BMW 328i Complaints

2,583 consumer complaints on file.

#11578641March 21, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328xi. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577557March 15, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, he observed a tumbling noise emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577336March 14, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577202March 13, 2024
ENGINE
vanos bolts my engine is currently roughing very very rough and im sure its due to the recall and its been over 5 months still so solution.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11576542March 11, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owned a 2011 BMW 328i x Drive. The contact stated her son was driving home from a friend's house and refueling the vehicle. The contact stated when the son parked the vehicle at the residence, the son noticed smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The son attempted to open the hood of the vehicle but saw flames coming from the front hood of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A report was filed by the fire department. No one was injured during the fire and the vehicle was destroyed. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) as a possible solution. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11576280March 8, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking and vibrating while accelerating and the "Service Vehicle" warning light was displayed. The failure mileage was 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11576125March 7, 2024
POWER TRAIN
I own a 2015 BMW 328i xdrive with 86k miles. While reversing out of my driveway, onto a main road during rush hour, my vehicle unexpectedly stopped working with the message “drivetrain malfunction”. I had the car towed to a BMW dealership and was told there was a fault found in VANOS intake and that my car needed a timing chain replacement. I called BWM NA and was informed that there is a VANOS recall, but not for my car. They did however tell me that BMW would compensation for timing chain repairs for my 2015 328i if the car fell within certain parameters, low miles and within 7 years. While my car has low miles, I was told that my recall for the part had been “cleared” because I’m outside of the 7 year allotment for compensation on timing chain repairs. BMW will not help fix the timing chain nor compensate in anyway. I was informed they sent a letter in 2017, I purchased the car in 2017 and did not receive a letter. My vehicle had been serviced multiple times at BMW dealerships and I was never informed about a timing chain recall, not even in 2018 when my car was serviced at BMW for check engine light on. BWM has purposely avoided fixing a major vehicle flaw that they’ve known about.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11575782March 6, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for routine service and was advised by the dealer not to drive the vehicle due to an issue with engine. The contact stated that he received the recall notice several months after he was advised by the dealer not to drive the vehicle. The contact called the manufacturer and was advised that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11575409March 4, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact's friend owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while his friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal rattling sound emanating from the engine compartment. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway to turn the vehicle off, after which the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the four VANOS camshaft timing bolts. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and the VIN was included, but the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 204,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574722February 29, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled a burning odor in the interior of the vehicle. After a visual inspection, the contact observed an oil leak and smoke emanating from underneath the vehicle and surmised that that was the reason the vehicle seemed to be consuming oil abnormally quickly. The contact also stated that during the winter months, the vehicle intermittently failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the camshaft timing bolts. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was 187,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574487February 28, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574506February 28, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, there was a clicking noise coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was towed to the residence. The contact later took the vehicle to a BMW Specialist, who disassembled the engine to determine if the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The mechanic found the VANOS bolts had loosened and sheared off into the oil pan and damaged the cylinders, pistons, and the head. The contact was advised to do an engine swap but declined due to the cost. In December 2023, the contact received NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and towed the vehicle to the dealer to have the recall repair performed. The dealer looked under the hood and saw parts of the engine opened from the previous mechanic and stated the contact had pay to have the engine put back together and diagnosed, but the previous mechanic stated he would do it for free. The independent mechanic did not put the engine back together, and the dealer stated they would call the contact before starting any repairs on the vehicle. The dealer put the engine together and stated the contact needed to purchase coil packs and a battery. The contact provided the coil packs and a battery to the dealer and the parts were installed. The dealer stated that the vehicle was not test-driven but ran smoothly and returned the vehicle to the contact. The contact drove the vehicle 10 miles from the dealer and the engine seized. Upon arriving home, the contact received an email from the dealer itemizing repairs performed on the vehicle. The dealer stated that the oil pan was removed and there was a liter of water from the engine, primed the engine with oil, and cleared the fault memory. The contact called the dealer, regarding the seized engine and the dealer refused to provide further assistance. The manufacturer was not no
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574031February 26, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal sound, and then the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle failed to restart immediately and later restarted after cooling down. The vehicle was shaking while driving. The contact's daughter was able to drive to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,475. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574109February 26, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER
Previously reported on February 20, 2024. NHTSA #1157301 RDC failure caused complete loss of all dashboard functions except the radio - loss of lights/turn signals/ speedometer/ tachometer/ HVAC etc. Received a call from BMW customer service today February 26,2024 at 4:38 EST duration 17 minutes. BMW informed me the conversation was recorded. I request that NHTSA obtain the transcript for that telephone call. This note will be sent to BMW with request to send a transcript of the call to NHTSA. BMW Custom Relations representative was polite. Her purpose for the call - "to inform me that BMW is cooperating with NHTSA".The person assigned had no useful information nor could she obtain any information to answer questions. Though BMW documents all reported parts failures and complications, she had no ability to provide information relevant to the RDC module problems.The call was useless from an owners viewpoint. It did not improve Customer Relations. The VANOS recall was also discussed.NHTSA: #23V-707 Recall notification October 2023 BMW has not provided a date when the repair will be available. Vanos Bolt problems were identified for my vehicle in 2014!!! A 10 year warranty without mileage limitation was created but BMW owners were not notified - unless engine failure occurred and the car presented to a BMW dealership. I am more than frustrated that repairs have not been initiated. The local BMW dealership would like to repair the car but cannot proceed without corporate approval. Parts are indeed available locally. BMW has been aware of the problems for a DECADE. Furthermore, the valve cover gasket has been replaced twice since 2014. The VANOS bolts were never inspected. The valve cover was replaced last at 149,000 miles. A mechanic advised replacing the VANOS bolts but did not inspect them. Cost of repair $1500. I declined. Abysmal customer service!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573670February 23, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving he observed a rattling noise emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 33,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573353February 22, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573132February 21, 2024
ENGINE
There is a known issue with my vehicles Vanos assembly (bolts). BMW issued recall 23V-707 in October 2023. To date both local dealerships and bmw North America will not make the necessary repairs to the vehicle as they claim parts are not available. My vehicle is sporadically experiencing the issues related to this recall which includes sudden power loss while driving which is a major safety issue. Continued driving could result in complete engine failure. As the vehicle is needed and self cost of repair is cost prohibitive it also leaves owners with no choice but to drive the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573165February 21, 2024
ENGINE
I currently have my service engine light on because of VANOS issues. I took my vehicle to a BMW service center where I was informed that the issue is because of a faulty VANOS unit that would be fixed when the 'Recall Campaign No. 23V-707' has a remedy to be performed. My registration expired January 1st of this year, but can't get a new one since the vehicle won't pass emissions (I live in Arlington, VA). The BMW service center told me to go to DMV to get a possible emissions waiver. The DMV told me to contact Virginia DEQ. I've been in contact with Vehicle Emissions Compliance Officer trying to receive an emissions waiver. He has told me to reach out to BMW of North America to try to get parts expedited to perform the recall, but they told me that I would have to wait until a remedy is available. He has now told me to contact you all to file a complaint. This recall was sent to me in early December of last year, and there is still no update on when the remedy will be available. I'm paying taxes (high ones because of where I live) on a car that is perfectly drivable, but can't pass emissions because of it having the service engine soon light on. I need this recall to happen sooner rather than later. Thanks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573011February 20, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Tire pressure yellow warning light on. RDC module ordered but repair not completed. After starting the car at a gas station, multiple warning lights appeared in red including "car on a raised lift in red" which signifies car is to be taken directly for service. Drove to local mechanic one mile away. While observing the car with engine running at idle, ALL dashboard lights and functions stopped: No speedometer, No tachometer, No warning lights, No turn signals, No headlights, RDC module subsequently replaced with resolution of the problem. Opening the old RDC module demonstrated significant green corrosion - likely occurred over a long period of time. IF the loss of all dashboard function had occurred while driving, it would have presented very dangerous safety issues. Situation reviewed with local BMW dealership and BMW corporate customer relations. No recalls or warnings have been issued. Expressed my concerns in detail. This is a potentially dangerous problem for the BMW E90 models. The RDC module is located in the passenger rear wheel well and repeatedly exposed to wet/ snow/ slush conditions. This is a dangerous location outside the vehicle for the RDC module. The Tire pressure monitor system is a non-critical function. Repair of the RDC module is considered optional - yellow warning light. This event demonstrates that there is a serious risk when the RDC module is not functioning properly. BMW should make owners aware and offer replacement before dangerous events occur.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11572816February 19, 2024
ENGINE
Timing chain in engine failed while the vehicle was going 70 MPH on a busy highway. Vehicle had 96,054 miles. “Low oil pressure” warning came on and immediately the engine lost compression and car had to be pulled over to side of the highway. The spot the car stalled was in a dangerous curve of the highway making the towing process dangerous. Vehicle does not switch into neutral when the engine isn’t on. Vehicle had to be dragged onto tow truck ruining the tires. Quoted the repairs at 6 different shops and they were all very familiar with this issue. All estimates for engine repair exceeded the value of the vehicle. Additional costs may have also been incurred as oil pump may have been damaged from timing chain failure. BMW never notified me of the timing chain issues and no dealership I had prior work at ever mentioned the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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