RoadVitals

2012 BMW 335XI

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
2
Latest Oct 11, 2017
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Aug 17, 2015
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 BMW 335XI, most frequently naming the airbags category. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 4 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags2100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
15V520000

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Aug 17, 2015
7,727 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, and ActiveHybrid3 vehicles manufactured October 20, 2011, to June 22, 2015, 2014-2015 328xi Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured March 21, 2013, to March 17, 2015, 2014-2015 328d, 328xd vehicles manufactured June 28, 2013, to April 21, 2015, and 2014-2015 328xd Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured July 5, 2013, to April 21, 2015. The affected vehicles may have been programmed with new software that inadvertently makes the front side marker lights inoperative in conjunction with the parking lights or the headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk: If the side marker lights do not illuminate, the vehicle may be less visible at night, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will upload revised software to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or by email at [email protected].
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Airbags
Filed Oct 11, 2017

TAKATA RECALL - I RECEIVED MY LETTER IN SEPTEMBER 2017 THAT BMW HAS THE PARTS TO REPLACE THE AIRBAG AND TO CALL IMMEDIATELY TO SCHEDULE THIS REPAIR. I CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD TAKE 4-8 WEEKS TO GET THE PARTS AND THEN I COULD SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. GIVEN THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RECALL, I AM SHOCKED THAT IT HAS TAKEN THIS LONG TO EVEN BE NOTIFIED THAT THE REPAIR CAN FINALLY BE DONE (WHEN INFORMATION ABOUT DEATHS FROM THESE AIRBAGS HAS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR). I HAVE ASKED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR TO GET THIS FIXED. NOW I GET A LETTER THAT BMW CAN MAKE THE REPAIR, BUT IT WILL BE MORE THAN ONE MONTH AND MAYBE TWO MORE MONTHS BEFORE THIS CAN BE DONE. WHAT OVERSIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO ENSURE THAT BMW AND OTHERS ARE GETTING THESE REPAIRS DONE IN A TIMELY FASHION. THANK YOU. [XXX] ARLINGTON,VIRGINIA *JB

NHTSA ID
11032942
Incident
Oct 11, 2017
Airbags
Filed Feb 24, 2017

TAKADA RECALL WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH 2016 (BMW RECALL CAMPAIGN NO. 16V-071) REGARDING THE "DRIVER'S FRONT AIR BAG MODULE". WE HAVE SPOKEN AND EMAILED OUR LOCAL BMW SERVICE CENTER ABOUT HAVING THIS PART REPLACED AND HAVE BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART. WE CONTACTED A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE FROM BMW AND WERE TOLD THAT THE PART WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL JUNE 2017 AT THE EARLIEST. WHEN I SAID THAT I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AN UNREASONABLY LONG TIME TO REPLACE A PART THAT, IF IT RUPTURED, COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGERS, THE BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD US THAT THEY RECEIVED THEIR TIME SCHEDULES FROM THE NHTSA. IT APPEARS AS IF EACH LEVEL OF THE CHAIN FOR SOLVING THIS PROBLEM IS MORE INTERESTED IN FINGER POINTING THAN SOLVING A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM. IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE NHTSA WOULD USE THEIR AUTHORITY TO "ENCOURAGE" A SPEEDIER RESOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID
10956841
Incident
Feb 24, 2017

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

B510819

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

B611305

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.

SIM010717

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The engine?s intake charge-air duct limited warranty extension to 10 years/120,000 miles applies to ?eligible USspecification

SIM010917

EQUIPMENT

Shipping specific non-deployed vehicle safety devices to lighting resources, llc. This service Information bulletin provides information on shipping "specific" noin-deployed vehicle safety devices that are classified as Dangerous Goods (DG) to Lighting resources, LLC

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW 335XI by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2016001—
2015211—
2014721—
2013911—
2012Viewing210—
2011233049.7
2010113040.5
2009183050.2
2008613049.3
2007204056.6
2006030—
2005003—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.