2008 Bmw 5 SERIES: complaints, problems and recalls

TRUNK HAS UNEXPECTADELY OPENED WHEN THE RELEASE BUTTON WAS ACCIDENTALLY BUMPED WILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. APPARENTLY THERE IS NO LOCK OUT ON THE BUTTON PREVENTING TRUNK OPENING WHILE VEHICLE IS IN GEAR AND MOVING. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10241569 at NHTSA ↗

I PURCHASED A NEW BMW 535I ON MAY 26, 2008 AND ON AUG 8, 2008 WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT 70 MILES AND HOUR THE CAR STARTED WAS SHAKING AS IF RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS. THERE WAS A MESSAGE FROM THE CAR STATING ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER! I WAITED 3 HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK AND AFTER A FEW DAYS I RECEIVED A CALL FROM RICHMOND BMW STATING I NEEDED A NEW HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. I SAID FINE AND THEN RECEIVED A CALL THE NEXT DAY SAYING MY CAR WAS READY. WHEN I PICKED IT UP THEY DIDN'T REPAIR ANYTHING THEY SAID THEY WERE TOLD BY M…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10241825 at NHTSA ↗

ADDED EXXONMOBIL GAS 9/2/2008. CAR DEAD BY 9/7/2008, AFTER DRIVING APPROX. 50 MILES. THE FUEL PUMP ON THIS VERY NEW CAR HAS FAILED. THE DEALER CLAIMS THE GAS WAS BAD (SAYS ALCOHOL LEVEL TESTED TO 15%), WHILE EXXONMOBIL INSISTS THE FUEL WAS FINE AT 10% ALCOHOL, FROM THE ETHANOL. I BELIEVE THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT THE 2008 BMW 535XI'S CAN'T HANDLE EVEN 10% ETHANOL, SO THE FUEL PUMPS ARE FAILING. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 8,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10242300 at NHTSA ↗

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BMW 525I M SPORT WHICH HAS DONE 1000 MILES. IT IS JUST 6 WEEKS OLD AND THE HIGH PRESSURE PUMP (HPP) WENT BUST. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I BUY A CAR WITH MY HARD EARNED MONEY AND THIS HAPPENS. BMW SHOULD REALIZE THE IMPACT IT HAS ON SOMEONE WHO EXPECTS A LOT FROM HIS CAR SINCE HE IS PAYING OUT OF HIS NOSE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,059 miles reported. Look up ODI 10243620 at NHTSA ↗

2008 BMW 535XI WAGON. ENGINE MISFIRING/LOSING POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER FIRST RESET COMPUTER..HAPPENED AGAIN. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP..HAPPENED AGAIN. DEALER REPLACED A CYLINDER INJECTOR....GOOD SO FAR. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10247795 at NHTSA ↗

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS IN JULY AND BROUGHT IT TO DEALER AND COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. SECOND TIME I HAD CAR TOWED AND SAID IT WAS FAULTY IGNITION COIL. REPLACED AND SEEMS OK NOW, BUT EVERY SO OFTEN IT RUNS ROUGH FOR A FEW MOMENT. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10248242 at NHTSA ↗

I HAVE A 2008 BMW 535I WITH SPORT PACKAGE AND PREMIUM PACKAGE. I HAVE HAD AN "ENGINE MALFUNCTION/REDUCING HORSEPOWER" ISSUE WITH THIS CAR 3 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING IT IN AUGUST 2008. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WITHIN 3 WEEKS OF DELIVERY AND ONLY 600 MILES. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED ABOUT A MONTH LATER WITH APPROX 1500 MILES; AND THE THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 11/3/08 WITH APPROXIMATELY 2200 MILES. BMW SAYS EACH TIME THAT IT'S A MISFIRE IN ONE OF THE CYLINDERS - BUT THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. SO EACH TIME THEY RESET THE COMPUTER AND…

Owner-reported narrative. 600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10248472 at NHTSA ↗

PURCHASED NEW 535I 8/22/08. WITH LESS THAN 400 MILE, RECEIVED ENGINE MALFUNCTION-POWER REDUCED WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEED. LIMPED TO DEALER, WHO HAD CAR FOR 4.5 DAYS. 1ST QUESTION: WHAT TYPE OF FUEL? SHELL. RESPONSE: MAY HAVE TO MUCH ETHANOL. SERVICE FOUND AN ENGINE MIS-FIRE CODE; REPLACED INJECTOR AND SWAPPED COILS TO VALIDATE INJ. REPLACEMENT. 2ND OCCURRENCE AT 3200 MILES, AGAIN AT HI-WAY SPEEDS. MIS-FIRE CODE AGAIN FOUND BY DEALER SERVICE. INJECTORS WERE "SWAPPED"; I'M NOT SURE TO WHAT END. THE CAR WAS ALSO "REPROGRAMMED".I GE…

Owner-reported narrative. 400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10251292 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2010-10-01 (October 1, 2010)

BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, 6-SERIES, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2008 7-SERIES VEHICLES. A CHECK VALVE OF THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP MAY LEAK A SMALL AMOUNT OF LUBRICATING OIL. OVER TIME THIS COULD RESULT IN CONTAMINATION OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER.

Consequence: POWER ASSIST BRAKING PERFORMANCE COULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED. IN EXTREME CASES THERE COULD BE A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ASSIST BRAKING. AN UNEXPECTED REDUCTION OR LOSS IN POWER BRAKING ASSIST MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 24, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.

Reported: 2012-03-26 (March 26, 2012)

BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 6-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 M5, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 M6 VEHICLES. THE INSULATED BULKHEAD CONNECTOR FOR THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE TRUNK FLOOR PANEL, WHICH CAN LEAD TO A LOOSENING OF THE BOLT CONNECTION. AS IT LOOSENS, AN INCREASE IN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AT THIS CABLE CONNECTION IS POSSIBLE AND COULD CAUSE THE CABLE CONNECTION TO OVERHEAT.

Consequence: OVERHEATING COULD LEAD TO A FIRE, EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN USE. AS A PRECAUTION, OWNERS ARE ADVISED TO PARK OUTSIDE UNTIL THE REMEDY HAS BEEN MADE.

Remedy: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND SECURE THE BATTERY BOLT CABLE CONNECTION AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.

Reported: 2022-03-02 (March 2, 2022)

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.

Consequence: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.

Remedy: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.