RoadVitals

2008 BMW 535XI Fuel system Problems

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

Data refreshed

Fuel system 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 Apr 8, 2020
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.
21%
of 71 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.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 BMW 535XI 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 fuel system

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

Fuel system
Filed Apr 8, 2020

MY BMW IS A 2008 BMW 535XI THAT WAS MANUFACTURED ON 02/2008. I HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH CYLINDER 4 MISFIRING SO I CHANGED ALL 6 SPARK PLUGS AND CYLINDER 4 IGNITION COIL ONLY TO HAVE CYLINDER MISFIRING STILL. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY CHECKED AND STATED THAT I HAD A BAD IGNITION COIL BECAUSE MY SPARK PLUG AND IGNITION COIL SMELLED LIKE FUEL. MY FRIEND IS A TECH AT A LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP AND TOLD ME NOT TO REPAIR IT YET BECAUSE BMW HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE WHICH IS A E61 SPORTS WAGON. I WILL PROVIDE THE DOCUMENT THAT SHOWS THAT MY VEHICLE IS UNDER THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. WHEN AT IDLE MY CAR SHAKES. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT A YEAR I JUST NEVER HAD THE MONEY TO FIX IT AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE ISSUES WERE UNTIL NOW. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT DATE SO I WILL PUT TODAY'S DATE.

NHTSA ID
11320619
Incident
Apr 8, 2020
EngineFuel system
Filed Mar 27, 2020

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
Fuel system
Filed Jun 21, 2019

VEHICLE STALLS, HESITATES WHEN DRIVING. MESSAGE ON THE DASH SAYS THAT THE FUEL PUMP IS FAILING, BUT CAN BE DRIVEN WITH DECREASED PERFORMANCE AND TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO BMW. BROUGHT THE CAR TO BMW SERVICE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE FUEL PUMP BUT MY CAR IS NOT COVERED BECAUSE I HAVE 159K MILES ONE THE SAID VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION WITH THE SERVICE ADVISOR, (CARLOS - NORWALK BMW), WHO IS POLITE AND HELPFUL, WE FOUND THAT THE CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN SERVICED FOR THREE SAME PROBLEM AT LEAST 3 TIMES. FIRST IS IN 2009 WHEN THEY REPLACED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. AFTER FOLLOA YEAR 2010, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN REPLACED THE SAME FUEL PUMP. THEN ON 2013, HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN, THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE INJECTORS BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN ONGOING AND THIS TIME, THEY WILL NOT FIX THE ISSUE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OVER THE 120K MILES. I BELIEVE THAT BMW IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROBLEM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER PROPERLY FIX IN THE FIRST PLACE. AT LEAST 3 TIMES OF HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM (THAT WAS DOCUMENTED BY BMW), AND STILL NOT RESOLVED! IT IS A GOOD CAR, BUT CAN BE DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I WILL NOT LET MY WIFE DRIVE IT ANYMORE UNTIL I FEEL IT IS SAFE. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. AT LOW SPEED, IDLING, AND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHICH CAN BE REALLY SCARY. I HOPE THEY WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND ACTUALLY FIND AND FIX THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ID
11221741
Incident
May 15, 2019
Mileage
158,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Jul 31, 2018

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND LOCAL STREETS THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES POWER AND CUTS OFF GIVING A FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTION. I HAD THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THIS HAS PUT MY WHOLE FAMILY IN DANGER BECAUSE IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH. THE CAR JUST SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN.

NHTSA ID
11114710
Incident
Jul 27, 2018
Mileage
140,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Nov 5, 2017

MECHANICAL INSPECTION REVEALED A CRACK IN INTAKE MANIFOLD. THIS DEFECT MANIFESTS ITSELF WITH DIFFICULTY STARTING THE ENGINE DURING COLD STARTS,HESITATION WHEN APPLYING THE GAS PEDAL FOR RAPID ACCELERATION ON HIGHWAY ROADS. THERE IS ALSO A ROUGH IDLE

NHTSA ID
11043376
Incident
Sep 15, 2017
Mileage
133,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Apr 12, 2017

ON THURSDAY MARCH 30TH I DROPPED THE CAR OFF WITH BRINSFIELD AUTO IN GREENSBORO, NC BECAUSE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ON APRIL 6TH I PICKED IT UP WITH COMPLETED REPAIRS OF A CLEANED #5 FUEL INJECTOR THAT WAS DIAGNOSED AS RUNNING RICH BUT AFTER BEING CLEANED WAS RUNNING CORRECTLY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER AN INDICATOR. ON APRIL 8TH I WAS DRIVING IN GASTONIA, NC AND THE CAR BEGAN SMOKING AND SHUDDERING TO THE POINT IT WAS NOT DRIVABLE. I PULLED INTO A CAR DEALERSHIP THAT WAS CLOSED BECAUSE IT WAS AFTER HOURS AND PARKED THE CAR. MY SON AND I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND NOTICED A VERY CLEAR ODOR OF GAS. THERE WAS A COUPLE DRIVING THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP LOT WHO STOPPED AND ALSO NOTICED THE ODOR AND AGREED IT WAS INDEED FUEL AND I SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR. IT WAS TOWED BACK TO BRINSFIELD AUTO WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE #5 FUEL INJECTOR WAS LOCKED IN THE OPEN POSITION AND SHOOTING STRAIGHT FUEL THROUGH THE ENGINE AND OUT THE EXHAUST PIPE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSE A FIRE HAD I NOT NOTICED.

NHTSA ID
10972012
Incident
Apr 8, 2017
Mileage
117,235 mi
EngineFuel system
Filed Sep 13, 2016

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
AirbagsFuel systemSeat belts
Filed Jun 27, 2016

THE CAR HAS AN PASSENGER RESTRAINT ERROR THAT DOES NOT GO AWAY. THE CAR FUEL GAGE DOES NOT WORK EITHER

NHTSA ID
10877004
Incident
Oct 1, 2015
Mileage
165,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed May 6, 2016

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2008 BMW 535XI AND HAVE HAD IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK OR SO. IT HAS SPENT MORE TIME IN THE SHOP THAN ON THE ROAD DUE TO FUEL INJECTORS CAUSING MISFIRES AND NOW THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP HAS GONE OUT. I RECENTLY FOUND OUT ALSO THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH BMW AND THEY ARE PRETENDING THAT THE FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTION IN 3 & 5 SERIES ISN'T THEIR FAULT. I CHECKED THE CARFAX ON THE VEHICLE BEFORE BUYING IT AND IT WAS SERVICED REGULARLY AT A BMW DEALERSHIP. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I ALSO HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THE DEALERSHIP TOTALLY IGNORED THE RECALLS AND SCREWED OVER THE FIRST OWNER. BMW NEEDS TO TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELLING CARS WITH KNOWN DEFECTIVE PARTS. I HAVE TO DROP $3800 TO FIX THE PROBLEMS THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAS CAUSED. THE CAR WON'T EVEN START NOW.

NHTSA ID
10863569
Incident
May 6, 2016
Mileage
124,950 mi
BrakesFuel systemSteering
Filed May 12, 2015

I WAS EXITING THE THE FREEWAY AND WHEN I WAS ON A BANKED ONRAMP THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. I LOST POWER STEERING AND THE ABILITY TO RELEASE THE BRAKE. I NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AS THE UNEXPECTED LOSS IN POWER STEERING CAUSED ME TO LOOSE GRIP ON THE WHEEL. THE ENGINE WAS IN NEUTRAL WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED. UPON RESTARTING THE ENGINE (WHICH STRUGGLED TO START) THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON TELLTALE" ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE ENTERED "REDUCE ENGINE POWER MODE". AFTER SCANNING THE DTC (P3090) I LEARNED THE VEHICLE'S HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED. I NOTICED BMW HAS A RECALL ON THE ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY THEIR RECALL ONLY COVERS THE FUEL PUMP TO 120,000 MILES AND MY VEHICLE HAS ROUGHLY 9,500 MILES ABOVE THE COVERED THRESHOLD. BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND READING ONLINE I FEEL THE PUMP HAS SOME SORT OF DESIGN FLAW THAT BMW HAS FAILED TO PROPERLY ADDRESS. I WISH BMW WOULD HOLD UP TO THEIR INTEGRITY AND CONTINUE TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
10715851
Incident
May 8, 2015
Mileage
129,500 mi
EngineFuel system
Filed Mar 25, 2015

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
Fuel system
Filed Jan 6, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VIBRATED UPON START UP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TWO FUEL INJECTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE NEW DESIGN FUEL INJECTORS MANUFACTURER'S RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145,000.

NHTSA ID
10670481
Incident
Oct 1, 2014
Mileage
145,000 mi
EngineFuel system
Filed Dec 31, 2014

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
EngineFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 5, 2014

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
EngineFuel system
Filed Jan 23, 2014

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

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 .