BMW 335XI fire or smoke problems

Filed Jul 12, 2025 · Electrical · OR · fire

the component that failed involved 4 wires (pictures available); that somehow grounded against a cross member that wouldn't have been previously visible due to their location hidden by the under car shielding. the car is at the wrecking yard that the police called. i wanted triple a to come and get it, but was told by an officer that they didnt have time for that. i had to go in to the tow company, and sign my title over to cover towing, and avoid further billing. as of 2 weeks ago it was still there. my safety was at risk due to the electrical fire that then caught the shielding on fire, and desperately try to put it out, and no luck. the problem has not been confirmed, by anyone beside me. i have pictures and evidentally showing where the fire started. in the images it shows one and maybe two areas of toning where the wire(s) fused to the cross member about 12 inches back from the firewall in the middle on the underside of the car. the car has only been inspected by me. i retrieved the fire fighters report, and have not been able to get the police report yet due to financial constraints. though the car is being picked off of; as of the last time i took pictures, the area that caused the incident was still intact. i had been in the car no longer than 7-10 minutes of operating it when it went into limp mode and probably travelled 50 feet until it came to a complete stop; then i noticed smoke coming out from the hood; so i popped the hood, jumped out, and opened it. that when i saw an orange glow obscured by the firewall. i then ran to the passenger side, and saw a relatively small fire. so i took my coat off and tried to smother it, but then my coat caught fire, and it grew from there. when the fire department engaged the fire with water; there were 2 to 4 times that firemen ran up to me asking if it was a hybrid, and i answered no. it flared up several times creating increasing difficulty for the fire fighters; that an educated guess was caused from electrolysis.

Filed Jun 1, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · TX · fire

What happened: While driving, steering system malfunction warning appeared, power steering felt normal. Within 5 sec the HVAC blower quit, A/C shut off, and “Transmission not in Park” flashed although shifter was untouched (in Drive). All cluster gauges began sweeping randomly; iDrive screen flickered. Within 10 seconds, I heard a loud pop from passenger-side engine bay; voltage warnings continued. Pulled over immediately, switched ignition off, opened hood: active flames at passenger side of engine bay. Fire spread rapidly. Fire dept arrived within 5 min, but vehicle was fully engulfed. Total loss. No injuries. Suspected root cause: BMW’s PCV valve-heater (“blow-by heater”) or electric coolant-pump connector short-circuited, causing a massive current draw that browned out control modules (explaining the cascading warnings) and started the fire. These parts are the subjects of recalls 22V‑119 (PCV heater, build cutoff 10 Oct 2013) and 24V‑608 (water-pump connector, N20 engines only). My VIN shows NO open recalls, yet the failure sequence and fire origin perfectly match the defects acknowledged in those campaigns. Damage & consequences Complete destruction of vehicle forward of the firewall and significant damage to cabin. Towing, tow-yard and haz-mat cleanup fees incurred in excess of $1300 I only have liability coverage on the vehicle, so insurance will not get involved. Request to the federal safety agency Please investigate 2014 335i GT (N55) models excluded from 22V‑119 and 24V‑608. Evidence suggests the same defective components are present and can cause in-motion engine-bay fires. Please advise if I have any recourse on this matter.

Filed Jul 19, 2018 · Electrical · 92,889 miles · CO · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2008 bmw 335xi. While the vehicle was parked, smoke was noticed coming from the dashboard. The contact also noticed that the bottom of the dashboard on the front passenger side was on fire. The contact was able to exit the vehicle without injuries as the vehicle became engulfed in flames. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an insurance company's tow lot. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v676000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,889.

Filed May 23, 2018 · Body, Electrical · 140,000 miles · CO · fire

Blower motor recall. My bmw caught on fire on 5/17/2018. I believe it may be related to the current recall concerning engine fires in several model lines. It was parked in my driveway. Had been turned off for over 1 1/2 hours. Damage was primarily isolated to the front and rear. Fire department was called and arrived within 3 minutes to extinguish the fire. Comments made by arson investigators were odd burn patterns. First thought was electrical related fire. They had to call back fire fighters due to worry the battery would reignite.

Filed Jan 2, 2018 · Engine · 165,000 miles · NJ · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2008 bmw 335xi. While parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught fire in the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not occupied. No injuries were sustained and a police report was not filed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, the contact stated that she was awaiting a phone call from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

Filed Nov 4, 2017 · 100,000 miles · MI · fire

Vehicle caught fire after being parked for 20 minutes in a mall parking lot. Vehicle was destroyed.

Filed Sep 27, 2017 · Electrical · 154,000 miles · MD · fire

I was driving my car I wasn't driving my car no more than 15 min. I felt my AC cut off then I saw white smoke above the dashboard I pulled over and shut the engine off and raise the hood up no smoke was coming from the engine the smoke was coming from above the dashboard then flames fell out above the glove apartment in which the entire car caught fire my car was well taking care of never had any major problem wit my car (a bmw certified mechanic work on my car ) im very disappointed about my car catching on fire for no reason at all I could have lost my life.

Filed Apr 26, 2017 · Airbags, Driver assistance · 45,000 miles · MD · crash · 1 injury

I was rear ended from a dead stop by a vehichle around 50 MPH and my airbags malfunctioned. I had smoke coming from the dash but no actual air bag protected me by coming out. The seat belts are locked up and no longer work. The car then forced me to leave it in the middle of the road because it does not allow you to push it or put it into neutral in any fashion. This also forced it to be harmful to the vehicle to be put onto the tow truck because all wheels were locked up.

Filed Mar 7, 2010 · Electrical, Fuel system · 82,000 miles · OH · fire

Three fuel pump failures, bmw factory rep looked at car at bmw cleveland, in solon, ohio. One week later car caught on fire while sitting in parking lot at work.

Filed Feb 26, 2010 · Engine · 35 miles · WA · fire

Bmw 335xi vehicle fire total loss. Vehicle was driven short distance then parked. Approximately 10 minutes after parking the vehicle was discovered on fire. Vehicle was in the bmw dealer with engine code light on. Was told to drive until software updates were available.