The 2016 BMW 535i has 2 safety recalls and 12 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (7 complaints).
Recalls2safety recalls
Complaints12filed by owners
Crashes · fires0 · 0reported in complaints
Injuries · deaths0 · 0reported in complaints
Safety recalls
Air bags
NHTSA recall 16V914000 · Dec 20, 2016 · 3,506 vehicles
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Mini 4-Door Cooper, Cooper S, Mini 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and 2016 BMW 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, M5 and 535d vehicles. The affected vehicles have seat- mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.
Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the seat-mounted air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Child seat
NHTSA recall 15V718000 · Oct 30, 2015 · 7,162 vehicles
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535d xDrive, M5, 550i, 550i xDrive, and 535d sedans. The affected vehicles have an inboard lower anchor for child restraints on the left rear seat that may have been bent downwards, preventing the child seat from fully engaging both lower anchors. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
Risk: If the child seat is not properly attached to the lower anchors, it can increase the child's risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair the inboard lower anchor on the left rear seat, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Components: Child seat; Seats › Mid/rear assembly
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Fuel economy
535i
23mpg combined
City / highway
20 / 30 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
3 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (S8) · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $3,550/year to fuel
535i xDrive
23mpg combined
City / highway
20 / 29 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
3 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (S8) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,550/year to fuel
535i Gran Turismo
22mpg combined
City / highway
19 / 27 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
3 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (S8) · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $3,750/year to fuel
535i xDrive Gran Turismo
21mpg combined
City / highway
18 / 26 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
3 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (S8) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,900/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Air bags
7
0
0
0
—
Unknown or other
2
0
0
0
—
Seat belts
2
0
0
0
—
Tires
1
0
0
0
—
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
—
Forward collision avoidance Warnings
1
0
0
0
—
Engine and engine cooling
1
0
0
0
—
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Aug 26, 2024Air bags Passenger restraint system malfunction, available for inspection. Passenger side air bag will not work if in an accident Problem has been confirmed by dealer Warning lamp appeared approximately 4-5 weeks ago, prior to that no symptoms. Just happened all of a sudden.
Aug 20, 2024 · 78,000 milesEngine and engine cooling The contact owns a 2016 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was left overnight in a hotel parking lot. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump, plug connector, and head gasket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
Mar 11, 2024Air bags PASSENGER RESTRAIN MALFUNCTION
Mar 10, 2024Seat belts 1 .Panoramic sunroof curtain has been repaired twice at the dealer and now it broke for the third time 2. the controls to the panoramic sunroof do not work at all 3.Passenger restrain system malfunction
Jan 28, 2024Air bags The passenger air bag signal flashes on and off even when someone is seating on the passenger seat.
Jan 22, 2024Air bags Air Bag warning light stays on.
Jun 16, 2023Seat belts I got a notice from the car that the restraint system was malfunctioning. It said to go ahead and wear my seatbelt and go to the nearest repair shop. This is distressing and should not have happened. Iâm afraid to drive it. I have no other means of transportation. My life was destroyed by a near fatal car accident in 1994 as I was enrolling in medical school. An 18-wheeler pulled out on narrow 2-lane Hwy with no shoulder. It ran through a very dense pine forest in east Texas. The trailer had only a bicycle sized reflector, and it was caked with mud. He was invisible. I couldnât see him until my headlights shone upon the trailer. What is that? A distance of 50-60 feet, at most? Brights…
Feb 1, 2023Air bags The driver's side supplemental restraint warning light has come on and stays on. I have an appointment with my service center.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000Pedestrian alert sounds NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review…
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · openDesiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…