Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
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).
Door locks permanently locked from inside of car while I was I stopped at a mall parking spot with wife and 9 month old son. I could not unlatch the doors by using the door unlock button and through the key unlock button. (second time this has happened since my ownership began at 14400 miles and third in cars total history according to the ownership record). Car is still under warranty until December 24 2011. Just had this problem fixed on 1/8/2009 at perillo BMW in chicago il.I had to roll down my window, climb out, and then take the key out of the key fob and unlock the driver door. I had to have my wife climb in back to get son out of seat and pass him forward to the front seat so I could get him out through the drivers door. She climbed back into front and got out drivers door. This took approximately 4-5 minutes. …
My car keys cannot unlock all the doors. I had to remove the key from the remote and use the key to manually open the driver side door. The front passenger door and both doors at the rear passenger seats cannot be opened. There is no way the doors can be opened from the inside once it is locked. This is a serious safety issue especially in the event of an emergency from a car fire, people in the car (passenger side cannot unlock the door to get out and the doors cannot be opened from the outside. I see this a potential liability and I am surprised why no authorities have stepped up and initiate an investigation. Does that mean when only there is a fatal incident that people will start investigation? I brought my car to the dealership and their appointment time is fully booked till next week. They don't seem to even think this could result in potentially dangerous and safety issue. …
The central locking system failed and only the driver door could be open from the inside. My wife was traveling with my newborn baby in the back seat and could not get outside the car, because the remaining (three) doors could not be opened from the inside neither from the car's outside handles. I reach for my newborn baby boy from the driver's seat and my wife had to exit through the rear window, because she could not make it through the center console. This had happened twice during last month, and could be worse if an elderly person or handicap person could not exit through the rear window. And it could get much worse with heavy sun and you have to turn off the engine because the fuel door also gets locked, so the car cannot be refueled. …
My vehicle has an issue where apparently a fuse blows and the door locks can not be activated by the fob, interior handles (except the driver door), or the interior door locking switch. [please note that I do not have any child safety locks activated on the rear doors.] the only way you can open the driver door is through the valet key. This has occurred to me twice and is now apparently a service bulletin with BMW. I am writing to you because I feel it is a design hazard if the electrical system were to fail in an accident, then this becomes an extreme hazard if fire or any other issue were involved. I would have thought that there was required an alternative means of unlocking the doors other than electrically (hence the door pull knobs which in my car are even with the trim and unable to grasp).
Electric door locks failed on all four doors. Could not unlock any passenger door until fuse inside glove box was replaced. Driver could exit the drivers door by manually lifting door handle. No apparent means to open any passenger doors (or gas door cover) until the fuse was replaced. Had there have been a front seat passenger, that occupant would have to climb over console and exit the drivers door to even allow access to the fuse panel. This is the second occurrence in this vehicle and based on my online research, it is a common problem with this model vehicle. If this problem were to occur and then an accident happened, it would be a serious safety issue because none of the passengers could exit rapidly.
Tl contact leased a 2007 BMW 335i. The contact stated that the doors would not open from the passenger compartment nor the exterior of the vehicle. He was finally able to open the driver's side door manually with the physical key. None of the other doors on the vehicle would unlock or open, including the gas tank cover that was powered by a keyless lock sensor. The dealer stated that a fuse blew and caused all the locks to fail on the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were less than 18,000. Updated 10/14/08. Updated 10/16/08.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 BMW 335i. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that only the front driver side door would open from the interior or exterior. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were in the process of diagnosing the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 32,000. Updated 11/29/11 the consumer stated the driver's side door actuator failed, causing all the other doors to remain locked and inoperable. Updated 12/07/11
Door lock malfunctioning. All 4 doors on my 2007 BMW 335i won't open using the key remote nor the central lock system. Even when trying to open the door manually, I was not able to open any of the 4 doors. My family had to climb out from the window. I see a lot of complaints from different forums. How do you expect a passenger to get out the car during emergency situation? One of the passengers was a handicap. Not being able to open all doors it can be a life threatening. Planning to take the car to the dealer next week.
All doors except driver door are locked and cannot be open by passenger from inside using door handle; cannot be opened using the door lock switch on the dash board; cannot be opened using the key fob; cannot be opened from the outside door handle. Therefore all passengers have to exit through the driver door. Once being locked from the outside, the drive has to use the backup key in the key fob to unlock the door. This is a serious safety issue regarding exiting the car in emergency situation.
The mechanism to unlock the door on the driver's side of my BMW 335i failed, making it impossible to open the door. Previously, the passenger's side door lock failed and was reported to NHTSA (odi #: 10378269). BMW agreed to replace the passenger's side door lock (the car was out of warranty), but at the time did not replace the driver's side door lock which has now failed too. Being trapped in the car due to a failed door lock mechanism is an inconvenience at best and a major hazard at worst.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other 335i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2007 BMW 335i?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2007 BMW 335i, 7% of the model year's 288 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 BMW 335i door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches 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 door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 33,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
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.