What breaks most · 2007 to 2013 model years
BMW 335 problems by year
Owners have filed 66 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW 335 across model years 2007 to 2013. Three years stand out: 2011 for air bags complaints, 2009 for air bags complaints and 2007 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2008 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2009, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 662007 to 2013, all trims
- Worst year
- 201128 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 34 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 64kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 7Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (7) | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | Engine (4) | |
| 28 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (11) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2011 BMW 335
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 39% |
11 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 25% |
7 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 BMW 335 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 18% |
5 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 BMW 335 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 14% |
4 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2011 BMW 335 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 7% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2011 BMW 335 |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
November 25, 2016 approximately 17:44 (5:44 pm est) my 2011 bmw 335d stalled while driving. "engine malfunction reduced power" alert was on screen. I was able to re-start it, and continued on my way. This is a re-occurring dangerous problem with this car. Bmw needs to fix this before somebody gets killed.
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I was driving on the highway when all of the sudden i heard and explosion. Actually my sunroof burst in to pieces without any reason.
-
My daytime running lights bulb failed. Upon opening up the sealed headlight bucket, i discovered that the positive and negative wires' insulation was brittle, cracked, and missing in places, potentially allowing for a short to and possibly a fire to occur.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which BMW 335 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2009, 2007 carry the most filings on the BMW 335. The 2011 alone has 28 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common BMW 335 problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW 335 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW 335 complaints that include mileage is about 64,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.