2011 Bmw 535I GRAN TURISMO: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
2 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
83,500 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2011 model year. Data updated: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
Most common problems
Tires is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Tires | 1 |
| Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | 1 |
Tires: 1; Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 1 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 1 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 0
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 0 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
2016: 2
Pattern summary
Tires leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10888788 · 2016-07-26 (July 26, 2016)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 535I GRAN TURISMO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PANORAMIC SUN ROOF SHADE FAILED TO RETRACT WHEN OPENED. THE SHADE HUNG DOWN AND OBSTRUCTED THE CONTACT'S VIEW WHEN LOOKING THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.
Owner-reported narrative. 117,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10888788 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10927084 · 2016-11-19 (November 19, 2016)
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, TIRE BURST. REPLACED THE TIRE AND RIM.
Owner-reported narrative. 50,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10927084 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
14V176000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine
Reported: 2014-04-10 (April 10, 2014)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and 2010-2012 535i Gran Turismo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and may possibly break.
Consequence: If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA campaign record ↗17V067000 · Power Train:Driveline:Constant Velocity Joint
Reported: 2017-02-02 (February 2, 2017)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 1 Series M Coupe and 135i Convertible vehicles, 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i, 335i, 335d, 335i Coupe, 335is Coupe, 335i Convertible, 335is Convertible, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535i Gran Turismo and 550i xDrive Gran Turismo vehicles and 2012 740i and 740Li vehicles. The rear driveshaft constant velocity (CV) joint on the affected vehicles may fatigue and break.
Consequence: If the CV joint breaks, the vehicle may have a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear driveshaft CV joint and, based on its production date, will replace it, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 266.7%ODI 10992369 · 44,000 miHORN, AIR BAG AND ALL STEERING WHEEL ELECTRONICS PERMANENTLY SEASED WORKING AFTER A SNAP NOISE FROMTHE STEERING COLUMN HAPPEN, DRIVER SYSTEM RESTRAIN ERROR LIGHT CAME ON. WHILE GOING IN REVERSE TO GET OUT OF PARKING SPOT THE STEERING WAS TURNED FAR LEFT TO GET INTO THE STREET. WHILE TURNING THE STEERING A NOISE THAT RESEMBLES PLASTICS BREAKING CAME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN COMPARTMENT AND CLICKING SOUND THAT STILL OCCURS TODAY WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL IS NOTICEABLE AND CONCERNING IF STEERING IS RELIABLE AND SAFE. WHEN THE ORIGINAL C… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 133.3%ODI 1093622716V-746 RECALL CAMPAIGN NO. BMW DOESN'T WANT TO REPLACE FUEL TANK PUMP, JUST EXTEND THE WARRANTY. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10633082 · 17,670 miON 8/24 MY 2012 535I WITH ONLY 17K MILES HAD ITS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED BY ONTARIO BMW DEALER. THE CAR LOST ALL POWER, LOCKING BRAKES, NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE WHILE TRAVELING, RIGHT WHEN EXITING THE FREEWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING AND SPUTTERING. LOST ALL POWER AND WOULDN'T MOVE. TODAY, 9/14 EXACTLY THREE WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS DONE BY THE ONTARIO BMW, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF 4 LANE HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC ON THE 405 FWY , IT HAPPENED AGAIN. MY CAR BECAME WEAKER… |
| Electrical System | 133.3%ODI 10992369 · 44,000 miHORN, AIR BAG AND ALL STEERING WHEEL ELECTRONICS PERMANENTLY SEASED WORKING AFTER A SNAP NOISE FROMTHE STEERING COLUMN HAPPEN, DRIVER SYSTEM RESTRAIN ERROR LIGHT CAME ON. WHILE GOING IN REVERSE TO GET OUT OF PARKING SPOT THE STEERING WAS TURNED FAR LEFT TO GET INTO THE STREET. WHILE TURNING THE STEERING A NOISE THAT RESEMBLES PLASTICS BREAKING CAME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN COMPARTMENT AND CLICKING SOUND THAT STILL OCCURS TODAY WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL IS NOTICEABLE AND CONCERNING IF STEERING IS RELIABLE AND SAFE. WHEN THE ORIGINAL C… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10633082 · 17,670 miON 8/24 MY 2012 535I WITH ONLY 17K MILES HAD ITS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED BY ONTARIO BMW DEALER. THE CAR LOST ALL POWER, LOCKING BRAKES, NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE WHILE TRAVELING, RIGHT WHEN EXITING THE FREEWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING AND SPUTTERING. LOST ALL POWER AND WOULDN'T MOVE. TODAY, 9/14 EXACTLY THREE WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS DONE BY THE ONTARIO BMW, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF 4 LANE HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC ON THE 405 FWY , IT HAPPENED AGAIN. MY CAR BECAME WEAKER… |
| Seat Belts | 133.3% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seats | 133.3% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Service Brakes | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10633082 · 17,670 miON 8/24 MY 2012 535I WITH ONLY 17K MILES HAD ITS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACED BY ONTARIO BMW DEALER. THE CAR LOST ALL POWER, LOCKING BRAKES, NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE WHILE TRAVELING, RIGHT WHEN EXITING THE FREEWAY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING AND SPUTTERING. LOST ALL POWER AND WOULDN'T MOVE. TODAY, 9/14 EXACTLY THREE WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS DONE BY THE ONTARIO BMW, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF 4 LANE HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC ON THE 405 FWY , IT HAPPENED AGAIN. MY CAR BECAME WEAKER… |
| Steering | 133.3%ODI 10992369 · 44,000 miHORN, AIR BAG AND ALL STEERING WHEEL ELECTRONICS PERMANENTLY SEASED WORKING AFTER A SNAP NOISE FROMTHE STEERING COLUMN HAPPEN, DRIVER SYSTEM RESTRAIN ERROR LIGHT CAME ON. WHILE GOING IN REVERSE TO GET OUT OF PARKING SPOT THE STEERING WAS TURNED FAR LEFT TO GET INTO THE STREET. WHILE TURNING THE STEERING A NOISE THAT RESEMBLES PLASTICS BREAKING CAME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN COMPARTMENT AND CLICKING SOUND THAT STILL OCCURS TODAY WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL IS NOTICEABLE AND CONCERNING IF STEERING IS RELIABLE AND SAFE. WHEN THE ORIGINAL C… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | Too few reports for a range | 50,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10927084 · 50,000 miWHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, TIRE BURST. REPLACED THE TIRE AND RIM. |
| Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | Too few reports for a range | 117,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10888788 · 117,000 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 535I GRAN TURISMO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PANORAMIC SUN ROOF SHADE FAILED TO RETRACT WHEN OPENED. THE SHADE HUNG DOWN AND OBSTRUCTED THE CONTACT'S VIEW WHEN LOOKING THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000. |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2011: 0 complaints · 2012: 1 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Tires | Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | — | 0 |
| Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.