELL AS THE STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG DEPLOYED. NO ONE WAS SEATED ON PASSENGER SIDE AND THE DRIVER SIDE VEHICLE SIDE AIRBAG WHERE I WAS SEATED DID NOT DEPLOY.
TAKATA RECALL; BOUGHT CAR ONLINE FROM SCHMBURG IL. BMW AND THE BMW WAS DELIVERED TO MY HOME ADDRESS IN SAN ANTONIO,TEXAS. CALLED SCHMBURG BMW AND THEY TOLD TO CALL SAN ANTONIO BMW. I DID CALL SAN ANTONIO BMW IN 2-2-2017. HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING FROM THEM AND IT'S 5/7/2018---HELP!!!
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
FUEL INJECTORS ARE FAULTY
ON 8/21/2015, I WAS DRIVING MY 2009 BMW 335D TO WORK WHEN IT SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND STARTED SPEWING SMOKE ON JEFFERSON AVE. I PULLED OVER NEAR MY WORK AND SAW SMOKE SEEPING IN FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. I EXITED THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW THAT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ON FIRE. I RAN INSIDE MY WORKPLACE AND GRABBED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND CAUTIOUSLY RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE. I WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. AFTER FILING A CLAIM WITH STATE FARM, THE CLAIMS ADJUSTER AND PLAZA MOTOR COMPANY BMW CAME TO THE DETERMINATION THAT THE CAR'S WIRING HARNESS MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REPLACE IT. BUT THAT'S NOT MY ISSUE. I'M CONCERNED WITH HOW THE FIRE STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. PLAZA MOTORS NOR STATE FARM CAN TELL ME WHY OR HOW IT HAPPENED BUT THEY ARE WILLING TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART AND HAVE ME DRIVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN WITHOUT ANY ASSURANCES THAT THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAD EXITED THE VEHICLE BEFORE THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAD BEEN CLOSE TO A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I FEEL LIKE MY CLAIM IS BEING HANDLED IN A VERY LEISURELY, RUN-OF-THE-MILL MANNER AKIN TO CHANGING A FLAT TIRE OR A DENTED BUMPER. BUT A CAR SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHING FIRE IS ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL. PLAZA MOTORS AND STATE FARM'S CASUAL NATURE IS DISCONCERTING TO SAY THE LEAST. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR EVER AGAIN. I DON'T FEEL LIKE BMW IS TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR CATCH SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHING FIRE. ALSO, ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FIRE, I HAD A DIAGNOSTICS TEST CONDUCTED ON MY CAR BY AUTOHAUS BMW IN ST. LOUIS, MO AND THE TWO MINOR ISSUES WERE UNRELATED TO THE ELECTRICAL FIRE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
FUEL INJECTORS ARE FAULTY
THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO MY CAR 2009 335D PURCHASED IN AUGUST 2009 FROM MOMENTUM BMW IN HOUSTON, TX. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE PRIMARILY FOR ITS ADVERTISED FUEL ECONOMY OF CITY/HWY 23/36 COMBINED WITH SUPERB PERFORMANCE. I PRIMARILY USE THIS CAR FROM HIGHWAY DRIVING FROM SAN ANTONIO TO HOUSTON, APPROX. 150 MILES EACH WAY. I GO TO HOUSTON TWICE A MONTH TO VISIT MY TWO SONS WHO ARE DOCTORS. I HAVE PUT ON AN AVERAGE OF 10,000 MILES PER YEAR, AND TODAY HAVE APPROX. 40,000 MILES. I ALSO PURCHASED BMW EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 7 YRS./70K MILES. BEFORE ALL THE MAJOR SOFTWARE/FIRMWARE UPDATES, I USED TO ROUTINELY GET AROUND 36-38 MPG ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH AND SINCE ALMOST 1 YEAR OR MORE, I AVERAGE LIKE 28-30 MPG ON THE HIGHWAY. IT HAS DROPPED BY MORE THAN 6-8 MPG BEFORE THESE UPDATES FOR BOTH HIGHWAY AND CITY MPG. BEING AN ENGINEER BY TRAINING, THIS IS A STATISTICAL AVERAGE FOR OVER A YEAR. I HAVE MENTIONED MANY TIMES SINCE 2012 TO PRESENT TO THE BMW DEALER IN SAN ANTONIO THAT MY FUEL ECONOMY HAS SUFFERED SUBSTANTIALLY. I ALSO HAD THE SHOP FOREMAN AT BMW DEALERSHIP VERIFY BY TEST DRIVING FOR ALMOST 40 MINUTES EACH WAY ON THE HIGHWAY, THAT THE MAX. I GOT WAS 30.6MPG WITH AVERAGE SPEED OF 65MPH. FROM DAY ONE, I HAVE ONLY PUT EITHER SHELL OR CHEVRON DIESEL FUEL IN THIS CAR. THIS CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN MAINTAINED BY THE BMW OF SAN ANTONIO. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT I NO LONGER CAN GET THIS FUEL ECONOMY AND BMW DEALER HAVE EXHAUSTED THEIR EFFORTS IN FIXING THIS ISSUE BUT COULD NOT RESOLVE IT. I NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ANY OF MY OTHER GERMAN CARS THAT THEY STILL GIVE ME THE SAME FUEL ECONOMY OF WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THEM BUT IN FACT IN MOST CASES THE FUEL ECONOMY HAS IMPROVED AFTER THE ENGINE BREAK IN PERIOD. FOREMAN STATES THAT IT NEEDS DECARBONIZATION BUT BMW DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FOR IT AND IT IS QUITE EXPENSIVE. *TR
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
SCHOMP BMW, CAR DEALERSHIP, LOCATED IN HIGHLANDS RANCH COLORADO, IS ILLEGALLY SELLING RECALL AFFECTED BMWS. THE ABOVE VIN IS ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL BMW'S SOLD LAST MONTH WITHOUT THE DEALER REPAIRING THE NHTSA BMW US BLOWER MOTOR WIRING HARNESS RECALL. ANOTHER RECALLED AFFECTED BMW 3 SERIES SCHOMP BMW SOLD IN THE PAST 60 DAYS: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
ON 8/21/2015, I WAS DRIVING MY 2009 BMW 335D TO WORK WHEN IT SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND STARTED SPEWING SMOKE ON JEFFERSON AVE. I PULLED OVER NEAR MY WORK AND SAW SMOKE SEEPING IN FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. I EXITED THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW THAT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ON FIRE. I RAN INSIDE MY WORKPLACE AND GRABBED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND CAUTIOUSLY RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE. I WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. AFTER FILING A CLAIM WITH STATE FARM, THE CLAIMS ADJUSTER AND PLAZA MOTOR COMPANY BMW CAME TO THE DETERMINATION THAT THE CAR'S WIRING HARNESS MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REPLACE IT. BUT THAT'S NOT MY ISSUE. I'M CONCERNED WITH HOW THE FIRE STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. PLAZA MOTORS NOR STATE FARM CAN TELL ME WHY OR HOW IT HAPPENED BUT THEY ARE WILLING TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART AND HAVE ME DRIVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN WITHOUT ANY ASSURANCES THAT THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAD EXITED THE VEHICLE BEFORE THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAD BEEN CLOSE TO A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I FEEL LIKE MY CLAIM IS BEING HANDLED IN A VERY LEISURELY, RUN-OF-THE-MILL MANNER AKIN TO CHANGING A FLAT TIRE OR A DENTED BUMPER. BUT A CAR SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHING FIRE IS ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL. PLAZA MOTORS AND STATE FARM'S CASUAL NATURE IS DISCONCERTING TO SAY THE LEAST. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR EVER AGAIN. I DON'T FEEL LIKE BMW IS TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR CATCH SPONTANEOUSLY CATCHING FIRE. ALSO, ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FIRE, I HAD A DIAGNOSTICS TEST CONDUCTED ON MY CAR BY AUTOHAUS BMW IN ST. LOUIS, MO AND THE TWO MINOR ISSUES WERE UNRELATED TO THE ELECTRICAL FIRE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
ISSUE: WHEN SEAT UNOCCUPIED, WILL RECEIVE SEAT BELT WARNING AS IF A PERSON IS IN THE SEAT. ISSUE: WHEN PASSENGER IS IN SEAT, AIRBAG AND SEAT BELT LIGHT COMES ON, WITH WARNING ON THE DISPLAY THAT THERE IS A RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. DEFECT WITH FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT, THERE ARE SEVERAL RECALLS FOR THIS ISSUE IN DIFFERENT YEARS/MODELS. MY YEAR IS NOT COVERED FOR THE CURRENT RECALLS, EVEN THOUGH ITS THE SAME EXACT ISSUE, AND LIKELY THE SAME MAT AND/OR SEATS. EXAMPLE RECALLS: 17V-428 13V-564 17V-605
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
ISSUE: WHEN SEAT UNOCCUPIED, WILL RECEIVE SEAT BELT WARNING AS IF A PERSON IS IN THE SEAT. ISSUE: WHEN PASSENGER IS IN SEAT, AIRBAG AND SEAT BELT LIGHT COMES ON, WITH WARNING ON THE DISPLAY THAT THERE IS A RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. DEFECT WITH FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT, THERE ARE SEVERAL RECALLS FOR THIS ISSUE IN DIFFERENT YEARS/MODELS. MY YEAR IS NOT COVERED FOR THE CURRENT RECALLS, EVEN THOUGH ITS THE SAME EXACT ISSUE, AND LIKELY THE SAME MAT AND/OR SEATS. EXAMPLE RECALLS: 17V-428 13V-564 17V-605
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
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HEARD AND EXPLOSION. ACTUALLY MY SUNROOF BURST IN TO PIECES WITHOUT ANY REASON. *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 .