Total Complaints
7 filings
BMW 135I US · model year
2011 BMW 135I US
7 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2011BMW135I US carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2011 135I US is engine with 2 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and power train (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2011 135I US. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20171110ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER
20150322ENGINE
VEHICLE WILL "JOLT" FORWARD. THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO ME OVER 100 TIMES. THE ISSUE IS BEST DESCRIBED LIKE THIS. I WILL DRIVE THROUGH A FAST FOOD DRIVE-THRU LINE AND THERE WILL BE 1 OTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I WILL PULL UP AND BRAKE TO A COMPLETE STOP TO ORDER. THE OTHER VEHICLE IS AT THE RESTAURANT WINDOW PAYING SO THAT CAR IS ONLY ABOUT 20 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. SINCE THE GAP BETWEEN ME AND THE OTHER CAR ARE SO CLOSE I WILL NOT GIVE MY VEHICLE ANY GAS, I WILL ONLY LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND MOVE FORWARD AT IDLE SPEEDS. ONCE I REACH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, I PROCEED WITH PRESSING THE BRAKE (USUALLY "PULSING" THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SCOOT FORWARD SAFELY ONCE I'M VERY CLOSE). AT THAT POINT MY VEHICLE WILL JOLT FORWARD AS IF I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY IN AND OUT QUICKLY. SINCE MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE "SCOOTING" SAFELY, MY VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY MOVE. THIS DRIVE-THRU EXAMPLE HAS HAPPENED COUNTLESS TIMES. I'VE ALSO BEEN PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH A S
Mileage: 30,000
20150322POWER TRAIN
VEHICLE WILL "JOLT" FORWARD. THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO ME OVER 100 TIMES. THE ISSUE IS BEST DESCRIBED LIKE THIS. I WILL DRIVE THROUGH A FAST FOOD DRIVE-THRU LINE AND THERE WILL BE 1 OTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I WILL PULL UP AND BRAKE TO A COMPLETE STOP TO ORDER. THE OTHER VEHICLE IS AT THE RESTAURANT WINDOW PAYING SO THAT CAR IS ONLY ABOUT 20 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. SINCE THE GAP BETWEEN ME AND THE OTHER CAR ARE SO CLOSE I WILL NOT GIVE MY VEHICLE ANY GAS, I WILL ONLY LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND MOVE FORWARD AT IDLE SPEEDS. ONCE I REACH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, I PROCEED WITH PRESSING THE BRAKE (USUALLY "PULSING" THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SCOOT FORWARD SAFELY ONCE I'M VERY CLOSE). AT THAT POINT MY VEHICLE WILL JOLT FORWARD AS IF I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY IN AND OUT QUICKLY. SINCE MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE "SCOOTING" SAFELY, MY VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY MOVE. THIS DRIVE-THRU EXAMPLE HAS HAPPENED COUNTLESS TIMES. I'VE ALSO BEEN PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH A S
Mileage: 30,000
20140701POWER TRAIN
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION BECAUSE OF DUAL-CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT); CAR WAS IN DRIVE SLOWING TO STOP SIGN. ALMOST AT STOP CAR LURCHED 2 TO 3 FEET INTO THE INTERSECTION BEFORE I COULD SLAM ON BRAKES. IN EARLIER SPUTTER AND LURCH SITUATION WITH THE DCT, CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN TO ACCELERATE THROUGH INTERSECTION IN TRAFFIC. DRIVER PUSHED ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO SPEED UP AND IT SPUTTERED FOR COUNTS OF ONE THOUSAND, TWO THOUSAND, THREE THOUSAND. ON COUNT OF FOUR THOUSAND IT ENGAGED AND STARTED TO MOVE AHEAD AS THE DRIVER DESIRED. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO TWO BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT SPUTTER AND LURCH TRANSMISSION. BOTH TEST DROVE 135I BRIEFLY AND DECLARED IT FINE. NO WORK TO BE DONE UNDER WARRANTY, THEY SAID. *TR
Mileage: 38,600
20130826ENGINE
I PURCHASED MY CAR WITH 2 YEARS OF USE AND 16,000 MILES ON IT, BACK IN DECEMBER 2012. SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN ONLY HAVING TROUBLES WITH THE CAR. MY FIRST ISSUE WAS BACK IN FEBRUARY WITH A BLOWN CHARGEPIPE. THE CAR JUST LEFT ME STRANDED 50 MILES FROM HOME AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED BACK. ON JULY IT LEFT ME STRANDED AGAIN, IT WAS A BROKEN VANOS BOLT IN THE ENGINE. DURING THIS VISIT, I TOLD TO THE SA THE HARD TIME MY CAR WAS HAVING WHEN CRANKING EVERY MORNING FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS. I GOT THE CAR BACK, AND IT SEEMED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FIXED, BUT THE BATTERY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE BATTERY WAS DISCHARGED DUE TO OVER CRANKING WHEN I GOT STRANDED. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CAR GAVE ME AN ENGINE WARNING YELLOW LIGHT. IT RESULTED TO BE THAT THE INTAKE VANOS MODULE FAILED. THEY DID A ROAD TEST THIS TIME TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS WORKING ACCORDINGLY. WHEN I WAS DRIVING BACK HOME I NOTICED A HEAVY WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY, AND A BURNING SMELL. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE. FOR
Mileage: 17,000
20130826ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I PURCHASED MY CAR WITH 2 YEARS OF USE AND 16,000 MILES ON IT, BACK IN DECEMBER 2012. SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN ONLY HAVING TROUBLES WITH THE CAR. MY FIRST ISSUE WAS BACK IN FEBRUARY WITH A BLOWN CHARGEPIPE. THE CAR JUST LEFT ME STRANDED 50 MILES FROM HOME AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED BACK. ON JULY IT LEFT ME STRANDED AGAIN, IT WAS A BROKEN VANOS BOLT IN THE ENGINE. DURING THIS VISIT, I TOLD TO THE SA THE HARD TIME MY CAR WAS HAVING WHEN CRANKING EVERY MORNING FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS. I GOT THE CAR BACK, AND IT SEEMED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FIXED, BUT THE BATTERY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE BATTERY WAS DISCHARGED DUE TO OVER CRANKING WHEN I GOT STRANDED. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CAR GAVE ME AN ENGINE WARNING YELLOW LIGHT. IT RESULTED TO BE THAT THE INTAKE VANOS MODULE FAILED. THEY DID A ROAD TEST THIS TIME TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS WORKING ACCORDINGLY. WHEN I WAS DRIVING BACK HOME I NOTICED A HEAVY WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY, AND A BURNING SMELL. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE. FOR
Mileage: 17,000
20130826WHEELS
I PURCHASED MY CAR WITH 2 YEARS OF USE AND 16,000 MILES ON IT, BACK IN DECEMBER 2012. SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN ONLY HAVING TROUBLES WITH THE CAR. MY FIRST ISSUE WAS BACK IN FEBRUARY WITH A BLOWN CHARGEPIPE. THE CAR JUST LEFT ME STRANDED 50 MILES FROM HOME AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED BACK. ON JULY IT LEFT ME STRANDED AGAIN, IT WAS A BROKEN VANOS BOLT IN THE ENGINE. DURING THIS VISIT, I TOLD TO THE SA THE HARD TIME MY CAR WAS HAVING WHEN CRANKING EVERY MORNING FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS. I GOT THE CAR BACK, AND IT SEEMED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FIXED, BUT THE BATTERY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE BATTERY WAS DISCHARGED DUE TO OVER CRANKING WHEN I GOT STRANDED. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CAR GAVE ME AN ENGINE WARNING YELLOW LIGHT. IT RESULTED TO BE THAT THE INTAKE VANOS MODULE FAILED. THEY DID A ROAD TEST THIS TIME TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS WORKING ACCORDINGLY. WHEN I WAS DRIVING BACK HOME I NOTICED A HEAVY WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY, AND A BURNING SMELL. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE. FOR
Mileage: 17,000
Compare 2011BMW135I US to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2011 BMW 135I US have?▼
The 2011 BMW 135I US has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2011 BMW 135I US?▼
The most-complained component for the 2011 BMW 135I US is ENGINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2011 BMW 135I US safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.