2013 BMW 535I Problems

My 2013 BMW 535i (VIN [XXX] ) caught fire spontaneously while parked, turned off, and unoccupied on 11/18/2025 in Westbury, NY. A passerby saw smoke and called 911. Nassau County Police and the Westbury Fire Department responded. Firefighters informed me at the scene that the fire was mechanical in origin. The vehicle was completely off and had been parked for about 20 minutes. I was not in or near the car. The fire originated under the hood. This matches known fire patterns in BMW 5-series models from this generation involving electrical/engine components, even though my VIN shows no open recalls. The previous owner did not register the car, so any recall notices may not have reached them. The vehicle is a total loss. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Heard a clicking noise behind the steering wheel for a few days then I’ll the sudden the horn stopped working and all the controls on the steering wheel stopped working. I’m a mechanic so I took apart the clock spring stealing wheel compartment to find all of the wire broken and very very brittle. Cause for concern due to airbag malfunction and is no longer connected properly!!!I’ve been hearing a clicking noise behind the steering wheel for a few days. Then, suddenly, the horn stopped working, and all the controls on the steering wheel stopped working as well. Since I’m a mechanic, I disassembled the clock spring and the steering wheel compartment to find that all the wires were broken and extremely brittle. This is concerning because it could cause an airbag malfunction, and the wires are no longer connected properly.

My 2013 BMW 535i (VIN [XXX] ) caught fire spontaneously while parked, turned off, and unoccupied on 11/18/2025 in Westbury, NY. A passerby saw smoke and called 911. Nassau County Police and the Westbury Fire Department responded. Firefighters informed me at the scene that the fire was mechanical in origin. The vehicle was completely off and had been parked for about 20 minutes. I was not in or near the car. The fire originated under the hood. This matches known fire patterns in BMW 5-series models from this generation involving electrical/engine components, even though my VIN shows no open recalls. The previous owner did not register the car, so any recall notices may not have reached them. The vehicle is a total loss. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. Additionally, the contact noticed an abnormal burning odor while driving, with smoke coming from underneath the hood while at a complete stop. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Headlight Assembly has issues with the seal and condensation can/does enter the headlight assembly rendering the functionality of the headlight as suspect. Without proper lighting and condensation in front of the headlight which greatly impacts/effects the clarity and visibility of objects in the front of the car creating a safety issue. The cost to replace/repair these assemblies is excessive and is a widespread problem across multiple BMW models/years.

The headlight housing on my model year is leaking water into it and causing electrical issues , Iv noticed majority of other models I see on the road have the same issue with one of the headlight housings having water in them, this has caused numerous codes to appear on the dash. “ Vertical headlight malfunction “ …”turn signal malfunction “ …”daytime running light malfunction “ ect… this is a safety issue because it stops my signal from working and my headlight works when it wants to. Normally I would think maybe I rock chipped the housing but since I see it on majority of 535’s I see I figure it must have been an issue from factory.

Heard a clicking noise behind the steering wheel for a few days then I’ll the sudden the horn stopped working and all the controls on the steering wheel stopped working. I’m a mechanic so I took apart the clock spring stealing wheel compartment to find all of the wire broken and very very brittle. Cause for concern due to airbag malfunction and is no longer connected properly!!!I’ve been hearing a clicking noise behind the steering wheel for a few days. Then, suddenly, the horn stopped working, and all the controls on the steering wheel stopped working as well. Since I’m a mechanic, I disassembled the clock spring and the steering wheel compartment to find that all the wires were broken and extremely brittle. This is concerning because it could cause an airbag malfunction, and the wires are no longer connected properly.

Seat belt my driver restraint light has come on on my car there is a known safety recall on BMW takeda airbags second issue my horn has suddenly stopped working is this related to my airbag as they are in the same area of components basically I don't know if my airbag will work in a collision and I am no longer able to honk my horn

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, an abnormal clicking sound was coming from the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Soon after hearing the noise, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the passenger’s side CV joint was replaced out of pocket. Recently, the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer for routine maintenance and the contact was informed that the driver’s side CV joint was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

Driver side rear air spring failure.

My 2013 BMW 535i (VIN [XXX] ) caught fire spontaneously while parked, turned off, and unoccupied on 11/18/2025 in Westbury, NY. A passerby saw smoke and called 911. Nassau County Police and the Westbury Fire Department responded. Firefighters informed me at the scene that the fire was mechanical in origin. The vehicle was completely off and had been parked for about 20 minutes. I was not in or near the car. The fire originated under the hood. This matches known fire patterns in BMW 5-series models from this generation involving electrical/engine components, even though my VIN shows no open recalls. The previous owner did not register the car, so any recall notices may not have reached them. The vehicle is a total loss. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ONCE AGAIN NEARLY A MONTH AFTER MY 2013 535I HAD ITS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED BY BMW. THE CAR DECIDES TO LOSE ALL POWER AND NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE AGAIN WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING AND SPUTTERING. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE AT ALL. THE SERVICE ADVISOR IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THIS PROBLEM AND KIND OF BLEW IT OFF BY JOKING ABOUT HOW HE THOUGHT BMW CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM FOR ALL OF THEIR 135, 335, AND 535, WHICH IS DISTURBING TO NOW BMW HAS THIS PROBLEM AND IS STILL SELLING THESE VEHICLES. ALL IT TAKES IS FOR ONE TIME TO HAVE THE WRONG PERSON TRAVELING BEHIND YOU AND WHO KNOWS IF I WOULD BE HERE TO EVEN MAKE A COMPLAINT. *TR

RUBBER SEPARATING AND SIDEWALL BUBBLES AT 15K -30K MILES. VEHICLE IS ADULT DRIVEN ON PAVED ROADS.

DRIVING NEW 2013 535I (HEAVILY EQUIPPED) ABOUT 50 MPH IN 55 MPH ZONE ON A CLEAR EVENING W/LOW TRAFFIC. SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING BMW COLLIDED INTO REAR-END OF ILLEGALLY PARKED VEHICLE LACKING ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR FLARES. BMW RAMMED ADVERSE PARKED VEHICLE APPROX. 16' BEFORE PULL APART. AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ON STEERING WHEEL AND KNEE. STEERING WHEEL AIRBAG CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO LEFT ARM ETC.. BOTH LEGS IN SIMILAR TRAUMA POST-CRASH AT KNEE TO FOOT EQUALLY. FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED INWARDS (NOT OUTWARD) ABOVE STEERING WHEEL. FORCE OF IMPACT TO RT. FOOT/HEEL TO PEDAL/FLOOR CAUSED MULTIPLE FRACTURES REQ. 10 SCREWS WITH PLATE AND OTHER INJURIES. TEMPORARY TOTAL DISABILITY AND PARTIAL PERMANENT DISABILITY. OUT OF POCKET MEDICAL COSTS, AND OTHER SPECIALS EXCEED $100,000.00 EXCLUDING VALUE OF VEHICLE. (DAMAGE TO VEHICLE ESTIMATED TO EXCEED $42,000.00) BMW STALLED AND ROLLED TO A REST IN LEFT LANE. BMW ASSIST COULD NOT SPEAK TO ME, BUT COULD HEAR FROM WITHIN VEHICLE. BMW ADMITTED ITS BMW ASSIST SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. AIRBAG DEPLOYED AND MAY NOT HAVE PROPERLY AND/OR TIMELY NOTIFIED 911. PERSONAL INJURIES FROM AIRBAG DESPITE SEAT AND STEERING WHEEL FULLY RETRACTED. BMW PROMISED, BUT FAILED TO PROVIDE AUDIOTAPE AND TRANSCRIPT, DESPITE REPEATED ATTEMPTS. MOREOVER, BMW WON'T PROVIDE COMMON COURTESY OF A RESPONSE TO SAID FAILURE EVEN THOUGH PROOF OF SERVICE EXISTS. UNUSUAL PARTICULARLY SINCE NO THREAT OF LITIGATION HAS BEEN OR WILL BE MADE. AIR BAGS DO NOT SHOW AS BEING DISCONNECTED FROM CRASH ON THIS SITE. PERSONAL INJURIES E.G. MEDICAL BILLS, PAIN AND SUFFERING ETC. INTO SIX FIGURES. BMW HAS ALSO REFUSED TO INSPECT VEHICLE TO REBUT ANY QUERIES AS TO VEHICLES' PERFORMANCE AT MOMENT OF IMPACT. BMW NOR SELLING DEALER NEVER INFORMED ASSIST PACKAGE FOR ABOUT $1,300 WOULD HAVE PREVENTED OR SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE OUTCOME. *TR

ONCE AGAIN NEARLY A MONTH AFTER MY 2013 535I HAD ITS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED BY BMW. THE CAR DECIDES TO LOSE ALL POWER AND NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE AGAIN WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING AND SPUTTERING. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE AT ALL. THE SERVICE ADVISOR IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THIS PROBLEM AND KIND OF BLEW IT OFF BY JOKING ABOUT HOW HE THOUGHT BMW CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM FOR ALL OF THEIR 135, 335, AND 535, WHICH IS DISTURBING TO NOW BMW HAS THIS PROBLEM AND IS STILL SELLING THESE VEHICLES. ALL IT TAKES IS FOR ONE TIME TO HAVE THE WRONG PERSON TRAVELING BEHIND YOU AND WHO KNOWS IF I WOULD BE HERE TO EVEN MAKE A COMPLAINT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREE WAY MY BRAND NEW 535I HAD A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE LOSING POWER AND SLOWING DOWN ALL WHILE SHAKING. PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR WOULD NOT GAIN SPEED. WHEN I CALLED BMW THEY SAID TO STOP AT THE NEAREST BMW DEALERSHIP WHICH I DID. AFTER EXITING THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR AND REFUSED TO GO FASTER THAN 20 MILES AN HOUR SHAKING THE WHOLE WAY TO THE DEALER. THEY HAD MY CAR FOR A WEEK BEFORE SAYING THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP THEN RUN MORE TESTS AND THAT WAS 2 WEEKS AGO. THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD PUT SOMEONE BACK IN THAT CAR IS DISTURBING AS THOUGH THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS OR FAMILIES OR EVEN THE OTHER DRIVERS AROUND US AS I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED ON THE FREEWAY. *TR

The headlight housing on my model year is leaking water into it and causing electrical issues , Iv noticed majority of other models I see on the road have the same issue with one of the headlight housings having water in them, this has caused numerous codes to appear on the dash. “ Vertical headlight malfunction “ …”turn signal malfunction “ …”daytime running light malfunction “ ect… this is a safety issue because it stops my signal from working and my headlight works when it wants to. Normally I would think maybe I rock chipped the housing but since I see it on majority of 535’s I see I figure it must have been an issue from factory.

BMW 535I SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED OUTWARD. BROKEN GLASS (THOUSANDS OF SHARDS) CAUSED MULTIPLE SCRATCHES IN PAINT AND DIFFICULTY WITH TRUNK LID. REPAIRS COST $6000. BMW DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE RESPONSIBILITY UNDER WARRANTY, ALTHOUGH THEY DID ADMIT THAT THE GLASS SUNROOF WAS A WARRANTABLE ITEM. UNEXPLAINED BMW SUNROOF EXPLOSIONS ARE NOT UNCOMMON (SEE INTERNET), INDICATING AN OBVIOUS FACTORY DEFECT FOR WHICH BMW IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE DOOR LATCH WILL NOT UNLOCK FROM INSIDE UNLESS CENTRAL DOOR UNLOCK BUTTON IS PUSHED OR KEYFOB UNLOCK BUTTON IS PUSHED. PLUNGER MOVES UP AND DOWN WITH DOOR HANDLE BUT DOES NOT OPEN DOOR. BECAUSE THIS CAR DISCONNECTS THE BATTERY IN AN ACCIDENT I AM AFRAID THAT I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR IN AN EMERGENCY. REPAIR IS EXPENSIVE AND NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

BMW 535I SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED OUTWARD. BROKEN GLASS (THOUSANDS OF SHARDS) CAUSED MULTIPLE SCRATCHES IN PAINT AND DIFFICULTY WITH TRUNK LID. REPAIRS COST $6000. BMW DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE RESPONSIBILITY UNDER WARRANTY, ALTHOUGH THEY DID ADMIT THAT THE GLASS SUNROOF WAS A WARRANTABLE ITEM. UNEXPLAINED BMW SUNROOF EXPLOSIONS ARE NOT UNCOMMON (SEE INTERNET), INDICATING AN OBVIOUS FACTORY DEFECT FOR WHICH BMW IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

GOODYEAR 245-40R-19 TIRES ON MY 2013 BMW 535XI ARE DEFECTIVE. AT 11K MILES, I HAD TO REPLACE ONE TIRE AND THEN AT 15K I HAD TO REPLACE ANOTHER DUE TO SIDE WALL "BUBBLING". DEALER INFORMED ME THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY WITH THESE TIRES AND THERE "IS NOTHING BMW OR GOODYEAR" WILL DO FOR THE CONSUMER. GOODYEAR DISCONTINUED THEIR INSURANCE. COST TO REPLACE WITH MOUNTING AND BALANCING/TAX $500 PER TIRE. AT FIRST, DEALER MENTIONED YOU MUST HAVE HIT A POT HOLE. WHEN I MENTIONED TO HIM THAT TWO TIRES "BUBBLING" AFTER 15K MILES IS VERY QUESTIONABLE HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A TIRE ISSUE. I SENT IN A COMPLAINT TO GOODYEAR AND BMW TO NO AVAIL. THEY DO NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TIRE ISSUE YET THE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND BMW CONTINUES TO PLACE THEM ON THEIR VEHICLES. RESEARCHING THE ISSUE IT SEEMS THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN MY SITUATION. *TR

GOODYEAR EAGLE LS2 ROF TIRES. ONLY 4700 MILES ON MY 2013 BMW 535 ACTIVEHYBRID. BUBBLE ON RF TIRE, I AM THE ONLY DRIVER. NO POTHOLES EVER HIT OR CURBS RUBBED INTO. I AM IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY. CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF IMPACT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE OR THE WHEEL. NO DAMAGE TO THE INSIDE EITHER. OBVIOUS DEFECT IN THE TIRE. LOOKING AT THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS TIRE ONLINE THERE IS A PROBLEM. IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE KILLS THEMSELVES WITH A BLOWOUT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 535I. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONTACT COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING DOWN A HILL. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

THE BMW HAD RUN FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES A COLD MORNING WITH THE DRIVER CAR SEAT HEATER ON. IT SUDDENLY BEGAN TO SMOKE UNTIL THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF. THE GREY LEATHER SEAT NOW HAS A BURN MARK, AND WE DO NOT TURN ON THE CAR SEAT HEATER UNTIL THIS IS EVALUATED.

Heard a clicking noise behind the steering wheel for a few days then I’ll the sudden the horn stopped working and all the controls on the steering wheel stopped working. I’m a mechanic so I took apart the clock spring stealing wheel compartment to find all of the wire broken and very very brittle. Cause for concern due to airbag malfunction and is no longer connected properly!!!I’ve been hearing a clicking noise behind the steering wheel for a few days. Then, suddenly, the horn stopped working, and all the controls on the steering wheel stopped working as well. Since I’m a mechanic, I disassembled the clock spring and the steering wheel compartment to find that all the wires were broken and extremely brittle. This is concerning because it could cause an airbag malfunction, and the wires are no longer connected properly.

DRIVE SHAFT IS HITTING THE TRANSMISSION AND THE TIRE SENSORS KEEP POPPING UP AND SWEAT BELT IS MALFUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THESE THINGS OCCURRED.