10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,117 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 BMW 128 engine problems

engine problem

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2011 BMW 128 Owner Comments

problem #15

Apr 092024

128

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128I. 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 while stopped at a traffic signal, the contact heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine warning was illuminated. The contact stated that he depressed the accelerator when the traffic signal changed, and the rattle was louder. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence and parked. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Lakewood, CA, USA

problem #14

Nov 012023

128

  • miles
Engine noise.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #13

Dec 312023

128

  • miles
Three recall notices have been mailed to me. The BMW dealers say -??remedy is not available-??. My BMW has not been fixed. I have to drive 854 miles. Who is responsible if this VANOS assembly gives way on this lengthy drive?

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #12

Jan 232023

128

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle's ignition coil and spark plugs have had to be replaced several times. Car lost power while driving. Stalled engine at red lights and green. The PCV Valve Heater is causing the ignition coil and spark plugs to malfunction, leading to expensive repairs.

- Scranton, PA, USA

problem #11

Sep 142022

128

  • 48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128i. The contact stated that on several occasion while driving, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact also stated that when she attempted to restart the vehicle, the engine failed to turn over. No warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine would randomly start. The contact stated that the electrical system failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was notified by the dealer of the failure and the contact was informed that a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

problem #10

Mar 122022

128

  • miles
My car has been effected by the PCV recall since march 2022. Smoking profusely and smelling like burning electronics. This happened while my family and I were in the car. This recall has occurred on numerous BMW's with more than 917,000 needing to be recalled for it. This defective PCV can cause a fire meaning the vehicle is completely unsafe for me and my family to drive. This is the THIRD time for this recall. I am unable drive my car for safety reasons because of this recall and I have not had a vehicle for 2 months now. I called Crevier BMW and they told me, as of 6/21/22, that a fix will not be available for several months. This is unacceptable. BMW is not solving this recall in a timely manner and it has caused major issues with my life and going to work.

- Orange, CA, USA

problem #9

Jul 262021

128

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I received error code P052B and the car had a high pitched whistle and was way down on power. I had it towed to the nearest dealer for service. After speaking with the technician, they told me they'd gone through with a boroscope and saw nothing out of the ordinary and recommended a new valve cover since the PCV was bad. I opted to order replacement spark plugs, coils, an eccentric valve sensor, and figured why not replace the Vanos bolts while in there too. Unfortunately after getting the cover off, it's been discovered that 7! of the Vanos bolts have already either sheared off or backed out. Pretty much a worst case scenario as my car was built in 2010 and is just outside the 10 year unlimited mile warranty outlined in the service bulletin (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V176-2716.pdf). This service warranty does not appear long enough, and the item should have been recalled instead of warrantied. (Similar years similar issue in the BMW N55 motor was recalled https://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/11/bmw-broadens-engine-bolt-recall-nearly-half-million-cars-worldwide/)

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #8

Nov 052020

128

  • miles
Camshaft housing belts are losses or broken

- Daytona Beach, FL, USA

problem #7

Oct 142020

128

  • 81,000 miles
Vanos failed on 2011 BMW 128I, manufacture offered extended warranty and failed to honor said warranty. Vehickle makes loud noise. Car will eventually break making car undrivable ever again, with 7K repair cost which exceeds value of car with less than 100K miles

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #6

Nov 232018

128

  • 92,000 miles
The car was moving at highway speed with ac running. Smoke plumed from vents and under front passenger footwell. Electrical fire stemming from blower motor final stage unit and wiring harness.

- Westlake Village, CA, USA

problem #5

Apr 022018

128

  • 10,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Asd

- Newyork, NY, USA

problem #4

Dec 012017

128

  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128I. The contact stated that the battery warning indicator flashed more than once and, while driving in reverse, smoke emitted from the vehicle under the hood. The vehicle was pulled back into the garage due to the failure. The dealer (fields BMW winter park, 963 wymore rd, winter park, fl 32789, (407) 628-2100) was unable to verify when the manufacturer would supply the remedy and parts for NHTSA campaign number: 17V683000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Zellwood, FL, USA

problem #3

Jun 052017

128

  • 111,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128I. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a red light at 5 mph, the vehicle shuddered and stalled while making a loud knocking noise. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the aluminum bolts in the variable cam shaft timing adjustment housing had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact to speak to a BMW dealer in order to have the repair work done under a recall. The contact spoke to BMW of tulsa located at 9702 S memorial dr, tulsa, ok 74133 and was informed that they would not repair the vehicle for free as the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number 14V176000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the contact should speak to NHTSA to have his VIN added to the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #2

Jul 182015

128

  • 31,679 miles
The vehicle is a 2011 BMW 1M coupe. While passing another vehicle on a rural 2 lane country road outside of houston, tx, engine completely lost power in the middle of the pass, almost causing what would have been a major accident. It took almost two hours for a tow truck to pickup the car and temperatures were in the mid 90's with heat index of over 100 degrees, and I had no water or access to water or shade resulting in a very dangerous situation. The preliminary indication from the dealership is that this was a failure of the charge pipe, and this is the third time this component has failed in less than 32K miles. This is an ongoing issue and failure suffered by most if not all owners of this particular model, and is most likely to occur during periods of hard acceleration, such as when passing another vehicle, and as such result in a potentially dangerous situation for the driver and other vehicles.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #1

Jun 012011

128 6-cyl

  • 80 miles
The car has stalled over 600 times in 4 years. The car has failed to start 4 times. BMW failed to replace the battery cable for 2 years -- even after the battery caught on fire at a gas station pump. The car can only be moved with wheel trollies, since you cannot put the car in neutral or even open the trunk (battery in trunk) due to no manually key override tumble for either. BMW has charged me for labor and two batteries, even though they admit to failing to honor the recall and performing said repairs. The car is dangerous, and my wife is afraid to drive the car. The car chugges between 4,000 to 6,000 RPM, and bolt forward uncontrollably if the engine stall does not occur upon pressing the accelerator. I have almost hit several pedestrian, and have been sworn at and honked at due to crazy behavior of the accelerator. BMW 2011 135I M sport is a dangerous car. I am a senior mechanical engineer and work at spacex on the raptor rocket engine for mars. I am designing the valves that throttle the rocket engine, and in the past I consulted at the steering gear division at another automotive manufacturer in Tennessee. I am not interested in money; I want them to be held accountable to the law and fix the problem before more people get hurt. I am researching this matter, and I've found incident where people have been hurt. I am putting together a video of the stalls, and the BMW repair invoices showing the failed and absent repairs over 4 years. Thank you... sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Torrance, CA, USA

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