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Electrical systemPart report

2012 BMW 535I Electrical system Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
17%of 54 total for the year
Median mileage
33,573miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the electrical system of the 2012 BMW 535I, 17% of the 54 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 33,573 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My coolant fan is moving faster than it should because the water pump is failing. It almost caught fire the other day when my children were in the car.. It was at a stop light when I heard the fan spinning at a high rate of speed and was smoking terribly.”

NHTSA complaint #11319019, filed 2020-03, 75,000 miles

“Several times when starting from a stopped position with the auto start/stop engaged, the car will stop and automatically go into neutral. I have had this happen several times when pulling into an intersection. It happened once while making a left turn with oncoming traffic and the car stalled after I started the turn. I had to get the car back into drive quickly to complete the turn and avoid being hit by the oncoming traffic. This does not happen frequently, has occurred a total of 5 or 6 times in the 4 years I have owned the car.”

NHTSA complaint #10863729, filed 2016-05, 30,000 miles

“The car has been in and out of the shop for various problems from the moment we bought it. The car started making whistling sounds and engine lights would come on and has been seen by Bmw rts already 4 times. But most recently my husband was waiting at the light to make a left turn when his steering wheel all of a sudden locked and he could not drive it. So we took it in to get it serviced and was told to immediately contact Bmw of north america . 3 weeks later I finally received my car and cause of this steering error reads: eps control unit is faulty. …”

NHTSA complaint #10549587, filed 2013-10, 33,573 miles

“Driver's door lock actuator failure at 33000 miles. Unable to unlock and open door by inside handle. Therefore, may not be able to get out of vehicle in an emergency if door will not unlock. This is a known problem with Bmw but has not been a recall, which I highly recommend as a safety problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10979001, filed 2017-04, 33,000 miles

“I have a 2012 535I and have been experiencing stalls when auto start/stop engages, when the vehicle tries to restart the engine it switches to n while at a traffic light or a stop sign. This is a safety issue and is very dangerous and could lead to an accident in certain driving situations.”

NHTSA complaint #10563632, filed 2014-02, 4,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2015730%
2014827%
20131333%
2012917%
20111715%
2010712%
200923%
20081520%
1991120%

Other parts of the 2012 BMW 535I

Fuel system
15 complaintsEngine
11 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsTires
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 BMW 535I

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology