2008 BMW 535XI Engine Problems

Car is over heating. Replace water pump and thermostat. Car still over heating. Bad water pumps.

NHTSA ID

11611307

Incident

Apr 14, 2024

The vehicle's engine caught fire approximately 13 1/2 hours after last having been driven. I parked it in my driveway at 9pm on April 15, 2022. I was alerted to a fire in the engine by my neighbor at 10:30am on April 16, 2022. The entire engine was engulfed in flames, melting all of the plastic components. It burned through my hood and affected every part of the engine. We were able to get the fire out with a garden hose before it spread to the house and my parents' two other vehicles parked next to it. No one was burned while putting out the fire, but several neighbors and family members did breathe in the toxic smoke. 911 was called and the fire department confirmed the fire was out. The driveway under the vehicle has burn damage, but we haven't moved the vehicle yet to see the extent of it. The check engine light had been on since purchase. The vehicle had been maintained by a mechanic specializing in import motors. He was unable to determine the cause of the check engine alert, and said it was a problem that BMW has with several of their models of this era. The vehicle was only covered under liability insurance, so our insurance company has not required an inspection. It has not yet been inspected by a mechanic or any other entity. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested.

NHTSA ID

11461541

Incident

Apr 16, 2022

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE MISFIRED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER BMW OF COLUMBIA LOCATED AT (1900 I70 DR. SW, COLUMBIA MO) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE CYLINDER NUMBER 4 MISFIRE WAS DUE TO DEFECTIVE FUEL INJECTORS. THE FUEL INJECTORS WERE REPLACED AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,450.

NHTSA ID

11319458

Incident

Jun 1, 2019

Mileage

93,450 mi

FOR OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE (SMALL) ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY & CONSTANTLY GOING ON/OFF. I'VE HAD SENSORS, SPARK PLUGS, TUBES & EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN REPLACED AND HAVE TAKEN (OR TOWED IN MOST CASES) THE CAR TO MANY DIFFERENT AUTO REPAIR SHOPS FOR MULTIPLE QUOTES & REPAIRS. THE LATEST PROBLEM IS THE SMALL ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON & THE CAR WAS STUCK IN PARK AND WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. IT WOULDN'T SHIFT. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN, THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS COMPLETELY GONE & THE CAR WAS FINE TO DRIVE/REVERSE. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR A FEW BLOCKS, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION/REDUCE SPEED LIGHT CAME ON, THE POWER WAS DRASTICALLY REDUCED & I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A DUMP TRUCK. IN 2008, I BOUGHT MY BMW BRAND NEW BECAUSE I WANTED NO CAR ISSUES BECAUSE I AM NOT A MECHANIC. EVERY SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT REPEATED & DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT NO MECHANIC CAN IDENTIFY. AND IT ALL STARTED WITH THE HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WHICH WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES (HPFP). AFTER THE THIRD HPFP WAS REPLACED, AND THE CAR WAS IN THE SHOP LITERALLY FOR THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT, I GOT A LAWYER INVOLVED AND BMW CORP APOLOGIZED & SAID I COULD HAVE A CHOICE OF: 1/ GETTING A DIFFERENT CAR THAT THEY PICKED OUT (A 535I NOT THE XI I BOUGHT BECAUSE OF SNOW AND ICE CONDITIONS) 2/ THEY CUT ME A CHECK FOR A FEW THOUSAND AND TOLD ME TO SHUT UP AND I COULD NEVER SPEAK OF WHAT HAPPENED OR BE PART OF FUTURE LAWSUITS OR CLASS ACTIONS. I'VE NEVER FELT SAFE DRIVING MY 2008 BMW (116K MILES ON IT OVER 12.5 YEARS) EVERY BMW OWNER THAT BOUGHT A BMW BETWEEN THE RANGE OF YEARS KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT RE: THE CONSTANT AND NEVER-ENDING ISSUES THAT ALL START WITH THE HPFP & ESCALATE FROM THERE. REPAIR SHOPS CAN'T FIX THE ISSUES & BMW COVERS UP. NHTSA HASN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS MASSIVE BMW ISSUE AFFECTING THE VAST MAJORITY OF OWNERS. JUST GOOGLE IT!

NHTSA ID

11279664

Incident

Nov 10, 2019

Mileage

116,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMP FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.

NHTSA ID

10927425

Incident

Nov 7, 2016

Mileage

135,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND OVERHEATED. IN ADDITION "PLEASE SHUT ENGINE OFF DUE TO OVERHEATING " WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS THE MESSAGE BOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA ID

10906002

Incident

May 31, 2016

Mileage

60,000 mi

THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED DUE TO WATER PUMP FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BMW DEALERSHIP AND THE WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT WERE REPLACED. SOME BMW 5-SERIES WATER PUMPS HAVE BEEN RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

10717391

Incident

Jun 23, 2014

Mileage

59,709 mi

CAR OVER HEATED AND I CALLED A MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMPS GO OUT ON THEM AT AROUND 100,000 MILES. HE TOLD ME HOW TO TROUBLE SHOOT THE ISSUE AND IT IS THE PUMP. WONDER IF THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS... *TR

NHTSA ID

10703806

Incident

Apr 3, 2015

Mileage

107,000 mi

I STARTED MY CAR AND UPON STARTING IT BEGAN RATTLING AND SHAKING VIOLENTLY. I TOOK A VIDEO OF THE MESSAGE THAT APPEARED ON THE DASH SAYING. ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10701538

Incident

Mar 25, 2015

Mileage

114,106 mi

THE CAR WAS SHUDDERING DUE TO MISFIRING FUEL INJECTORS AND HAD ERRATIC ENGINE OPERATION. NOTE: BMW IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALL IN DECEMBER 2010. BMW NOTED IN THE RECALL THAT THIS REPAIR IS TO BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY REGARDLESS OF TIME OR MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE. IN MY EXPERIENCE, BMW IS NOT HONORING THE VOLUNTARY RECALL NOTICE. *JS

NHTSA ID

10669296

Incident

Nov 10, 2014

Mileage

74,884 mi

COLD START IN THE MORNING FOR DRIVE TO WORK, CAR SUFFERED SLOW START AND ROUGH IDLE. THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND REDUCED POWER NOTIFICATION ON IDRIVE WITH HIGH COOLANT FAN RPM. SHUT DOWN CAR FOR 30 MINUTES, RESTARTED WITH NO ISSUE INDICATED IN IDRIVE BUT YELLOW CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON DASH. DROVE TO DEALER FOR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT ON SAFETY RECALL FOR TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLY (13V-407). WHILE AT 40 MPH AND APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE FROM DEALER, ENGINE SURGED THEN REDUCED POWER NOTIFICATION AND CHECK ENGINE ON IDRIVE. RADIATOR FAN WENT TO HIGH RPM AND CAR SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH RAPIDLY ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT ON A TWO LANE ROAD. VEHICLE MADE IT TO THE DEALER WITHOUT INCIDENT. DEALER INDICATES IT IS FAILURE OF HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. THIS IS THE SECOND REPLACEMENT OF THE PUMP. LAST ONE OCCURRED WITHIN 27 MONTHS AND 16K MILES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10619117

Incident

Aug 4, 2014

Mileage

56,431 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE DISPLAYED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING AND THE ENGINE FAILED INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WATER PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,400.

NHTSA ID

10617252

Incident

Jul 28, 2014

Mileage

100,400 mi

ON JANUARY 5, 2014 DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY APPROX. 55 MPH THE VEHICLE'S DISPLAYED ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION DROPPED MY RATE OF SPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH (SAFETY MODE) ALMOST SUSTAINED A REAR END COLLISION I THEN PULLED OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER I TURNED THE CAR OFF WAITED 10 MINUTES AND TURNED IT ON WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. I TOOK THE CAR TO BMW OF TENAFLY, NJ THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND SAID THE CAR WAS GOOD TO DRIVE ON THE WAY HOME TRAVELING APPROX. 45 MPH THE CAR AGAIN DISPLAYED ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION DROPPED MY RATE OF SPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH (SAFETY MODE) I PULLED OVER I TURNED THE CAR OFF WAITED 10 MINUTES AND TURNED IT ON THE MALFUNCTION CONTINUED THE NEXT DAY I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO BMW OF TENAFLY, NJ THEY CHANGED THE CONTROL MODULE AND SOME OTHER COMPONENT IN THE ENGINE. ON JUNE 10, 2014 DRIVING ON I95 TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH THE CAR ONBOARD DISPLAY SHOWED A TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION AND DROPPED MY RATE OF SPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH (SAFETY MODE), I PULLED OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER I TURNED THE CAR OFF WAITED 10 MINUTES AND TURNED IT ON WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. TRAFFIC CONDITIONS WERE LIGHT, BUT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SERIOUS ISSUE (ACCIDENT OR FATALITY) DURING NORMAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. ON JUNE 9, 2014 I FILED A REPORT WITH BMW USA AND I HAVE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT BMW OF TENAFLY, NJ. *TR

NHTSA ID

10597035

Incident

Jan 5, 2014

Mileage

66,000 mi

FUEL INJECTORS WERE REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE IN 05/2011 DUE TO A FAULTY DESIGN UNDER A RECALL THROUGH BMW. THE SAME INJECTORS HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY FAILED AGAIN LESS THAN 3 YEARS SINCE THEY WERE REPLACED. THIS RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE PUTTING ME AT RISK. BMW FAILS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY SAYING WARRANTY ON PARTS HAS EXPIRED ON PARTS THAT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY RECALLED WITH KNOWN ISSUES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10561137

Incident

Jan 1, 2014

Mileage

79,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE 2008 BMW 535XI, THERE WAS A LOUD SOUND FROM THE ENGINE. A MESSAGE APPEARED "CAR OVERHEATED" AND THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE WATER PUMP FAILED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. THE ACCELERATION WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL AND THE CAR WAS ESSENTIALLY INOPERABLE. IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION WITH VEHICLES APPROACHING ME FROM BEHIND ESPECIALLY WITH NO SHOULDER SPACE AVAILABLE TO PULL THE CAR OVER. I MANAGED TO TURN ONT HE HAZARD LIGHTS AND BARELY MANAGED TO ESCAPE THIS SITUATION WITHOUT AN INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP HAD FAILED AND WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IT, THE COST OF WHICH WOULD BE AT LEAST $1,200. WHEN I LOOKED UP ON THE INTERNET REGARDING THIS ISSUE, I HAVE SEEN MANY INDIVIDUALS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE WATER PUMP IN LESS THAN AS LITTLE AS 30,000 MILES. I ALSO STUMBLED ONTO A NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN (NO. 11V-521: "ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP") ON CERTAIN 2008 BMW 5-SERIES. I WAS SHOCKED TO KNOW THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN NUMBER. WHAT TYPE OF QUALITY CHECKS ARE THESE PUMPS SUBJECTED TO? I HAVE HEARD OF MANY SUCH INSTANCES WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. MOST OTHER VEHICLES HAVE WATER PUMPS LASTING OVER 100,000 MILES AND WELL BEYOND. WHY HASN'T BMW ISSUED A RECALL? *TR

NHTSA ID

10560707

Incident

Jan 6, 2014

Mileage

58,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE ENGINE HIGH TEMPERATURE WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED AND THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP HAD FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V521000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 50,056.

NHTSA ID

10500629

Incident

Feb 25, 2013

Mileage

50,056 mi

I OWN A 2008 BMW 535XI. ONLY MONTHS AFTER THE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRED, THE WATER PUMP FAILED. A CAR IS RENDERED INOPERABLE WITHOUT THIS CRITICAL COMPONENT. BECAUSE OF THIS FAILURE, I WAS LEFT STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY, WITH MY WIFE AND KIDS IN THE CAR, UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE NEAREST EXIST. THE WATER PUMP FAILED IMMEDIATELY AND COMPLETELY WITH LITTLE-TO-NO WARNING. I WAS EXTREMELY SURPRISED AND DISAPPOINTED THAT THE ORIGINAL BMW WATER PUMP COULD NOT EVEN LAST FOR 50,000 MILES. HOW COULD THIS BE? WHAT TYPE OF BMW QUALITY CHECKS WAS THIS CRITICAL COMPONENT SUBJECTED TO? I HAVE ALSO HEARD THAT THIS FAILURE IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR MY MODEL VEHICLE. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE. WOW! MOST OTHER VEHICLES HAVE WATER PUMPS LASTING OVER 100,000 MILES AND WELL BEYOND. GIVEN THE CRITICALLY OF THIS POTENTIAL PREMATURE COMPONENT FAILURE, WHY HASN'T BMW ISSUED A RECALL? AFTER BEING LEFT STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND OUT MORE THAN $1,200 FOR THE REPAIR (PLUS TOWING), I AM LEFT WITH A MUCH LOWER OPINION OF BMW QUALITY AND SAFETY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10472497

Incident

Aug 18, 2012

Mileage

46,802 mi

A COOLER LEAKED IN THE TRUNK OF MY WAGON AND UNDER THE FLOOR THERE LIES EXPOSED UNPROTECTED HIGHLY VALUABLE ELECTRONICS, WHICH SHORTED OUT MY CAR AND CREATED A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED SHOCKS AMONGST OTHER IMPORTANT SYSYTEMS, MY DEALER SAYS HE HAS SEEN "MANY OF THESE" AND CLEARLY THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE ON THE WEB THAT HAVE HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, THE NEXT YEAR ACCORDING TO BMW THIS EXTREMELY DUMB DESIGN WAS CHANGED. CLEARLY THE TRUNK SHOULD BE A PLACE TO PUT ITEMS THAT MAY BE WET [FISHING TACKLE, SCUBA, SNOW BOOTS, SKIIS, COOLERS, MILK AND GROCERIES....] AND ONE SHOULD NOT BE PENALIZED A $1700 DOLLAR BILL EVERYTIME SOMETHING SPILLS. MY DEALER REPLACED THE MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRONICS THEN COVERED THE ELECTRONICS IN PLASTIC BUT THIS IS CLEARLY A JURY-RIGGED FIX. PLEASE HELP! *TR

NHTSA ID

10464305

Incident

Jun 27, 2012

Mileage

32,000 mi

CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS UNRESOLVED FIRE SAFETY ISSUES WITH A 2008 BMW 535XI *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED ON FEB 14, 2012, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, SIX DAYS LATER, A SPARK OF FIRE AND BALL OF SMOKE OCCURRED AS THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE ALTERNATOR WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AN INSPECTION ALSO REVEALED AN OIL LEAK. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES AND EXPLODED, TOTALING THE VEHICLE. THE ENTIRE FRONT HOOD AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE MELTED AND DESTROYED, AS WELL AS THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER AREAS WERE AFFECTED BY THE FIRE. THE CONSUMER AND HIS PASSENGER SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER IN DECEMBER 2013, AND JANUARY 2014 AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. HE COMPLAINED OF LOW COOLANT, THE TRUNK RANDOMLY OPENING, THE KEY NOT STARTING THE VEHICLE RIGHT AWAY, AND THE CLOCK SUDDENLY SHOWING A THE WRONG TIME. BOTH TIMES, THE DEALER STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. UPDATED 03/10/14

NHTSA ID

10455169

Incident

Feb 11, 2012