2011 BMW 335i Engine Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  523%
• 25k–50k
  627%
• 50k–75k
  29%
• 75k–100k
  314%
• 100k–150k
  523%
• 150k+
  15%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 BMW 335i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Loss of Oil Pressure" message displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle made an abnormally loud clunking sound. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact used an OBD scanner to retrieve a diagnostic trouble code for the VANOS bolts; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335I. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode before shutting off. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The contact connected a diagnostic scanner, which indicated an inability to read or establish engine timing. The engine cranked and turned over for 10 seconds but shut off immediately afterwards. The contact believed that the issue was related to a timing failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335I. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair, he was informed that the camshaft bolts were damaged and required replacement. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Colling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.

I was in the middle of driving on the freeway and my motor started to get loss in power. Moments later a malfunction engine sign popped up. The codes I was able to pull from the vehicle were pointing towards a recall that already exists for BMW but for some reason my vehicle was not a part of the recall. The recall I am reffering to is 23V707000. It shows that there are 11 open recalls for 2011 335i including the vanos bolt recall. I called the dealer and according to my VIN, the vanos bolt recall is not covered. There are multiple reports online where the dealer is refusing to cover the recall for vehicles within a certain production date. There is clearly a safety issue going on as this has happened to plenty of people. …

2011 BMW 335i Sedan: Please attempt to get my car included in the current recall. I have contacted BMW USA and my local dealership. Both said that my car does not qualify for repair. On a weekly basis, the car produces large amounts of smoke from the engine compartment and enters the passenger compartment through the vents. BMW has stated that there is a fire risk for this year, make, and model but will not address it for my car: [redacted] The check engine light turns on while engine smokes. The BMW Dealership will not inspect the car unless it appears on the recall list. In addition, occasionally, the entire electrical system dies preventing all electronics including the starter from working.

Without any warning, the vehicle experienced a major engine failure while I was driving at about 70 mph on the highway. The vehicle immediately lost power and went into limp mode, making it impossible to safely maintain speed on a busy highway. Vehicle was towed to the dealership and it was determined that it had experienced a VANOS bolts failure on the intake side. Inspection of the failed VANOS bolts revealed that they were of the old design that BMW had issued a Recall for. Even though the Recall status for the vehicle in regard to the VANOS bolts indicates that it was completed, it appears the wrong components had been used in the repair. I have been informed that BMW has denied my request to have the recall done properly with the proper components.

I had just parked and about a minute later, there was a huge amount of smoke coming through the front cabin vents and hood. I immediately turned my car off and opened the hood to find more smoke and hearing popping sounds coming from my catalytic converter. The smoke left residue all over my windshield as well as an unpleasant smell lingering in the car. I emailed my local mechanic and he told me this is likely my PCV and not a VCG leak like I thought it was. This problem had scared me from driving my vehicle again because I was worried a fire would start whether I was in the vehicle or not. I took it to my mechanic to get it repaired and was charged $1700 for it. I had no lights or unusual car prior to this happening

The Vano Housing System bolts all broke off and fell into the engine causing sudden failure and stopping of the vehicle causing it to need to be towed. Upon some researched I learned that in 2014 BMW of North America issued a recall for 2010-2011 BMW 3 series (N55 Engine) Models for this exact defect except apparently my VIN was not included. However, clearly my vehicle should have been included because it sustained damage and could have caused me harm by sudden stoppage. The car is currently being looked at by BMW of Rockville, MD and BMW is attempting to skirt responsibility

2011 BMW 335i COUPE E92 My vehicle has broken vanos bolts which caused the engine to shut off while driving. This was a terrifying experience in which i was on the freeway doing around 70mph and lost power steering and power brakes. This is a known recall with these vehicles and my vehicle fits the criteria for BMW Recall 23V-707, including year, make, model, production date and engine. My vin does not show up as a recalled vin and the dealer refuses to fix my vehicle for that reason although it is confirmed the vanos bolts have snapped.

BMW has made their early 2011-13 engines(n55) a defective engine, the problem I've been experiencing with these engines is there new engine system called the valvetronic system. If the something in the valtronic system goes bad and most likely does when you listen to bmw recommendation of changing oil every 10,000 it becomes very annoying to fix and can also lead to damaging the car ecu/dme so they built a car that would have problems and would also take out your car ecu which would make costly repairs

Related recalls

Engine complaints in other 335i years