Total Complaints
15 filings
BMW 535I · model year
2016 BMW 535I
15 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2016BMW535I carries 15 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 2016 535I is air bags with 7 filings, followed by unknown or other (2) and seat belts (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. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, 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 2016 535I. 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.
15
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 |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 7 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
Recalls (2)
15V71800030/10/2015
CHILD SEAT
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
16V91400020/12/2016
AIR BAGS
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, Min
Recent Complaints
20240926AIR 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.
20240820ENGINE 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.
Mileage: 78,000
20240410SEAT 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
20240410UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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
20240410AIR BAGS
PASSENGER RESTRAIN MALFUNCTION
20240206AIR BAGS
The passenger air bag signal flashes on and off even when someone is seating on the passenger seat.
20240202AIR BAGS
Air Bag warning light stays on.
20230628SEAT 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 werenât on. It was drizzling and little wisps of road mist were floating above the road here and there. I slammed as hard as I could apparently. As I swerved into the oncoming lane, the driver behind me watched in horror as my headlights swept across the entire length of the trailer. There was nowhe
20230208AIR BAGS
The driver's side supplemental restraint warning light has come on and stays on. I have an appointment with my service center.
20210201VISIBILITY/WIPER
THE HEAD UNIT OR THE CAR STOPPED WORKING. AS A RESULT, REAR VIEW CAMERA, ALL WARNING SYSTEMS OR THE CAR INCLUDING WARNINGS FOR LOW TIRE PRESSURE, WARNINGS FOR DISTANCE FROM OBJECTS IN FRONT, SIDE AND REAR ALL STOPPED WORKING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH ALL SAFETY FEATURES OF THE CAR WERE DISABLED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HEAD UNIT HAS STOPPED WORKING ON THE SAME CAR AND THE SECOND TIME WHEN THE HEAD UNIT NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. SEEMS LIKE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED WITH BMWS.
Mileage: 36,000
20210201UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE HEAD UNIT OR THE CAR STOPPED WORKING. AS A RESULT, REAR VIEW CAMERA, ALL WARNING SYSTEMS OR THE CAR INCLUDING WARNINGS FOR LOW TIRE PRESSURE, WARNINGS FOR DISTANCE FROM OBJECTS IN FRONT, SIDE AND REAR ALL STOPPED WORKING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH ALL SAFETY FEATURES OF THE CAR WERE DISABLED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HEAD UNIT HAS STOPPED WORKING ON THE SAME CAR AND THE SECOND TIME WHEN THE HEAD UNIT NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. SEEMS LIKE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED WITH BMWS.
Mileage: 36,000
20210201FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
THE HEAD UNIT OR THE CAR STOPPED WORKING. AS A RESULT, REAR VIEW CAMERA, ALL WARNING SYSTEMS OR THE CAR INCLUDING WARNINGS FOR LOW TIRE PRESSURE, WARNINGS FOR DISTANCE FROM OBJECTS IN FRONT, SIDE AND REAR ALL STOPPED WORKING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH ALL SAFETY FEATURES OF THE CAR WERE DISABLED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HEAD UNIT HAS STOPPED WORKING ON THE SAME CAR AND THE SECOND TIME WHEN THE HEAD UNIT NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. SEEMS LIKE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED WITH BMWS.
Mileage: 36,000
20200229AIR BAGS
MY CAR IS SHOWING A WARNING SIGN PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION
Mileage: 36,000
20180316TIRES
TIRES ARE COMING APART AND UNSERVICEABLE AT 19000 MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE TIRE SHOP TELLS ME THEY ARE CLEARLY DEFECTIVE
Mileage: 19,000
20170802AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL. I HAVE RECEIVED A NOTICE ON 7/31/2017 OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING MY VEHICLE AND TAKATA AIR BAGS.; HOWEVER BMW HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO FIX THE AIR BAG PROBLEM. IS BMW OBLIGATED TO FIX THE AIR BAG PROBLEM REGARDLESS IF I JOIN THE SUIT OR NOT?
Compare 2016BMW535I to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2016 BMW 535I have?▼
The 2016 BMW 535I has 15 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2016 BMW 535I?▼
Yes, the 2016 BMW 535I has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is CHILD SEAT. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 BMW 535I?▼
The most-complained component for the 2016 BMW 535I is AIR BAGS with 7 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and SEAT BELTS.
Is the 2016 BMW 535I 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.