There are 50 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2009 BMW 3 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination, which was nearby. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was displayed at 240. The contact stated he went inside the friend's residence, and when the contact walked back outside five minutes later, the entire front hood was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was unoccupied. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The contact was informed of the loose wires; however, the cause of the fire had not been confirmed. The contact stated that the vehicle was consumed in the fire. The contact stated that the trunk of the vehicle was the only part left. The vehicle was not towed away. The remains of the vehicle were still in the contact friend's driveway. A fire report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was a total loss; however, the insurance company had not confirmed. The contact stated that his insurance did not cover fire insurance. No injuries were sustained. No Police report was filed. In addition, the contact stated that the fire caused the contact's friend's residential window to shatter. The contact received a recall notification: NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the local dealer was contacted several times to schedule an appointment; however, the contact stated that the dealer informed the contact that he would receive a call back to schedule the appointment. The contact stated that he never received the call back to schedule the appointment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 132,150.
The security system, alarm system and key fob have all been tampered with.
UNKNOWN- The wiring system/ security system is faulty and requires attention.
The security system, alarm system and lock were all tampered with.
One recall was for air bag deployed I had the light for it on but it was on when I got it the original owner said it popped on him well he was parked and he never fixed it or did anything ... The other was a part of the computer pretty much in charge of cooling the car down it can make fire from melting and cause unfixable/ to constant issues .... Well my hole engine stopped working it was getting too hot miss firing coolent mixing with oil and started to smoke it was white smoke that came out didn't smell like anything crazy maybe mostly coolent and pretty much it had electric issues since I got it so the recall issue makes sense so I took it in to bmw Riverside they said they will fix all that and contact me it's been almost 2 weeks I live in my car I'm disabled and a mom I can't even go drive and see my child over this I have no income disabled type thing and no word what's wrong they said they might charge me a few of 287 but I'm disabled no income yet so that's out it tells me it will be fixed free and if the dealer won't fix the electric system on everything in the car and not charge me later like they said they will then I want to sue big time and if that's not dun when clearly safety was in danger fire issues and crap I want the same car but a new one off the lot not brand new car or fix then I'm sueing for my losses that simple
My car lost all power as if the battery died. BMW had a recall for the positive battery cable running from the battery in the trunk to the fuse box behind the glove box. This recall was apparently remedied prior to my ownership according to the dealership. I began to troubleshoot the issue and when the positive battery cable near the fuse box was moved by hand, the vehicle powered up immediately. The random loss of power issue persists even after the recall. While driving on the interstate prior to this happening, my dash lights went out along with the radio. Losing complete power to the vehicle while traveling at interstate speeds is an obvious hazard. The dealership says that recall repairs are not warrantied by the manufacturer and it would be an out of pocket expense to fix something that BMW already knows is a problem.
I was driving my car when all of a sudden the lights in the odometer started flickering and the car started putting and then shut off. Basically broke down on me. I cannot get it to stay on it feels like it has no power.
Car running lean oil leak getting hot,loss of power,jolting forward also my car has been in dealership shop for 2 years I'm being charged for services I know weren't done,overcharged,and my car still isn't fixed also the service manager told me he was aware of the recalls,when I told him to this was 4 days ago,however my car is being withheld from me,recalls have been known if it's been two yrs,they filed a lien June of last year I opposed it and they never responded back! My car still sits there causing injury to my livilyhood I've missed almost 1year of work I live in the Sierra's where it snows I can't get to work with no car!
Car caught fire in driveway spontaneously. It had not been used since the previous day and had been sitting atleast 16 hours since last use. We woke up and black smoke and flames coming from car taller than our house. Significant damage to other three cars in driveway and side of our house. Car that caught fire is totaled
vehicle caught on fire while no one was driving and the engine was not on. It was parked for approximately 45 minutes. The fire started at the front under the hood. It destroyed melted the engine parts
My car is losing power and the instrument panel tends to flicker on and off at times. I had to replace the battery cables, due to water entering the battery compartment and corroded the cables. Once that was repaired it was determined that the the positive battery cable at the front power distribution box may be damaged by vehicle vibrations or something which cause no power going to the distribution box. I repaired the issues with the battery cables and the water collecting in the battery compartment. Now the problem I outlined above with the power not reaching the the front distribution box is now being worked on. I reached out to BMW and was told that my specific vin # was not impacted. However, it's hard to tell based on the description of the problem as outlined in the recall 13V-044. At this time I can't find the copy of the repair bill, however, the repairs were completed at Motorsports gmbh, 101 Park Ave, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 approximately $2,000.00
The contact owned a 2009 BMW 335i. The contact stated that he parked the vehicle in the driveway at his residence and the next morning his wife informed him that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. There was no damage to the residence from the flames. The fire department was called out and arrived and extinguished the flames. A fire report was filed. There was no injury sustained. An investigation was started by the local police department however, a police report was not yet filed. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the fire department. The insurance company was contacted however, informed the contact that there was no fire coverage included on his policy. The contact mentioned NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, not further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
My car is suffering from recall 19V472000 for my bmw 328i . My car horn dash lights windshield wipers and all my electric functioning in this aspect have continued to go on and off causing me to almost wreck numerous times as well as causing others to wreck into my car. Yet my vin is not included in this recall when I type in my vin. My car type year and model is however. I have another recall just fixed by bmw for the blower motor wiring and one supposedly waiting on a remedy. Bmw you need to vin to this recall list and stop hiding that you screwed so many . We pay for luxury cars for a reason… not so they stall out, catch fire whether on or off, or the entire electric system fails. The problems started around 108k.This had put my family and granddaughter at risk.
The contact owned a 2009 BMW 335i. The contact stated that he parked his vehicle in the driveway of his residence and, the next morning his wife informed him that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. There were no damages to the residence from the flames. The fire department was contacted and arrived to extinguish the flames. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. A police investigation was started however, a report was not yet provided. A local dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the Vin was not under recall. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the fire department. The insurance company was contacted however, informed the contact that fire protection was not included in his policy. The contact mentioned NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) as a possible solution to the failure however, the vin was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
The contact owned a 2009 BMW 335i. The contact stated that he parked his vehicle in the driveway of his residence and the next morning his wife informed him that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. There was no damage to the residence from the flames. The fire department was contacted and arrived to extinguish the flames. A fire report was made. There was no injury sustained. The police arrived and started an investigating however, a police report was not filed. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the fire department. The insurance provider was contacted and informed the contact that fire coverage was not included in his policy. The contact mentioned NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) as a possible solution to the failure however, the Vin was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES WHEN STATIONARY MY CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STARTED GOING HAYWIRE INCLUDING MY GAUGES AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG AS WELL SOME OTHER SAFETY FEATURES WITH TTHE SEATBELT WERE DISABLED WITH & WITHOUT A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. I KEEP GETTING A WARNING SCREEN THAT TREAD AS FOLLOWS: "RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. CONTINUE TO WEAR THE SAFETY BELT. HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED BY THE NEAREST BMW CENTER." AFTER LOOKING ONLINE IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT FOR SOME REASON MY VIN ISN'T INCLUDED ON THE RECALL.
I BOUGHT A 2009 BMW 335I OFF OF A FRIEND OF MINE KNOWING THAT THE CAR DID INDEED HAVE FEW ISSUES BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2019. WHEN I HAD RECEIVED THE CAR THE BACK LEFT STRUT WAS OUT. I REPLACED ALL OF THEM INCLUDING THE BRAKES AS WELL AS PREFORMED A SIMPLE SERVICE. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR A DIAGNOSIS FOR THE CAR NOT WANTING TO START PROPERLY TO BMW FOR A PROPER CHECK UP. I LEGIT GET TWO STARTS BEFORE HAVING TO LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE BEFORE I CAN START IT AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE AFTER WHAT I THOUGHT COULD POSSIBLY BE A STARTER ISSUE. BUT IT WASNT, THE CAR DOESNT CRANK; IT CLICKS ALMOST AS IF IT WANTS TO TURN OVER AND RUN AS A SELF SUSTAINING MECHANISM. INSTEAD I MUST LET IT SIT FOR A COUPLE HOURS UNTIL I CAN YET AGAIN START IT BACK UP AND ITS FINE. THIS CAR HAS MADE ME SIT AND WAIT COUNTLESS TIMES AT FRIENDS HOUSES AND PUBLIC PLACES. BMW TOLD ME THAT IT IS THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL AND CABLE FROM THE START PORT THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION. THEY SENT ME A FULL INSPECTION SUMMARY AS A VIDEO FOR ME TO SEE AND YES THAT RED CABLE DOESNT LOOK TO GOOD BEHIND THE WHEEL WELL LEADING TO THE BATTERY. OF COURSE I DID MY RESEARCH AND FOUND MANY OTHER BMW'S ALIKE HAVE THE SAME EXACT ISSUES. I DONT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET $3000 FOR A PIECE OF HARDWARE THAT IS BOND TO DECAY. THATS A HUGE OBLIGATION FOR MYSELF AND A LARGE SAFETY ISSUE FOR MANY OTHERS. THIS IS MY DAILY AND I DONT WANT TO RISK ANYTHING UPON MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE THAT MAY OWN THIS SAME MODEL AND OR HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED AND ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. THE DATE FOR WHEN IT OCCURRED IS THE DATE BMW SENT AN INSPECTION VIDEO BACK FOR MYSELF TO VIEW.
VEHICLE NEEDS AN AIRBAG REPLACEMENT, AND TWO ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS FIXED. ONE OF THOSE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS MAY LEAD TO THE CAR OVERHEATING WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND A FIRE HAZARD. *DT I HAVE CALLED THE BMW ROSEVILLE, CA DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEY DO NOT ANSWER. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE I COMMUTE FOR WORK AND I ALSO DRIVE AROUND MY PREGNANT WIFE AND MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER.*JB
FUEL PUMP LEAKING GASOLINE LEAVING A STRONG ODOR IN THE CAR AND FOOTWELL MODULE IS BAD
THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS IN THE REAR COMPARTMENT HAVE COMPLETELY CORRODED. MY MECHANIC HAS TOLD ME THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH MANY BMW SERIES NOT JUST THE 3 SERIES. WATER SEEPAGE APPEARS TO BE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM WITH FAILURES TO RUBBER GASKETS IN THE TRUNK/REAR LIGHTS IN THIS CONVERTIBLE. THE REPAIR IS $2,000.00 AS THE ENTIRE CABLE SYSTEM MUST BE REPLACED TO THE ENGINE AN 11 HOUR JOB. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE BUT NOT ACCEPTABLE FROM A CAR THAT HAS BEEN GARAGED ITS ENTIRE LIFE. THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS MANY CONSUMERS ARE PAYING AN ENORMOUS BILL DUE TO BAD DESIGN, WORKMANSHIP AND ENGINEERING. THE DX OCCURRED AFTER MUCH INVESTIGATION AND THE INABILITY TO START THE CAR FOR 2 WEEKS AFTER $300.00 WORTH OF REPAIRS (NEW BATTERY, STARTER, RELAY SWITCH) THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT WE WERE LUCKY THERE WAS NOT A FIRE AS THE BOTH MAIN CABLES WERE ARCING AT THE CONNECTION POINT.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026