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 checked the car history report for this car, it said that it had all of the scheduled maintenance. I have not driven this car hard, I used the best gas I could. I had this car for only 4 months - I took it in to Carmax to get checked out about 2 weeks after I got it back in October. They ran tests, and told me everything was fine that "it could've been a loose fuel cap". 3 months later, well before even an oil change was required - my car gave me the same error message only now it would turn off everytime I put it in drive. If this happened on the road I definitely could've been killed. This car showed 0 signs of any type of malfunction and did not give me any indication that anything was wrong. Fast forward to taking it to the Mins Auto (BMW recommended) they informed me that this car did not in fact seem it had regular oil changes contrasting what was in the carafe report. the timing chain seems to be the culprit and now I'm stuck with a $10,000 bill on a car before it's first oil change, on top of the dealership (carmax) not being helpful at all - when I did everything right with this car. When MinsAuto ran tests they found so many errors - I don't understand, neither can they - understand how Carmax could miss any of these. I was also told by them that because this happens EXTREMELY frequently on these 3-series models, they are pretty familiar with the process and it takes exactly 24 hours to remove the engine, the pistons and take these things apart. so I think this should be investigated and taken seriously. Thank you
I filled tank up with gas and developed a gas leak with strong gas odor and gas dripping onto the roadway. My safety was put at risk because gasoline was dripping past my hot exhaust piping which has the potential to catch on fire. My independent service center has confirmed this issue. The manufacturer has denied that their is a systemic failure that could result in a gasoline fire. There were no warning lamps or messages indicating a problem.
I started smelling burning oil from my engine and brought it to the mechanic. He confirmed that my car has a valve cover leak and a electrical issue. The Car dies after being left off for more then 12 hours. The car miss fire and have ruff idle. Warning lights power train came on after I had the miss fire. Had P0171 and 02 sensor code.
I recently had my car serviced and the oil changed over the summer, so there were no warning indicators or service issues prior to this incident. I left for work and had no indications of any problems. I drove for about 10-15 minutes when a warning notification popped up stating engine oil pressure low. A few seconds later, the check engine light came on with a notification there was a "drivetrain malfunction". The car started to decrease speed significantly and I pulled over as soon as I could. I turned the car off and waited a couple minutes, then tried to turn it on. The car power/battery was still working properly, but the engine did not start. I had the car towed to the dealership that I use. I was notified that the drivetrain malfunction is due to "timing chain components failure" and the cost is approximately $16,000. I have taken care of any previous recalls and there are no open recalls that exist currently. In 2014, the same situation occurred, in the same car, where I also received a "drivetrain malfunction" and check engine light. During this time my vehicle also stopped working while I was driving it. Both of these incidents happened very quickly, and I am EXTREMELY lucky that no one was injured in either situation. This issue is extremely unsafe and clearly has not been fixed by the required recalls so far. I urge you to look into this further.
i was told by couple shops the my timing chain as a problem. Car will not start.....stalled out on a major intersection while my son was driving.... the car just stop working had to get it towed back to the house another expense...the car has been parked for four months and still paying the car note..I see a drivetrains malfunction on the display... Please help me and keep my son safe.. BMW the ultimate driving machine plz make the safest driving machine.
- North Las Vegas, NV, USA
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My car is a 2013 and was purchased in 2016; with milage at 78,700. On a cold start, a huge cloud of white smoke comes out of the right exhaust pipe. I took it to BMW for a diagnostic to determine the cause of the smoke. I was told it is a turbo feed line and if that is not it then it is the turbo charger engine as a whole. I was quote $5000 for the full repair on a car. I found a recall for the same issue on the same model of car, and I spoke with BMW about it. The recall is for the N26 engine and not the N20 engine which is on my car, even if it is the same make, model and year experiencing the same issues with the turbo charger. The recall needs to cover all engine styles from the same make and model because they are having the same issues. My VIN was not accepted and I was denied service help. Please I would like too attached to this vehicle VIN to a recall for a turbo charger failure. The recall was for 8 years/ 80,000 miles and my car meets those requirements.
I bought the 2013 BMW 328xi brand new in 2012. Last year, I spent $2,000 replacing the high pressure fuel pump after my car stalled in the middle of driving. When I was going in for a routine inspection, my mechanic informed me that the timing chain needs to be replaced and the cost is very expensive. Upon further research, I found out that this is a prevalent issue with BMW owners, especially with the N20/N26 engine. I even found out that there is a pending class action lawsuit claiming that the timing chain BMW used was knowingly defective! as of now, my car is worth about $10,000 and the cost to fix this issue is almost half the value of the car. I have not gotten the timing chain repaired yet.
Smelling fuel when I fill my tank and also noticed fuel on the ground if parked for an extended period. Took my car in and they stated the fuel tank has a hairline crack and BMW has since reinforced the part. Seems like they know it is prone to cracking and have made the fix but not issued a recall
White smoke come out from tailpipe after the cold starts. After research, I found it is will known issue for this year's model. It is defected turbocharge oil supply line.they have to do emission recall
Upon a complete refill of the vehicle with fuel, raw gasoline was found leaking down the tank and puddling under the car. Diagnostic inspection upon lowering the fuel tank found a defective "dummy port" seal at the top of the tank. This port was used in early models for emission control sensing. The cap over the seal was not properly sealed allowing fuel to spill out the top of the tank. When in motion this fuel blows onto the hot muffler and poses a potential for catastrophic fire
On 2016 I was driving on a very busy parkway in the afternoon at about 45 mph (which is a legal speed limit) when my car started shuddering, shaking and slowing down and a message came on saying "drive train malfunction." I immediately called my husband who told me to pull over and shut off the car for 5 minutes. He managed to calm me down. When I restarted the car, the car could not start I was very scared the car was tow to BMW and they state it was rhe starter that when bad. I had return the care several time to BMW for the same noise I was told the have a tech from the head quarter came out and the car is perfectly fine.the same hing happen 2 year later and I was on the highway during the incident. BMW service told me the engine fail and I need a new engine which would cost me $10,000 we were reading all the complaints and primarily they are about the drive train malfunction - it has a faulty plastic part, which since 2015 was replaced by a metal part. I was driving in the middle lane of a very busy highway and I could have been killed O). What does it take for BMW or NHTSA to issue a recall for this problem - a death or few? there is no way a 5 year old car engine should have fail with just 70,000 miles.
Arrived at home, turned the vehicle off, and saw smoke coming from hood and smell of something burning. Opened the hood, and saw that the smoke was due to oil dripping onto the catalytic converter. There was no fire. The vehicle was then towed to dealer due to risk of fire. Video is available if needed; please contact me.
High pressure fuel pump failure caused car to cease operating. Car shut down completely while in motion. I was driving through a parking structure at the time. Ultimately, the car was towed to a dealer for repair.
Traveling at 65mph on a state highway, the vehicle experienced an abrupt loss of power, decelerated to 25mph, and narrowly avoided rear-end collision. Dealership diagnosis was a defective high-pressure fuel pump.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact smelled strong fuel odors in the vehicle. The odor was also present while the vehicle was being fueled. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the entire fuel system failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked at times. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact filled the vehicle with fuel and parked the vehicle in her garage overnight. The following day, the contact noticed an abnormal odor and a fuel leak on the ground. The vehicle was driven to a mechanic who diagnosed that the seal above the fuel tank fractured and would recur if the fuel tank system was not upgraded. The fuel tank was replaced. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Heard noise and the car starting shaking and then car died on me and service on middle of nowhere and I starts the car back but it got stalled many times and it was shifting the gear to neutral it was a bad experience I could had an accident brand new BMW.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Brooklyn, NY, USA