RoadVitals

2012 BMW 535XI

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.
18
Latest Mar 19, 2019
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.
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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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 18 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 BMW 535XI, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, other / unspecified and exterior lighting categories. 11 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

  • Tires & wheels842.1%
  • Other / unspecified421.1%
  • Exterior lighting210.5%
  • Fuel system210.5%
  • Airbags15.3%
  • Suspension15.3%
  • Interior & seats15.3%

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

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

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

View all 18
Exterior lighting
Filed Mar 19, 2019

FRONT HEADLIGHTS BUILDS UP CONDENSATION AND ALOT OF WATER. LOWERING VISIBILITY.

NHTSA ID
11189881
Incident
Dec 2, 2015
Mileage
49,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Jan 15, 2019

MY CAR HAS 76,000 MILES ON IT AND THE ERROR POPPED UP ON THE MAIN SCREEN OF " "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION." IT ADVISED ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO A SERVICE CENTER WHICH I DID. BMW OF WICHITA DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY QUOTED ME $2,500 TO FIX THE ISSUE AND I ASKED THEM IF THIS WAS BECAUSE OF DAMAGE OR ABUSE BY THE OWNER AND THEY SAID NO IT JUST A PART THAT FAILED. I CALLED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD OFFER ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIR AND THEY SAID THERE WERE NOT ANY RECALLS OR SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE VEHICLE AND THEREFORE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ONLINE I SET THERE ARE OTHERS WITH THIS ISSUE AND SO I FIGURED I WOULD REPORT IT TO YOU. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS OFF A COLD START AND BEFORE ANYONE SAT IN THE SEAT AND HAS CONTINUED SINCE.

NHTSA ID
11170230
Incident
Dec 27, 2018
Mileage
76,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Jan 1, 2019

WATER CONDENSES INSIDE THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS IMPACTING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE LIGHTING SSYSTEM. REPORTED THIS WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS NORMAL. SINCE THEN I HAVE FOUND MANY OTHERS REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ID
11164369
Incident
Jan 1, 2019
Interior & seats
Filed Mar 16, 2018

THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT HEATER SUDDENLY BEGAN TO OVERHEAT WHEN THE CAR WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS OLD. THE HEAT BECAME SO INTENSE IT WAS NECESSARY TO TURN OFF THE HEATER FOR FEAR OF BURNS. THE SEAT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM JUST RECURRED WITH THE NEW SEAT, THREE YEARS AFTER THE FIRST SEAT WAS REPLACED; THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A PERSISTENT DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING FLAW, OCCURRING IN TWO CONSECUTIVE SEATS.

NHTSA ID
11079762
Incident
Mar 2, 2018
Mileage
60,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Nov 4, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 535XI. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.

NHTSA ID
10924198
Incident
Oct 1, 2014
Mileage
42,000 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed May 4, 2016

CAR WAS PURCHASED USED WITH 10,000 MI. WITHIN 1 YEAR, ABOUT 13,000 MI. BUBBLES APPEARED ON 2 GOODYEAR RUNFLAT TIRES, DUE TO POTHOLES. AFTER REPLACING 2 TIRES, I REPLACED ALL 4 WITH BRIDGESTONE RUNFLATS. NO ISSUES WITH BRIDGESTONE TIRES. GOODYEARS ARE NOT GOOD, AND SHOULD NOT BE USED ON THESE CARS.

NHTSA ID
10863212
Incident
May 21, 2014
Mileage
23,000 mi
Filed Oct 23, 2015

BMW HAS AN ISSUE WITH RUN FLAT TIRE ON CERTAIN MODELS AND CONTINUES TO REPLACE THESE TIRES, KNOWING THAT THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH GOODYEAR EAGLE LS2 TIRES. HAVING RECENTLY REPLACED 5 TIRES RECENTLY AND A 6TH TIRE TWO YEARS AGO THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. BMW CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE CLAIMS THESE ARE THE TIRES FOR THESES MODEL CARS. OUT OF SIX TIRES BMW DID AGREE TO REPLACE TWO LAST DECEMBER. THEY NOW SAY THIS IS THE TIRE FOR THIS CAR...LUCKILY, NO ONE SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES WITH THESE HIGHWAY BLOWOUTS OCCURRED. NO MORE BMW"S FOR ME UNTIL THE COMPANY ADMITS THEY HAVE A "PROBLEM" THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM AND A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE MONTHS AGO.

NHTSA ID
10785551
Incident
Oct 16, 2015
Mileage
35,000 mi
Filed Oct 20, 2015

CAR HAS HAD 3 BLOW OUTS OF RUN FLAT GOODYEAR LS2 TIRES ON HIGHWAY AND 3 TIRES WITH SIDEWALL BUBBLES THAT WERE UNSAFE TO DRIVE VEHICLE. 5 TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN LESS THAN 10 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 5,000 MILE ON A TIRE. THE VEHICLE HAS 35,000 MILES IN 37 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP.

NHTSA ID
10783727
Incident
Oct 16, 2015
Mileage
35,719 mi

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.

B160623

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low CDA594 - Message (- 0x33E) missing, receiver DME, transmitter TFE

B653423

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT

Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicle’s equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additionally, the red anti-theft alarm LED in the interior mirror does not briefly flash every 2 seconds, indicating the alarm is armed.

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 535XI by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2014011—
2013410—
2012Viewing180028.3
2011350033.1
2010150038.2
2008710033.2
2007100—

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.