2011 Bmw 135I
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2011 Bmw 135I has 35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (31% of all complaints), specifically: engine acceleration lag. the car hesitates when the gas pedal is pushed down. this occurs when it is moving at a slow speed of 5 to 10 mph and at a halt. it creates a dangerous situation if you are merging with traffic or trying to enter traffic from a side street. when the gas pedal is depressed it. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.
35
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
0.4x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
ENGINE
11 complaints- • ENGINE ACCELERATION LAG. THE CAR HESITATES WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN. THIS OCCURS WHEN IT IS MOVING AT A SLOW SPEED OF 5 TO 10 MPH AND AT A HALT. IT CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF YOU ARE MERGING WITH TRAFFIC OR TRYING TO ENTER TRAFFIC FROM A SIDE STREET. WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED IT
- • CROSSING THE STREET---I HAD THE GAS PEDDLE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR (TWICE YESTERDAY) AND THE CAR LITERALLY DID NOT MOVE AND TRAFFIC WAS APPROACHING. THE CAR EVENTUALLY MOVED FORWARD. PROBLEM---HESITATION IN THE ENGINE WHEN APPLYING THE GAS AS I PULL OUT TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION, SLOW DOWN TO MAKE
- • THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I WAS HIT IN THE REAR. STARTING TO BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT CAUSE THE ACCIDENT AND STILL THE DEALERSHIP CAN'T FIX IT AND LIES ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND I'M REALLY CLOSE TO THE LEMON LAW I THINK. BMW N AMERICA CUSTOMER SERVICE WON'T LET ME PASS AN
“ENGINE ACCELERATION LAG. THE CAR HESITATES WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN. THIS OCCURS WHEN IT IS MOVING AT A SLOW SPEED OF 5 TO 10 MPH AND AT A HALT. IT CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF YOU ARE MERGING WITH TRAFFIC OR TRYING TO ENTER TRAFFIC FROM A SIDE STREET. WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED IT”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ELECTRICAL
7 complaints- • SOMETIMES THE BLOWER MOTOR WILL NOT WORK AT THE SPEED SELECTED. A FEW TIMES HAVE SMELLED A ODD BURNT PLASTIC SMELL. BMW WON'T HELP THIS ISSUE AS THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS CERTAIN MODEL. I HAVE TOOK THE TIME TO ACTUALLY DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. WIRING TO BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR MODULE AFFECTED. CANNOT EVEN
- • BLOWER MOWER WIRING OVERHEATING AND BURNING/CORRODING WHILE FAN WAS ON LOW SPEED.
- • THE SAME BLOWER MOTOR WIRING ISSUE IN THE BMW 3 SERIES THATS CAUSING THEM TO CATCH ON FIRE AND BURN TO THE GROUND. I HAVE COMPARED THE PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER 3 SERIES WITH THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. ALTHOUGH THE WIRING PART NUMBER IS DIFFERENT, THE PLUG AND WHERE THE NEGATIVE AND POS TERMINALS ARE PLACED I
“SOMETIMES THE BLOWER MOTOR WILL NOT WORK AT THE SPEED SELECTED. A FEW TIMES HAVE SMELLED A ODD BURNT PLASTIC SMELL. BMW WON'T HELP THIS ISSUE AS THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS CERTAIN MODEL. I HAVE TOOK THE TIME TO ACTUALLY DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. WIRING TO BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR MODULE AFFECTED. CANNOT EVEN”
— NHTSA complaint filing
AIR BAGS
6 complaints- • PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT INDICATED THAT PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS OFF WHEN PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY ANOTHER ADULT. *TR
- • TAKATA RECALL I LIVE IN A GULF STATE, SARASOTA COUNTY. RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL IN MARCH 2016. IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED DEALER. AGAIN IN APRIL. THEY WERE TO CALL ME TO INSTALL NEW AIRBAG. OCT 24 CONTACTED DEALER AGAIN. NO RETURN CALL AS PROMISED. CALLED 10/27 AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE ORIGINAL LIST OF R
- • TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 135I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXP
“PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT INDICATED THAT PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS OFF WHEN PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY ANOTHER ADULT. *TR”
— NHTSA complaint filing
TRANSMISSION
4 complaints- • WHEN MOVING SLOWLY AND THEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATING, SUCH AS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ONTO A BUSY ROAD, THE CAR SEEMS TO SHUT OFF THE FUEL FOR A SOLID 2 SECONDS, SO THE CAR ACTUALLY SLOWS RATHER THAN SPEEDS UP. THE DRIVER, WHEN TRYING TO TURN IN TRAFFIC, WILL PANIC AND PRESS HARDER ON THE GAS AND NOTHIN
- • VEHICLE WILL "JOLT" FORWARD. THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO ME OVER 100 TIMES. THE ISSUE IS BEST DESCRIBED LIKE THIS. I WILL DRIVE THROUGH A FAST FOOD DRIVE-THRU LINE AND THERE WILL BE 1 OTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I WILL PULL UP AND BRAKE TO A COMPLETE STOP TO ORDER. THE OTHER VEHICLE IS AT THE RESTA
- • I had two situations in which my car would unexpectedly lurch forward after coming to a complete stop with my foot on the brake pedal, and another case in which I could not place the vehicle in park with the DCT Shift lever malfunctioning and making the car undrivable.
“WHEN MOVING SLOWLY AND THEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATING, SUCH AS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ONTO A BUSY ROAD, THE CAR SEEMS TO SHUT OFF THE FUEL FOR A SOLID 2 SECONDS, SO THE CAR ACTUALLY SLOWS RATHER THAN SPEEDS UP. THE DRIVER, WHEN TRYING TO TURN IN TRAFFIC, WILL PANIC AND PRESS HARDER ON THE GAS AND NOTHIN”
— NHTSA complaint filing
FUEL SYSTEM
4 complaints- • WHEN MOVING SLOWLY AND THEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATING, SUCH AS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ONTO A BUSY ROAD, THE CAR SEEMS TO SHUT OFF THE FUEL FOR A SOLID 2 SECONDS, SO THE CAR ACTUALLY SLOWS RATHER THAN SPEEDS UP. THE DRIVER, WHEN TRYING TO TURN IN TRAFFIC, WILL PANIC AND PRESS HARDER ON THE GAS AND NOTHIN
- • TWO TIMES WITHIN A YEAR THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION OF POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ON 4-3-18 I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MODESTO BMW DEALER AND WAS ADVISED I NEEDED THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED WHICH I DID SPENDING $1355. LATE IN DECEMBER THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AND I AGAIN TOOK
- • I HAVE BEEN HAVING MISFIRES. FIRST CYLINDER 3&5. CHANGED ALL PLUGS AND COIL PACKS. RAN WELL FOR A COUPLE DAYS. THEN BOOM. MISFIRES AGAIN. LONG COLD START CRANKS. I CAN BRING THE RPMS ALL THE WAY UP TO REDLINE AS LONG AS I DON'T STEP ON THE THROTTLE MORE THAN 25%. AS SON AS I GO TO PUT SO THROTTLE IN
“WHEN MOVING SLOWLY AND THEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATING, SUCH AS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ONTO A BUSY ROAD, THE CAR SEEMS TO SHUT OFF THE FUEL FOR A SOLID 2 SECONDS, SO THE CAR ACTUALLY SLOWS RATHER THAN SPEEDS UP. THE DRIVER, WHEN TRYING TO TURN IN TRAFFIC, WILL PANIC AND PRESS HARDER ON THE GAS AND NOTHIN”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 35 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐ENGINE: ENGINE ACCELERATION LAG. THE CAR HESITATES WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN. THIS OCCURS WHEN IT IS MOVING AT A SLOW SPEED OF 5 TO 10 MPH AND AT A HALT. IT CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF YOU ARE MERGING WITH TRAFFIC OR TRYING TO ENTER TRAFFIC FROM A SIDE STREET. WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED IT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐ELECTRICAL: SOMETIMES THE BLOWER MOTOR WILL NOT WORK AT THE SPEED SELECTED. A FEW TIMES HAVE SMELLED A ODD BURNT PLASTIC SMELL. BMW WON'T HELP THIS ISSUE AS THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS CERTAIN MODEL. I HAVE TOOK THE TIME TO ACTUALLY DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. WIRING TO BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR MODULE AFFECTED. CANNOT EVEN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐AIR BAGS: PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT INDICATED THAT PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS OFF WHEN PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY ANOTHER ADULT. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐TRANSMISSION: WHEN MOVING SLOWLY AND THEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATING, SUCH AS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN ONTO A BUSY ROAD, THE CAR SEEMS TO SHUT OFF THE FUEL FOR A SOLID 2 SECONDS, SO THE CAR ACTUALLY SLOWS RATHER THAN SPEEDS UP. THE DRIVER, WHEN TRYING TO TURN IN TRAFFIC, WILL PANIC AND PRESS HARDER ON THE GAS AND NOTHIN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Bmw 135I — Year Comparison
How does 2011 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
Full years-to-avoid analysis →NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 35
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 2
- Crash reports
- 1
- Injury reports
- 1
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
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