2012 Bmw 535i problems and recalls

Owners have filed 64 complaints on the 2012 Bmw 535i, and NHTSA has issued 1 recall. The most cited component is the Engine (14 complaints).

64
Complaints
1
Recalls
0
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
0
Injuries
44.5
Severity index

Severity index 44.5 Low. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 44.5p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 110 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 15% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 14 complaints (21.9%)14 22%Power TrainPower Train: 13 complaints (20.3%)13 20%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 12 complaints (18.8%)12 19%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 9 complaints (14.1%)9 14%Air BagsAir Bags: 7 complaints (10.9%)7 11%TiresTires: 6 complaints (9.4%)6 9%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 4 complaints (6.2%)4 6%SteeringSteering: 4 complaints (6.2%)4 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE1421.9%
POWER TRAIN1320.3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1218.8%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM914.1%
AIR BAGS710.9%
TIRES69.4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING46.2%
STEERING46.2%

Complaints filed per year

07142012: 22013: 62014: 62015: 12016: 32017: 42018: 62019: 142020: 42021: 82022: 32023: 12024: 32025: 3121314151617181914202122232425
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20122
20136
20146
20151
20163
20174
20186
201914
20204
20218
20223
20231
20243
20253
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (7 against 15).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
16V74600017/10/2016FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 BMW X5 3.0si, X5 4.8i, X5 M, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i and X5 xDrive50i, 2008-2011 X6 x Drive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 535i xDrive Gran Turismo, 535i Gran Turismo

Other Bmw 535i model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 4 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.