2008 BMW 5 Series problems
Owners have filed 131 complaints about the 2008 BMW 5 Series with NHTSA. Fuel system, gasoline accounts for 30.5% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of engine and engine cooling at 27.5%.
Complaints131
Crashes1
Fires5
Injuries1
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Fuel system, gasoline 30.5% · 40
Engine and engine cooling 27.5% · 36
Electrical system 9.9% · 13
Power train 5.3% · 7
Exterior lighting 4.6% · 6
Fuel system, other 3.8% · 5
Service brakes, hydraulic 3.1% · 4
Engine 2.3% · 3
Severity
Of those complaints, 1 describe a crash, 5 describe a fire and 1 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Filings have fallen off, 9 in the last three years against 12 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 27,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Added exxonmobil gas 9/2/2008. Car dead by 9/7/2008, after driving approx. 50 Miles. The fuel pump on this very new car has failed. The dealer claims the gas was bad (says alcohol level tested to 15%), while exxonmobil insists the fuel was fine at 10% alcohol, from the ethanol. I believe the real problem is that the 2008 BMW 535xi's can't handle even 10% ethanol, so the fuel pumps are failing. Fuel system, gasoline · reported at 8,000 miles
I am reporting two failures of the high-pressure fuel pump on a 2008 BMW 535i. The first occurred about one yr after delivery resulting in the car having to be returned to the dealer in limp mode. A year after the hpfp was replaced, the exact same failure occurred, and the pump was replaced for a second time. Imo, this represents a serious safety defect that BMW seems incapable of correcting. Fuel system, gasoline · reported at 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 535xi (NA). While driving approximately 35 mph, the engine began smoking. The dealer made three attempts to diagnose the failure. The high pressure fuel pump was replaced but it cracked again. The vehicle was being repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current mileage was 30,100. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. Fuel system, gasoline · reported at 22,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…