RoadVitals

2008 BMW 335XI Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
15
Latest Jul 18, 2023
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
25%
of 61 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
4
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 BMW 335XI submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Electrical
Filed Jul 18, 2023
Fire reported1 injury reported

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 335xi. The contact stated after parking the vehicle at a parking lot, he noticed smoke exiting the center dashboard. The contact detached the plastic kickboard and saw the fire located in the wires. A bystander had a fire extinguisher available and was able to extinguish the fire. The contact burned his left hand but declined medical attention. The fire department arrived at the location and filed a fire report. The fire department informed the VIN was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System). A police report was not filed. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where they associated the failure with the recall. The contact stated a manufacturer inspector, later on, informed the recall was not associated with the fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

NHTSA ID
11532997
Incident
Jun 6, 2023
Mileage
123,000 mi
ElectricalEngineFuel system
Filed Dec 3, 2022

My car hasn't start up for 2 years now. 1st it started with a dead starter, then alternator, then the radiator and water pump bursted, and as i was standing outside of my car the passenger air bag deploys while the car was off and key out of the ignition. Luckily no one was in my car but now my car doesn't and wont crank or turnover, it makes a buzzing noise for a split second when i hit the start/stop button and thats all. I'm getting full voltage to it. Every time i run my scanner, i get different codes every time, i bought a 2nd scanner (carly) to compare and both threw out different codes every time but the main ones was the starter and pcv code; which i got 3 different starters put in, all new and the code was still ahowing. Ive spent more time researching and more money buying parts to fix my car then what I bought the car for which was $6k. Worst part is that My car wont even start so i cant take it to the shop and im definitely not paying a toll fee just to have the shop tell me what i already know. Ive looked up forums and multiple people is facing the same issues as i am with their results ending with a "please help if anyone finds out what this issue is". I've replaced the battery 3 times and registered the batteries each time. I have a new starter, alternator, radiator, radiator fan, water pump, thermostat, reservoir, crankshaft and camshaft position sensor, battery, ibs cables, power distribution box, ground straps, oil filter, oil filter housing, spark plugs, coil packs, manifold and gaskets, pcv valves, start/stop switch, relays, fuses, and I still get the same results which is no crank/no start and a buzzing noise. When i spoke with BMW customer support i told them that the closest BMW repair shop is 2 hours away from me and the lady replied "that's going to be a huge chunk of money for towing". I mean seriously, BMW should be paying for or that and fixing their mess but won't own up to it.

NHTSA ID
11495879
Incident
May 1, 2020
ElectricalFuel system
Filed May 23, 2020

CAR HAS ISSUES WITH COLD START, LONG CRANK, RPM SURGE, CYLINDER MISFIRES. CAR HAS INDEX 5 AND INDEX 8 FUEL INJECTORS. THE CAR IS SHOWING CODES FOR ISSUES WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. *TR

NHTSA ID
11325671
Incident
Dec 26, 2019
Mileage
127,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Dec 12, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 335XI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V676000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE CONTACT CALLED BMW OF GREENWICH AND BMW OF MAMARONECK AT 914-881-3600 (LOCATED AT 110 MIDLAND AVE, PORT CHESTER, NY 10573) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID
11160981
Incident
Oct 25, 2017
Electrical
Filed Sep 22, 2018

AFTER ALMOST A YEAR, BMW IS STILL NOT READY TO 'REMEDY' AND PROVIDE A FIX FOR SAFETY RECALL 17V-676 (BLOWER MOTOR WIRING).

NHTSA ID
11130777
Incident
Sep 22, 2018
Body & structureElectricalEngine
Filed May 23, 2018
Fire reported

BLOWER MOTOR RECALL. MY BMW CAUGHT ON FIRE ON 5/17/2018. I BELIEVE IT MAY BE RELATED TO THE CURRENT RECALL CONCERNING ENGINE FIRES IN SEVERAL MODEL LINES. IT WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. HAD BEEN TURNED OFF FOR OVER 1 1/2 HOURS. DAMAGE WAS PRIMARILY ISOLATED TO THE FRONT AND REAR. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND ARRIVED WITHIN 3 MINUTES TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. COMMENTS MADE BY ARSON INVESTIGATORS WERE ODD BURN PATTERNS. FIRST THOUGHT WAS ELECTRICAL RELATED FIRE. THEY HAD TO CALL BACK FIRE FIGHTERS DUE TO WORRY THE BATTERY WOULD REIGNITE.

NHTSA ID
11097717
Incident
May 17, 2018
Mileage
140,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Nov 21, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 335XI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V676000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
11047921
Incident
Oct 25, 2017
Electrical
Filed Sep 27, 2017
Fire reported

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR I WASN'T DRIVING MY CAR NO MORE THAN 15 MIN. I FELT MY AC CUT OFF THEN I SAW WHITE SMOKE ABOVE THE DASHBOARD I PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RAISE THE HOOD UP NO SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM ABOVE THE DASHBOARD THEN FLAMES FELL OUT ABOVE THE GLOVE APARTMENT IN WHICH THE ENTIRE CAR CAUGHT FIRE MY CAR WAS WELL TAKING CARE OF NEVER HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEM WIT MY CAR (A BMW CERTIFIED MECHANIC WORK ON MY CAR ) IM VERY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT MY CAR CATCHING ON FIRE FOR NO REASON AT ALL I COULD HAVE LOST MY LIFE.

NHTSA ID
11030254
Incident
Sep 4, 2017
Mileage
154,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Oct 18, 2016

I GOT LOCKED IN MY CAR SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WILL NOT UNLOCK.THIS CAN CAUSE DEATH ON A HOT DAY.THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY

NHTSA ID
10917231
Incident
Oct 17, 2016
Mileage
50,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 21, 2016

MY FAMILY TOOK HE CAR TO THE GROCERY STORE AND WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO EXIT THE CAR, THE DRIVERS DOOR WOULDN'T OPEN. I EVENTUALLY DISCOVERED THAT FUSE #73 FAILED CAUSING THE DOORS TO LOCK THE PASSENGERS INSIDE THE CAR. INITIALLY IT WAS JUST THE DRIVERS DOOR, BUT AS I WAS PRESSING THE DOOR LOCK BUTTONS ON THE KEY AND THE CENTRAL LOCKING BUTTON ALL DOOR WERE EVENTUALLY AFFECTED. I SEE THIS AS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE PASSENGERS COULD BE TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY.

NHTSA ID
10875604
Incident
Jun 20, 2016
Mileage
89,500 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 16, 2013

THE CAR WOULD NOT START AS INDICATED ON THE RECALL. THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED FROM THE BAD CABLES. I REPLACED THE CABLES AT BMW UNDER THE RECALL A D WAS CHARGED FOR REPROGRAMMING. TO REPLACE THE CONNECTORS IT WOULD NEED REPROGRAMMED AND I FEEL THE BATTERY SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THEIR RECALL. THERE ARE SEVERAL SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. THE LIGHTS WORKED AND ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS JUST WOULD NOT START. BMW ADVISED IT NEEDED A NEW BATTERY BUT WOULD NOT INCLUDE ON THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM. IF THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE CABLE THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPROGRAM IT EITHER WAY, NEW BATTERY OR THE EXISTING BATTERY AS THEY WOULD NOT LEAVE IT "HOT" WHILE WORKING ON IT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10543870
Incident
Sep 11, 2013
Mileage
95,000 mi
ElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Jul 12, 2013

DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN BECAUSE IT REMAINED LOCKED. IT COULD NOT BE UNLOCKED USING THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE, THE KEY FOB UNLOCK BUTTON, OR THE DOOR LOCK SWITCH ON THE FRONT DASH. I HAD TO PHYSICALLY INSERT AND TURN THE KEY FROM THE OUTSIDE TO UNLOCK THE CAR. I UNDERSTAND THIS MAY BE A FUSE OR A DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR PROBLEM. IT IS AN ENORMOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF I CANNOT GET OUT OF MY CAR BECAUSE OF AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10524597
Incident
Jul 12, 2013
Mileage
53,225 mi
ElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Aug 20, 2012

DOOR LOCKS WOULDN'T OPEN OR CLOSE. INSIDE UNLOCK CAPABILITIES NOT WORKING EITHER. ONLY ACCESS IN OR OUT IS THROUGH THE KEYED ENTRY. CANNOT EVEN OPEN THE OTHER THREE DOORS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10471630
Incident
Aug 20, 2012
Mileage
16,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 30, 2010

THE SPEEDOMETER IN THIS VEHICLE IS OFF BY 5 MPH AT 60 MPH AND PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AT HIGHER SPEEDS. BOTH THE DEALER AND BMW CORPORATION REFUSE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE REQUESTED THAT A NEW SPEEDOMETER BE INSTALLED OR THAT THE OLD UNIT BE RECALIBRATED. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SAFETY DEFECT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO ACCURATELY DETERMINE THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10346361
Incident
Jun 15, 2010
Mileage
22,000 mi
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Mar 7, 2010
Fire reported

THREE FUEL PUMP FAILURES, BMW FACTORY REP LOOKED AT CAR AT BMW CLEVELAND, IN SOLON, OHIO. ONE WEEK LATER CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE SITTING IN PARKING LOT AT WORK. *TR

NHTSA ID
10317467
Incident
Feb 5, 2010
Mileage
82,000 mi

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.

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Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .