Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 BMW 335i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 335I. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the yellow check engine warning light displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle behind him came to a screeching halt to avoid causing a major accident. Multiple attempts to restart the vehicle failed, resulting in the vehicle being towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic determined the failure to be a defective high-pressure fuel pump. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.
I bought a 2007 BMW 335i convertible on March 10th 2022. On March 18th I left my house and as I was pulling out of my neighborhood the vehicle cut off at about 25 miles an hour and as I pulled over I noticed black smoke coming out from under the hood. There were no warning lights on with the exception of a random airbag light that came on the day after I bought the car and a tire pressure monitor light. My wife and I pulled over and I ran to a nearby house and took a case of Dasani water from painters who were working (with their permission). I got the fire put out within minutes of its starting but the wiring harness is completely melted together along with all of the induction piping to the turbos and the intake manifold and fuel line. I told the car home and had my insurance agent look at it. …
The oil filter housing gasket, the mechatronic transmission and the electrical system failed. Yes, it is available for inspection. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk as a result of my vehicle losing power suddenly while I was driving on the highway. I was driving at the highway speed limit and my vehicle malfunctioned and lost power while others were at high speeds. I had to abruptly stop almost causing an accident. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the BMW service center. The vehicle has been inspected by the BMW dealer service department. The warning lamps that came on my dashboard were the check engine light, oil level light, and the transmission light. The car was running poorly. The engine wouldn't crank and then it would jolt after driving. I would smell oil occasionally. The symptoms first appeared in 2011. …
Earlier this year in February I have replaced the alternator and some other major part right after purchasing from dealership and i have seen all the other recent recalls for the vehicle also it appears to have recalls that have not been worked on by manufacture . there also were no signs that came on also the wheel tightened up and stopped on me out of no where while driving. this being the second time this has happened as on new years i was on the freeway on my way home and the car did the same when i first replaced the alternator
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 BMW 335i. The contact stated that the vehicle had an abnormal burning odor and noticed black smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, inspected the vehicle, and noticed a belt had melted and detached. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 (electrical system); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. BMW concord (1967 market street, concord, ca) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owned a 2007 BMW 335i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked he was notified by the police department that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the flames. A police and fire department report was filed. The insurance was contacted and towed the vehicle to a tow lot for investigation. The contact was unaware of the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no further assistance was taken. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Valve cover oil leaking onto exhaust manifold that causes fire. It was turned off and stationary. Asked BMW to change in 80K but they said just sweating oil. Safety hazard ignored. Common amoung BMW 3 series engine
While driving on the hov lane of the freeway during rush hour about 5:15 pm my car suddenly started to rattle when pushing the gas peddle. I took my foot from the gas peddle while still driving with about 60 MPH. I tried the gas peddle some seconds later again and experienced still rattling and no acceleration of the car. I took my foot again from the gas peddle. In the meantime I was down to 40mph. About 20-30 sec later from the first rattle the engine light came on and 1 sec later the engine stalled on the highway. At that time when the engine stalled I was still driving about 35 MPH. Luckily the freeway had a left shoulder and I turned over to the left with the last remaining speed and slowly stopped the car. I'm so glad that the left shoulder was available. …
I was turning on to a highway, as I accelerated to match the speed of oncoming traffic and merge, the engine power abruptly degraded. I had to swerve out of the lane to avoid an accident. The vehicle had a flashing service engine light and was not producing any power. I had the vehicle towed to park ave. BMW in nj. The dealer diagnosed my vehicle with a failed dme (engine management computer or ECU) at less than 60K. After doing some research I found many others BMW n54 engine owners online who had encountered the same dme failure. It turns out an electrical component that costs a couple of cents was prematurely failing. This was known to BMW in 2007 when the vehicle was being sold. The BMW service builtin si b 12 18 07 clearly indicates that this is an unexpected failure and is caused by a defective diode. …
My car might have turbo charger issue that was settle under class action in 2010 . I'm being charged for repairs that will able BMW to make diagnosis for that problem at first for vacuum turbo lines almost for 1000 dollars and today for some other issue another 500. I'm being pressured by BMW to fix it or quit. The extended warranty is only till 82 thousand miles. So either I pay or end up not knowing if my car has this issue. When I was driving and trying to speed to pass another vehicle my engine light came on saying that engine is not working in full capacity and to slow down or stop... Pls help me to resolve that issue. Thank you. I called BMW or northern America and spoke with sky and was told that it is what it is and I have to pay since the mechanics know better what needs to be done. …
Engine complaints in other 335i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2007 BMW 335i?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2007 BMW 335i, 18% of the model year's 288 complaints. The component named most often is engine (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 BMW 335i engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2007 BMW 335i, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 BMW 335i engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 5 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.