BMW 335XI · model year

2012 BMW 335XI

2 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012BMW335XI carries 2 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 2012 335XI is air bags with 2 filings. 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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2012 335XI. 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.

2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

2 filings

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

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS2

Recalls (1)

15V52000017/08/2015

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, and ActiveHybrid3 vehicles manufactured October 20, 2011, to June 22, 2015, 2014-2015 328xi Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured March 21, 2013, to March 17, 2015, 2014-2015 328d, 328xd vehicl

Recent Complaints

20171011AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL - I RECEIVED MY LETTER IN SEPTEMBER 2017 THAT BMW HAS THE PARTS TO REPLACE THE AIRBAG AND TO CALL IMMEDIATELY TO SCHEDULE THIS REPAIR. I CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD TAKE 4-8 WEEKS TO GET THE PARTS AND THEN I COULD SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. GIVEN THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RECALL, I AM SHOCKED THAT IT HAS TAKEN THIS LONG TO EVEN BE NOTIFIED THAT THE REPAIR CAN FINALLY BE DONE (WHEN INFORMATION ABOUT DEATHS FROM THESE AIRBAGS HAS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR). I HAVE ASKED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR TO GET THIS FIXED. NOW I GET A LETTER THAT BMW CAN MAKE THE REPAIR, BUT IT WILL BE MORE THAN ONE MONTH AND MAYBE TWO MORE MONTHS BEFORE THIS CAN BE DONE. WHAT OVERSIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO ENSURE THAT BMW AND OTHERS ARE GETTING THESE REPAIRS DONE IN A TIMELY FASHION. THANK YOU. [XXX] ARLINGTON,VIRGINIA *JB

20170224AIR BAGS

TAKADA RECALL WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH 2016 (BMW RECALL CAMPAIGN NO. 16V-071) REGARDING THE "DRIVER'S FRONT AIR BAG MODULE". WE HAVE SPOKEN AND EMAILED OUR LOCAL BMW SERVICE CENTER ABOUT HAVING THIS PART REPLACED AND HAVE BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART. WE CONTACTED A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE FROM BMW AND WERE TOLD THAT THE PART WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL JUNE 2017 AT THE EARLIEST. WHEN I SAID THAT I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AN UNREASONABLY LONG TIME TO REPLACE A PART THAT, IF IT RUPTURED, COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGERS, THE BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD US THAT THEY RECEIVED THEIR TIME SCHEDULES FROM THE NHTSA. IT APPEARS AS IF EACH LEVEL OF THE CHAIN FOR SOLVING THIS PROBLEM IS MORE INTERESTED IN FINGER POINTING THAN SOLVING A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM. IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE NHTSA WOULD USE THEIR AUTHORITY TO "ENCOURAGE" A SPEEDIER RESOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE.

Compare 2012BMW335XI to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 BMW 335XI have?
The 2012 BMW 335XI has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2012 BMW 335XI?
Yes, the 2012 BMW 335XI has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 BMW 335XI?
The most-complained component for the 2012 BMW 335XI is AIR BAGS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 2012 BMW 335XI 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.