Table 1 shows two common engine and engine cooling related problems of the 2010 BMW 5 Series.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling problems | |
| Engine Knocking Noise problems |
This is the second time this particular problem happened. The first time the car lost power when revs went up above 3. 5k rpm and recovered as soon as revs fell below this range. This almost resulted in an accident since the driver behind me was taken by surprise with the abrupt reduction in speed. I took the car to BMW for service and they reported it had been fixed. The second incident occurred while driving at 60mph on the leftmost lane of a three lane highway. The car completely lost power and a warning was displayed indicating: "engine malfunction, you may be able to continue at reduced power". There was no power at all. The engine was completely off, car switched to neutral. I turned the hazard lights on since there was a lot of commuting traffic and the quick reduction in speed could have again resulted in a serious accident. I managed to coast to the shoulder on the right and called roadside assistance. Car was towed and is being serviced by BMW. Searching the web I found numerous references to this exact problem reported as early as 2008. Some of the reports indicate that this issue happened a few times to the same car even after the issue was declared resolved. I am dumbfounded by the fact that a recall hasn't been issued. Does it take someone dying for anyone to pay attention and do the right thing?.
On Sunday 12/03 I suddenly heard a knocking noise while accelerating and immediately reached the dealership to have the car checked. The diagnosis I received is that there has been a fatal failure of bearing that cause the engine to get damaged and in need to be replaced. I looked up on the web and found out that in 2014 BMW had a worldwide recall of 2010 5 Series models for a defect in the engine which would have generated the same failure I have experience, suddenly, on Sunday. My car was never recalled, but the failure mode and the year of the model are strikingly similar. The recall I am referencing is 14v-176 for the vanos. The affected 5 Series models were produced between February 2010 � August 2011. My 5 Series was manufactured on October 2009, therefore not included in the recall. However the failure is identical to the one described by the recall and I feel that the recall should have been more inclusive. My 535 had 130 k miles, which do not warrant such a drastic failure, especially since has been diligently serviced by the dealership service. Last oil change had still 9000 miles to spare and when they replaced the filter nothing was noticed. Such a drastic and rapid failure it is not otherwise explainable.