Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 BMW 6 Series, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system3
- Electronic stability control (esc)2
- Power train1
- Air bags1
- Seats1
- Unknown or other1
- Structure1
- Tires1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Engines
The most common engines in 2008 BMW 6 Series cars on Dutch roads are the 3.0 petrol (200 kW, 268 hp), 4.8 petrol (270 kW, 362 hp) and 3.0 diesel (210 kW, 282 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 petrol | 200 kW 268 hp | 37 |
| 4.8 petrol | 270 kW 362 hp | 36 |
| 3.0 diesel | 210 kW 282 hp | 20 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
96 first registered in 2008 are on Dutch roads; 78% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €130,236.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde37
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen22
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld17
- Ruitensproeierinstallatie werkt niet9
- Band onvoldoende profiel9
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm8
- Band beschadigd8
- Richtingaanwijzers kleur wijkt af/niet toegestaan7
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
876 cars built in 2008 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 290 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,176 of these cars first registered in 2008 took their annual MOT test. 76% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2008 the figure was 57%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 0.8% | 17.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 0.7% | 19.8% |
| Tyres | 0.3% | 7.6% |
| Brakes | 0.2% | 11.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.2% | 6.2% |
| Steering | 0.2% | 3.2% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
49 of these cars first registered in 2008 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 244,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
50 2008 cars are on the New Zealand register; 80% arrived as used imports, 14% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2008 BMW 6 Series.
| 2012109 23 Mar 2012 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the insulated bulkhead connector (used to join the two halves of the positive battery cable) may have been incorrectly installed during veh… |
| 2010328 1 Oct 2010 | Brakes On certain vehicles, a check valve in the brake vacuum pump may leak a small amount of lubricating oil. Over time, this could result in contamination of the br… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 6-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 M5, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 M6 VEHICLES. THE INSULATED BULKHEAD CONNECTOR FOR THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE TRUNK FLOOR PANEL, WHICH CAN LEAD TO A LOOSENING OF THE BOLT CONNECTION. AS IT LOOSENS, AN INCREASE IN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AT THIS CABLE CONNECTION IS POSSIBLE AND COULD CAUSE THE CABLE CONNECTION TO OVERHEAT.
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, 6-SERIES, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2008 7-SERIES VEHICLES. A CHECK VALVE OF THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP MAY LEAK A SMALL AMOUNT OF LUBRICATING OIL. OVER TIME THIS COULD RESULT IN CONTAMINATION OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 2008 BMW 6 Series: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 10182619 | Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle "discharged battery" complaints. In order to properly repair the vehicle the first time in the workshop, it is very important that the diagnostic test plans are performed to completion, with all results taken into consideration. Without performing the energy diagnosis test plan, the root caus |
| 10057568 | BMW: ON SOME VEHICLES, WHEN STARTING, LOW BEAM, WITH 0552 OPTION, WOULD BRIEFLY FLASHES, DUE TO A FAULTY LED MAIN LIGHT MODULE THAT NEEDS REPLACING. MODEL 2008-14 F01, F02, F06, F07, F10, F12, F13, F25. *PE |
| 10056099 | BMW: WHEN USING IPHONE, VARIOUS CONNECTIVITY FAILURES OCCUR, SUCH AS DISCONNECTION OF CALL, LIST OF CONTACTS INCOMPLETE, DUE TO THE VARIANTS AND SOFTWARE USED. MODEL 2008-2014. |
| 10052365 | BMW: WARNING LAMPS ARE ILLUMINATED FOR THE DSC, ABS AND BRAKE AND A POSSIBLE WARNING IN CONTROL DISPLAY FOR CHASSIS CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE. MODELS 2012 F25, 30, 01, 02, 07, 10, 12, 13, E70, 71, 84. *PE |
| 10052363 | BMW: DUE TO AN ERROR IN SOFTWARE CALIBRATION, SOME VEHICLES ARE EXPERIENCING WARNING ILLUMINATION OF DSC, ABS AND BRAKE AND A POSSIBLE WARNING IN CONTROL DISPLAY FOR CHASSIS CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE. MODELS 2009-2012 F30, 01, 02, 07, 10, 12, 13, 25, E70, 71, 84. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10052359 | BMW: ON SOME VEHICLES, THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTOR, CAN LEAD TO AN INTERNAL FAILURE DUE TO INCORRECT OPERATION AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPAIRED AND/OR REPLACED. MODELS F01, 02, 04, 07, 10, 12, 13, E70, 71. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10052012 | BMW: BATTERY HAS AN INCREASED DEMAND DUE TO DEVELOPEMENTAL PROCESS OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THIS IS CAUSING THE BATTER TO NEED TO UNDERGO AN ENERGY DIAGNOSIS. *KB |
| 10045283 | BMW: EXPERIENCING LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, SERVICE ENGINE SOON LAMP IS ILLUMINATED, A NOISE, LIKE RATTLING, COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *PE UPDATED 10/31/12. *PE MODELS 2010 E70, 71, 82, 88, 90, 92, 93, F07, 10, 12, 13, 25. UPDATED 1/18/13. *PE UPDATED 4/18/2013. *KB UPDATED 05/13/2013 *JS UPDATED 5/19/15. *PE |
| 10045282 | BMW: WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, AT TIMES WOULD BE ROUGH RUNNING; WHITE OR BLUE SMOKE SEEN EXITING EXHAUST SYSTEM AND THE ENGINE OIL IS CONSUMED ABOVE SPECIFICATIONS. *PE UPDATED 1/11/13. *PE |
| 10043744 | BMW: INFORMATION REGARDING ENHANCED TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROCESS FOR ROOT CAUSES OF STEERING SYSTEMS WEAKNESSES. *PE |
| 10041407 | BMW: SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT IS ON AND THE ENGINE HAS REDUCED POWER WITH TROUBLE CODES STORED. *RM UPDATED ON 4/24/2013. *KB |
| 10040853 | BMW: A GRINDING NOISE IS COMING FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL DURING SLOW CORNERING. WHEN TURNING A SLIP/STICK EFFECT IS CREATED ON THE LINING AND STEEL DISCS INCORPORATED IN THE DIFFERENTIAL CLUTCH CAUSES A GRINDING NOISE. *RM |
| 10040045 | BMW: A NEW TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROCESS HAS BEEN CREATED REGARDING TRANSMISSION CONCERNS. *RM |
| 10039768 | BMW: AFTER REFUELING THE TANK, THE GAUGE WILL SAY 3/4 FULL INAND NOT FULL. THE GUAGE READS FULL AFTER DRIVING A LITTLE WHILE. THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR ARM IS BINDING. *RM UPDATED 9/30/11. *PE |
| 10038217 | BMW: CRANKCASE PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS AND INFORMATION FOR ALL VEHICLES. *RM UPDATED ON 4/24/2013. *KB |
| 10037025 | BMW: PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING AND REPLACING INCANDESCENT AND HALOGEN LIGHT BULBS UNDER WARRANTY. *RM |
| 10035009 | BMW VEHICLE: TEILECLEARING FOR DIAGNOSTIC MODULE TANK LEAKAGE (DMTL) SYSTEM. TEILECLEARING PROCESS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO HELP IDENTIFY THE ROOT CAUSES OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS RELATING TO THE DMTL SYSTEM (E.G., EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM LEAKS, CHECK FILLER CAP MESSAGE, ETC.). THIS PROCESS CAN HELP EXPEDITE THE DEFECT ERADICATION PROCESS, ONCE THE ROOT CAUSE BEEN DETERMINED. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATED 8/3/11. *PE UPDATED 8/10/11. *PE UPDATED 4/24/12. *PE |
| 10033130 | BMW VEHICLES: FUEL LEVEL SENSOR REPAIRS. WHERE IT IS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT SIDE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR DUE TO A FAILURE, THE ENTIRE PUMP AND HOUSING OR DELIVERY UNIT (SUCTION JET ASSEMBLY) DO NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. IN SOME CASES, EPC DOES NOT SHOW THAT THE REPAIR KIT IS AVAILABLE SEPARATELY IN THE ILLUSTRATION, BUT IT IS AVAILABLE IN THE PARTS DESCRIPTION. ALL MODELS. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10032988 | BMW: TIRE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED DUE TO LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. MODEL E90, E91(3 SERIES);E92, E92 (3 SERIES); E60 (5 SERIES); E60 (M5); E63, E64 (6 SERIES); E63, E64 (M6); E65, E66 (7 SERIES); E70 (X5); E83 (X3); AND E85, E86 (Z4). *PE |
| 10032849 | BMW VEHICLE: DSC DISABLING FUNCTION. DUE TO REVISED DME, DSC AND CCC SOFTWARE, THE MDM (M DYNAMIC MODE) BUTTON LOCATED IN THE CENTER CONSOLE SWITCH CLUSTER (SZM) NOW HAS TRIPLE FUNCTIONALITY-DEFAULT STATE-DSC ON; SHORT PRESS-MDM ON (GREEN MDM INDICATOR DISPLAYED IN THE CLUSTER); PRESS AND HOLD-DSC OFF (YELLOW DSC INDICATOR DISPLAYED IN THE CLUSTER; MESSAGE APPEARS IN THE CONTROL DISPLAY). NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10032827 | BMW VEHICLES: DSC DISABLING FUNCTION. DSC OFF FUNCTION HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN M5 AND M6 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE OPTIONAL 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10032825 | BMW VEHICLE: SPORT TRANSMISSION PADDLE SHIFTERS INOPERATIVE-DIAGNOSIS. THE DIRECT COMMUNICATION INPUT LINE BETWEEN THE PADDLE SHIFTERS AND THE EGS TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE IS INTERRUPTED. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10032781 | BMW VEHICLE: DRIVEABILITY COMPLAINTS DUE TO COOLING FAN RELAY FAILURE. THE CUSTOMER MAY COMPLAIN OF INTERMITTENT DRIVEABILITY PROBLEMS, DESCRIBED AS-ENGINE IS LACKING POWER WHEN ACCELERATING UPHILL; TRANSMISSION WILL NOT UPSHIFT UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION; DISTINCT HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING FROM 30-45MPH. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)