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 had just came off the interstate off ramp I-44 and Chestnut Expressway when out of nowhere my Drivetrain Malfunction warning came on then the car started shaking horribly and sounded awful. Pulled over immediately and it wouldnt restart and if it did it would shut itself off almost immediately. It is currently at BMW of Springfield, they said all my sensors are correct but believe that the timing chain guide teeth busted somehow in the engine"!" Thought it could be due to the VANOS recall but my VIN isn-??t included and clearly should be.
I purchased this vehicle [XXX]. Within 2 days a rattle could be heard coming from bmw vanos area, VANOS is a variable valve timing system used by BMW on various automotive petrol engines since 1992. I ceased all use of this vehicle on [XXX], only 3 days. Through my own research i found recall 23v-707 which lists my vehicle and this problem. I had the car towed to a bmw repair shop Harrison Motorsport. The owner said the engine needs to be replaced. Next I tried in Vane to get bmwna or bmwag to warrant this repair. I have numerous emails from bmwag of munich germany saying they are aware and their north america partners will be in touch. The recall states you may drive this vehicle even though it may produce a crash, ,,,huh? I have another bmw specialist 4 miles from my home. I drove the car this time to Brian Motor Works. The owner here stated that without a doubt these bolts had come loose. We planned to have him fix it the next week. Still at this time there were no dashboard warnings or internal codes to be found. I tried to drive as slow as possible back home. I went 2 miles and the 1st lights appeared on the dashboard. The engine shut down and I narrowly avoided a crash. The engine will no longer turn over and I believe it has seized. Through research this issue was 1st admitted in 2014. bmw stated it illegal to sell this vehicle as a certified pre owned bmw until these bolts are checked and or replaced. Mine have never been checked or replaced. I am thankful each day that my family was not with me when this happened, My attention was totally on this vehicle when it lost all power to steer or brake. I was very lucky this day, but I fear others will not be so fortunate. thank you. [XXX] [XXX] 770-329-6384 vin wbadw3c58ce[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The contact stated that after various attempts, the vehicle was shifted in neutral to be towed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the dealer confirmed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
As I was going down the highway may car lost power. I had to pull onto the shoulder and turned the car off. I then tried to start it but is would not start back up. I left it on the side of the highway for a few hours. Went back and it started back up but it was in limp mode, so I drove it to a shop. This car gave me no problems until this point. The shop I took it to couldn't help me. So I took it to Century BMW in Greenville SC. They told me I needed a motor that was going to cost me $14,000 to fix. I asked them to put my motor back together ( the top part of the motor). They informed me it would cost me $600 to do so. I got my car back with the motor not put back like they got it. It has been sitting every since.
My 2012 BMW 328i (F30 with N20 engine) had the dreaded timing chain guide failure, which is a very common issue with the N20 engine. There has been a warranty extension- https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10142923-9999.pdf and class action settlement- https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10201140-9999.pdf for this. But these doesn't address the safety concern. There has been numerous reports of timing chain & guide failures happening everyday in the various forums. The broken guides can lead to sudden engine failure and a loss of power to the vehicles. If this happens on the highway, this could be life threatening for the passengers. I kindly request NHTSA to look into this problem and issue a recall.
- Cary, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the "Contact BMW" and "Stop Driving" messages were displayed. The contact stated that the power brakes and power steering became inoperable whenever the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled at various speeds and became more frequent. The contact pulled off the roadway and was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that the vehicle started and shifted to Limp Mode. The contact disconnected the battery to reset the function on the vehicle. The contact stated that after one failure, the vehicle failed to start and was towed to his residence. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
I hear a whining noise coming from the engine and sounds like the timing chain is getting ready to snap. this is a common problem in this type of engine, resulting in a damaged engine.
Car stop completely on main st / took car to dealer and they said it-??s the fuel pump ( defective ) / cost to replace about 2000. Lucky no lots of cars behind us at the time ( 2012 / 328 i BMW )
On 23 Nov at approx 8:30 pm I was on I35N heading home in my 2012 BMW 328i. Out of nowhere I get a low oil pressure light, followed immediately by the Drivetrain malfunction light. I pulled over to the side of the road immediately for safety. I stopped the engine and sat for a couple of minutes to see if the error may have cleared, which it did not. I attempted to restart the engine and it would not start again. I had the vehicle towed to BMW. Upon speaking to BMW today, I was told that the cause of failure was a timing chain malfunction/break which renders the engine inoperative. The cost of a replacement is approx 15k-17k I was told. At no time did I get any indication or warning that something was wrong with the car. The car had been running fine until this incident, now I'm without a car and have to make a tough decision because of it. I've owned this car since it was brand new and never had an issue with it until now.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check oil warning light illuminated. The low oil pressure and drive train message were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
N20 Timing Chain failure/broke. My daughter's safety was put at risk because the chain broke while she was driving on a 2 lane back road, causing the vehicle to go into limp mode. The car stopped suddenly, in the middle of the road. The problem has been confirmed at the BMW service center. We have since found out that this is a known problem that BMW North America is aware of, and several class action lawsuits have been filed. The "transmission malfunction warning" appeared on the dashboard within seconds before the timing chain failure.
The car is burning oil badly and making an annoying squeaking noise due to a valve cover gasket failure. I took the car to the BMW dealership for diagnosis and I-??ve been told it-??s a common problem with ALL BMW once they reach 50k miles and up. The mechanic said it-??s because the part is made with a cheap plastic and it-??s get worn easily by the heat. It-??s cost up to 2000 dollars to fix, BMW should have a recall to resolve the issue.
BMW says this car has a defective timing chain module that will cause engine failure. I had to have my car towed because of this problem. The engine failed while I was on the highway.
Got a code for low pressure and then drive train malfunction took it to BMW and they told me I was covered by warranty but after they diagnosed the car they said I was not. It is a 2012 with only 67K miles and I was very upset with BMW. It is getting fixed at a local german shop right now and is going to be a lot of money
Failing timing chain. Manufacturing defect but not covered by BMW because "the VIN doesn't show as covered in our system". some other vehicles had extended warranty for this issue until 70,000 miles but for some reason not all VIN's are covered. Please see other issues with the N20 engine across the 3 series, 5 series and X3 and you will see many people reporting the same issue. This needs a recall. Not fair to have this issue for so many customers
I was driving down the road at 60mph the computer flashed low oil pressure, then drive train malfunction. The engine started making a loud noise and most complete power to car. Car had to be towed.
I was about a quarter mile from my home when my 2012 328 N20 began to make a loud sound coming from engine. The car also started to idle very rough. Check engine lights went off. I had the car towed to my BMW mechanic and they diagnosed an issue with the timing chain. They verified a noise and a very loose timing chain. Timing chain and guide repair was performed at a high cost. Mileage is 127500.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated after 30 minutes the vehicle restarted and he drove to his destination. The contact stated 2 weeks later, he was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 13V044000 (electrical system), however the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Aurora, MO, USA