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.
I was cruising on the highway when my idrive displayed 'low oil pressure warning' and 'drivetrain malfunction, ' the engine weird noises before it shutdown and went into neutral while I was still around traffic. I barely made it a safe place to stop as I had to coast up a hill and then turn with whatever momentum I had. The steering wheel and brakes were extremely hard to move. I got my car towed and had a diagnostic test for codes shown in the attached screenshot. Had a certified mechanic take a look and was told by several other mechanics as well that oil starvation destroyed the engine as a result of oil pump failure. No sign or premature wear with a very generous 5,000 mile oil & filter change interval and been in the hands of BMW dealerships for all it's life.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to roadshow BMW (405 N. germantown pkwy #6207, cordova, tn 38018, (901) 365-2584) for an oil change. The contact was informed of an oil leak at the oil filter housing gasket. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was then informed that the vacuum pump also showed evidence of a leak. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA campaign numbers: 13V454000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 14V627000 (service brakes hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.
BMW refused to recalls 2012 to 2014 vehicles with faulty timing chains, oil chain, and tensioner. When I contacted BMW they stated it was only covered to 70,000 miles. I purchased a 120,000 miles warranty, I was never informed by BMW West the service center about this recall. At a 120,000 miles took my car into be serviced and was told the timing chain, oil chain and tensioner needed to be replaced at the cost of $4,400, if the the chain had came off of the tensioner and ruin it motor that could be from $12,000 to $22,000. So many are experiencing the same problem. My car has been sitting for 6 months unable to drive it due to the danger. Car makes I high pitch whining sound and jumps out of gear, check engine light states on.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, when the low oil pressure warning light and the drive train malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to reduce in speed. The contact got off the freeway and when doing so they noticed a clicking noise coming from the under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle then turned off completely. The contact had the vehicle towed. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle's engine locked and needed to be replaced. The contact contacted the dealer (long beach BMW located at 1660 E spring St, long beach, ca 90755 phone number 877-514-7977 ) who agreed with the certified mechanic. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
- Long Beach, CA, USA
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Stalled on busy express highway, almost resulting in crash. Towed to shop. Fuel pump was defective and it costed $729.86 dollars plus 140 dollars towing. This occurred at 60 mph on express highway.
Hello I own a BMW 328I with a N20 engine, while driving down the highway I got an alert come across my screen saying that the oil pressure low and to stop immediately or engine failure may occur. I don't have to tell anyone how scary it is to be driving down the highway and think that your timing chain may break off and you are still in the middle of the road, but I stopped and turned the car off. After doing some research and getting the car diagnosed I ran into the timing chain guide and timing chain issue of failing on these cars way before they hit any high miles my car currently has 81K miles on it and this issue has immobilized my car to prevent further damage I will not drive that car, when talking to BMW about the issue they told me that they do know about the issue but will not fix it for free.
I just recently had to take my 2012 BMW 328I convertible in because of the engine was making a loud noise plus loss of hp. The technician informed me that the vanos solenoid bolts had broken off into the engine after doing more research into this I find that there was a recall on the vanos gear bolts. My question is do I pay for this repair?
I started my car and got a drivetrain malfunction warning. Drove it straight to the dealership where they told me my timing chain was stretched, which caused a vanos fault. They suggested replacing the timing chain and oil pump ($5500 repair). The car had 90K miles.
I noticed that there was white smoke coming from my hood and air vents while driving. I took my car to the BMW dealer where they said that there's a a leak coming from my valve cover onto my exhaust that is causing the smoke.parts and labor came to roughly $1500 dollars. I got a second opinion from my mechanic and he stated that my valve cover may not be defective but it may be my gasket and I just need the gasket changed. BMW stated that even though the gasket may not be the issue, they wanted to change the whole cover because they're known to break. They refused to change just the gasket. They are well aware of the issue and that it can cause my car to catch fire. They said that it was a quick fix and all the parts are available because they've had countless customers with the same issue. I am reaching out because I feel BMW is aware of the potential danger this issue can cause.
I was driving normally when a light came on saying drivetrain malfunction. The engine started to stall I pulled over on the side of the road and the car just turned off and never turned back on. Had a mechanic check and told me that the engine seized/locked up on me. I have serviced my vehicle at the BMW dealer & have all the receipts. I bought this car used one year and five months ago & I have properly maintained it.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle seized without warning. The contact managed to veer to the shoulder of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle, but it lost power. The vehicle was towed by the contact's insurance company to BMW of beaumont (1855, I-10, beaumont, tx 77701, (409) 840-3585) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
Was driving on the highway when the computer advised to pull over in a safe place. I did and ended towing the car to the dealer for a diagnostic. Was told that the engine had to be replaced because the housing around the timing chain broke free obstructing the oil flow. The compression was good but they recommended that I replaced the engine at a $23344.20 plus taxes. Needless to say I towed the car home without repair. This is a manufactured defect because regular maintenance could not prevent this engine defect.
Driving at normal highway speeds approx. 55 mph, when low oil pressure warning came on and drive-train malfunction lights flashed on screen. Car stalled out and was almost unable to get to side of road. Car was towed to BMW dealer, cause of engine failure was due to the timing chain and guide. Will require new engine (out of warranty - BMW will not provide assistance). After additional research it has led to my conclusion that this is a common problem and a class action law suite has been submitted in regards to early model N20 motors. Premature engine failure due to timing chain defect. Car was well maintained with regularly serviced oil changes, etc. I have all parts receipts for all service done.
I was driving on a busy highway and the vehicle randomly stalled and lost power. Drivetrain malfunction trouble lights lit up the dash. I was barely able to get out of traffic before coasting to a stop. I had the vehicle towed to BMW South austin and it was diagnosed with a faulty fuel transfer pump, and a faulty fuel tank. Essentially I had run out of fuel with 1/4 tank showing on the gauges. BMW denied my request to repair the vehicle under warranty, even though there is an extended warranty on the "in tank fuel pump". I guess people need to die in traffic when they run out of fuel unsuspectingly for BMW to care or issue a recall.
Was driving on highway when suddenly car stopped and was not able to put on neutral I almost got rear ended by several cars had to be towed car still doesnt start
The vehicle suddenly stopped on the state highway and will not start again. The vehicle was serviced at the local dealership on 09/08/2018 on for major repairs including oil change and all required maintenance were up to date. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer diagnosed the problem and reported that engine is jammed and need to be replaced. The dealer did all the maintenances and I have the invoices to document the recent repairs and maintenance. The car had a similar problem in the past, stopping suddenly on the highway. I think the BMW engine has problems and the dealer who did the last maintenance also did not do a good job. I request to take this issue with the BMW corporation and have them cover the damages.
Faulty timing chain guide broke on the interstate at 70mph causing sudden loss of speed, completely ruining the engine. Wife was luckily able to safely merge out of traffic.
In July 2017 while driving the car the cabin completely filled up with smoke and I inhaled a substantial amount, and smoke started coming out from the hood area. My mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined there was a manufacturer recall associated with the smoke filling the cabin. At no point did I receive any form of notice through the mail, email, or phone informing me of such a recall. The vehicle was delivered to towne BMW in williamsville, NY at the beginning of August 2017. After receiving the vehicle I was told the problem was fixed and the vehicle was 'safe to drive'. however on the drive home at night, the vehicle completely shut off on the highway at speed. I had no lights, no horn, no brakes, no power whatsoever. This apparently is what BMW considers 'safe'. I had to pay to tow the car back to towne BMW, as the service manager did not seem to care that the vehicle completely shut off while driving. A few days later towne BMW indicated the vehicle was once again 'safe to drive'. after picking up the vehicle, within a few days the engine started smoking again and smoke began to fill the cabin, in addition to noises being emitted from the engine compartment area. I called towne BMW on average twice a day leaving voicemails as well as my contact information, and received no response whatsoever. After my second call to BMW corporate to complain I finally received a call back from BMW after nearly a week of phone calls. I suppose the safety of vehicles or proper service are not BMW core values. It is now December and BMW refuses to cover the cost of repairs, despite not sending me any recall notice for such a substantial issue. I have been without a vehicle for 5 months now.
The BMW 2012 328 xit (xi wagon) had had stumbling issues for months and the dealer wasn't able to diagnose. While driving, the oem Bosch #5 cylinder coil pack finally went causing the car to have to limp home. The car was "repaired" no questions asked by the dealer and the Bosch coils were replaced with delphi coils as an upgrade. Others have complained about coils going bad on a newer car.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Northridge, CA, USA