2008 BMW 535XI electrical problems

Filed Feb 20, 2023 · Electrical, Lights · VA

Station wagon lift gate has severe wiring failures between the lift gate and body. This problem is well known throught the blog community. Broken wires cause failures, and electrical danger, to the rear lighting system that includes brake, running, back up, and turn signals. Also effected is the rear wiper, defroster, and operation access to open and close the lift gate. Tailgate failure would prohibit emergency opening and access to spare tire and fuses. I have already spent $3,000 on one harness replacement (dealer) and am looking at another $3,000 to repair (dealer) more wiring that will restore the brake/running lights on one side (failed state inpection). The internal lighting diagnostics did NOT indicate any lighting problems or warning. Broken wires could also cause failures to some or all of the entire electrical system. Very dangerous.

Filed Apr 20, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · WA · fire

The vehicle's engine caught fire approximately 13 1/2 hours after last having been driven. I parked it in my driveway at 9pm on April 15, 2022. I was alerted to a fire in the engine by my neighbor at 10:30am on April 16, 2022. The entire engine was engulfed in flames, melting all of the plastic components. It burned through my hood and affected every part of the engine. We were able to get the fire out with a garden hose before it spread to the house and my parents' two other vehicles parked next to it. No one was burned while putting out the fire, but several neighbors and family members did breathe in the toxic smoke. 911 was called and the fire department confirmed the fire was out. The driveway under the vehicle has burn damage, but we haven't moved the vehicle yet to see the extent of it. The check engine light had been on since purchase. The vehicle had been maintained by a mechanic specializing in import motors. He was unable to determine the cause of the check engine alert, and said it was a problem that BMW has with several of their models of this era. The vehicle was only covered under liability insurance, so our insurance company has not required an inspection. It has not yet been inspected by a mechanic or any other entity. The vehicle is available for inspection if requested.

Filed Nov 12, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 116,000 miles · TN

For over the past year, the (small) engine light has been repeatedly & constantly going on/off. I've had sensors, spark plugs, tubes & everything under the sun replaced and have taken (or towed in most cases) the car to many different auto repair shops for multiple quotes & repairs. The latest problem is the small engine light came on & the car was stuck in park and would not engage in drive or reverse. It wouldn't shift. After turning the car off and then on again, the engine light was completely gone & the car was fine to drive/reverse. After driving the car a few blocks, the engine malfunction/reduce speed light came on, the power was drastically reduced & I almost got hit by a dump truck. In 2008, I bought my bmw brand new because I wanted no car issues because I am not a mechanic. Every since I bought this car I have had nothing but repeated & different issues that no mechanic can identify. And it all started with the high-pressure fuel pump which was replaced three times (hpfp). After the third hpfp was replaced, and the car was in the shop literally for three months straight, I got a lawyer involved and bmw corp apologized & said I could have a choice of: 1/ getting a different car that they picked out (a 535i not the xi I bought because of snow and ice conditions) 2/ they cut me a check for a few thousand and told me to shut up and I could never speak of what happened or be part of future lawsuits or class actions. I've never felt safe driving my 2008 bmw (116k miles on it over 12.5 years) every bmw owner that bought a bmw between the range of years knows exactly what I am talking about re: the constant and never-ending issues that all start with the hpfp & escalate from there. Repair shops can't fix the issues & bmw covers up. The federal safety agency hasn't done anything about this massive bmw issue affecting the vast majority of owners. Just google it!

Filed Dec 13, 2018 · Electrical, Lights · 100,000 miles · CA

Known safety concern due to broken wiring in e61 wagon hatch wiring. See this thread: https://5series.net/forums/e61-touring-discussion-4/tailgate-wiring-harness-replacement-72751/

Filed Jul 26, 2018 · Electrical, Seats · 103,000 miles · NY · fire

Wednesday july 25th, 2018, as I was getting ready to leave work, I started my car which was parked in my company's underground garage and the interior became engulfed with smoke. I turned the car off and got out to check the engine. There was no smoke coming from the under the hood of the car. I got back into the car and started it again and more smoke entered into the car. I turned the car off and went back to my office to call aaa. Approximately 20-30 minutes later I went back to the car and immediately smelled smoke in the garage. As I approached the car it was completely filled with smoke but I could tell that the both the back and front window shields and the sunroof were scorched. My key fob did not work so I had to open the car with the key. With the door open the thick smoke escaped and then I was able to see the damage to the car as a result of a fire. I have attached some pictures so you can see. I did some research and found that there have been some instances where this has happened to other bmw owners in the past and that this was a course of action to take in letting you know.

Filed Apr 18, 2018 · Electrical · DE

Insulation on wiring inside headlight assembly has fallen off exposing bare wires. This was discovered when replacing bulbs. Discussion boards on web have many owners reporting similar problems. Bmw does not

Filed Jan 14, 2018 · Electrical · 101,000 miles · ID

The wiring harnesses in the tailgate have been both severed and otherwise damaged by the normal operation of the tailgate and liftglass. The hinges and wiring trays have sharp edges and the wire insulation material seems to be of a pvc material. It appears that this material is vulnerable to failure with only regular operation of the vehicle, however, the sharp edges of the harness tray in the tailgate hinges act as shears that have severed the wires. This presents several safety issues including the potential of fires from electrical shorts, malfunctioning and damage of control modules due to electrical shorts, inoperable rear-defogger system, inoperable keyfob remotes for entry and locking, loss of radio system including weather band for safety updates, etc. This appears to be not only a common problem, but every vehicle in this designation has either suffered from these problems or is susceptible. As noted in several blogsites where owners and repair specialists have commented, this is an obvious design defect that should be addressed by both the federal safety agency and the manufacturer. Clearly a recall and manufacturer-paid repair should be implemented.

Filed Aug 3, 2017 · Electrical · 120,000 miles · NC

This is the 3rd complaint on the same vehicle I have placed. This vehicle has been in and out of the shop for the last 8 months and they have finally discovered that the rear of the vehicle, where the computer components are located, has been receiving water leakage from faulty plugs via the sunroof drainage system leading to the rear of the vehicle. Thus causing major malfunctions such as fuel injectors, starters, batteries, sensors, and indicators that major transmission malfunctions have occurred when what is really wrong is that all the computer components are drowning in water, corroded and rusted. This is faulty from the bmw factory and they know the problem exists and they refuse to recall this model vehicle. This problem can be found via the internet from many consumers experiencing the same problem. I have placed a complaint with bmw and they have done nothing. In one instance I experienced the cruise control accelerate on its own and would not disengage when the brake pedal was pressed. The steering wheel on/off button was the only way to stop the acceleration. This vehicle is a danger to drive and is unreliable!!

Filed Mar 12, 2017 · Electrical · 94,000 miles · NY · fire

My car caught fire while parked and not running.

Filed Feb 19, 2017 · Electrical · 71,000 miles · WA

Wiring and rear diversity antenna can become wet under rear hatch fairing. This has caused the comfort access to work with reduced range and or not work at all. Wiring harness on both right and left side have severed cables from opening and closing rear window portion of hatch.