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What 58 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 BMW 535d

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (58)Crash / fire / injury (4)Engine (28)Fuel system (21)Fuel System, Diesel (8)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Electrical system (4)Body & structure (3)Engine & cooling (2)Lights (1)Seat belts (1)Speed control (1)

4 of 58 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 26, 2024Electrical systemLightsFuel systemFire

My car keeps indicating that my battery is low because it is discharging after car is turned off. I kept smelling a burning smell and finally discovered that my battery was burning a hole in my trunk lining. The battery has melted the plastic covering the positive terminal on the left side. And it was smoking on fire when I opened my trunk.

NHTSA ODI 11627396

Jul 18, 2024EngineFire

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 535d Sedan. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the contact observed hear emanating from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the temperature gauge remained hot (H). The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and the contact stated that she observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment and she exited the vehicle. A passerby stopped, opened the hood of the vehicle, and used the extinguisher where there was smoke. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where they diagnosed that the intake manifold melted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 260,191.

NHTSA ODI 11603150

Apr 21, 2021Body & structure1 injury

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT AROUND 65-70MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SUNROOF EXPLODED INTO THE VEHICLE ALL OVER ME. I SWERVED AS A RESULT OF THE SHOCK BUT THANKFULLY WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BEFORE HITTING ANYONE. I WAS THANKFULLY IN THE VEHICLE ALONE AND SUFFERED CUTS TO MY FACE AND SCALP. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY CRACKS ON THE SUNROOF AND THERE WAS NO FOREIGN BODY IMPACT NOTED. GLASS FLEW INTO THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS GOUGING THE ROOF AND AND TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE WITH GLASS SHARDS.

NHTSA ODI 11413200

May 26, 2018Electrical systemBody & structureEngineFire

MY 2014 CERTIFIED PRE-OWN BMW 535D CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK LAST WEEK, FORTUNATELY A DRIVER NEXT TO ME ALERTED ME THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. I PULLED OVER WITHIN 30 SECONDS, GOT OUT AND WITHIN ANOTHER 30 SECONDS MY ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES.

NHTSA ODI 11098118

Working with the data? Download all 58 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 BMW 535d verdict →