2011 BMW 335XI problems & reliability
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 BMW 335XI, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 5 | 22% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 17% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 13% |
| Wheels | 3 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 9% |
| Engine | 2 | 9% |
| Power Train | 2 | 9% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 9% |
| Seats | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The high pressure fuel pump fails without warning. The fuel pump on previous n54 engine were recalled. The fuel pump was not changed for the newer n55 engine and they are continuing to fail.”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jun 15, 2019
“I was driving my car when the engine sounded something similar to is if I had a misfire. I started slowing down by the time I got to about 5 miles an hour smoke started coming through the vents. Open the hood and there was a fire between the back of the engine in the firewall. Within 15 minutes the car completely…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Mar 18, 2019
“I took my car into bmw for 2 recalls after waiting 2 months for the parts after 6 hrs had passed they claimed to have the wrong parts ,when I went to pick up my car it had no power I couldn't drive it home .I paid $147 for diagnostic that was supposed to be complimentary and a repair bill of $3,478.25 april 20 20018 …”
Power Train · filed Apr 27, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 BMW 335XI.
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2024
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…
B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 11, 2024
The engine?s intake charge-air duct limited warranty extension to 10 years/120,000 miles applies to ?eligible USspecification
SIM010717 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2017
Bmw: on some vehicles, when starting, low beam, with 0552 option, would briefly flashes, due to a faulty led main light module that needs replacing. Model 2008-14 f01, f02, f06, f07, f10, f12, f13, f25. *pe
SIB-63-11-14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2014
Bmw: different fault codes stored for the n51, n52k, n52t, and n55 engines in the dme related to vanos and camshaft position. *kb updated 11/1/13. *pe updated 05/05/2014 *js
SIB-12-14-12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2014
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2011 BMW 335XI has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2011 BMW 335XI?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.