general problems of the 2013 BMW 535

My 2013 BMW 535i (VIN [xxx] ) caught fire spontaneously while parked, turned off, and unoccupied on 11/18/2025 in westbury, NY. A passerby saw smoke and called 911. Nassau county police and the westbury fire department responded. Firefighters informed me at the scene that the fire was mechanical in origin. The vehicle was completely off and had been parked for about 20 minutes. I was not in or near the car. The fire originated under the hood. This matches known fire patterns in BMW 5-series models from this generation involving electrical/engine components, even though my VIN shows no open recalls. The previous owner did not register the car, so any recall notices may not have reached them. The vehicle is a total loss. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 535i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. Additionally, the contact noticed an abnormal burning odor while driving, with smoke coming from underneath the hood while at a complete stop. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Front drive shaft detached and went into oil pan causing oils to splash out everywhere.

Water pump failure with @32,900 miles on odometer. Cost to replace $2,800.

As I was leaving the stop sign and entering the busy intersection, my engine suddenly died. The second incident happened a few days later. I was driving about 15 mph, again the engine suddenly died. We took the car to BMW encinitas for its first maintainance check and we did mention these two scary incidents. They re-assured us that everything was fine. The latest incident happened two days ago, Feb 23 ,2015. My husband was driving at about 15 mph, and again the engine suddenly died and the transmission went into neutral.