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.
There was a recall to replace EGR cooler on this car. Dealer replaced with same defective design EGR cooler. BMW is not putting any effort in redesigning EGR cooler and install that one in customer's cars. We are again risking our lives with new but defective design EGR cooler.
stall/loss of power while entering highway on ramp. Engine died and would not restart. After inspecting car found the gas tank to be filled with metal shavings which is indicative of a failed high pressure fuel pump. My year make and model vehicle has a recall on the HPFP for the same reason but my VIN was supposedly not affected.
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was exhaust fumes inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was flushed; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
While driving on the freeway at a high rate of speed in Pensacola, FL, my 2014 BMW 328d broke down. After several attempts to restart, the car was started in "limp mode" and we took it to a certified independent BMW mechanic, but could only drive at about 20mph in traffic with hazard lights flashing. Multiple error codes / mechanic inspection diagnosed a malfunction of the exhaust system overheating, which was melting the intake manifold. We towed the car the BMW dealership in Fort Walton Beach, FL. The service technician confirmed the problem in writing, "The tech did find the intake melted." Also, the vehicle had been losing coolant for several weeks, but the coolant was not dripping onto the ground, indicating a leak within the system. Here is where my problems begin. There are several recalls and an extended warranty that would would fix the issue, as the independent mechanic told me. They are: 1) Recall Campaign 18V-755: Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Cooler Inspection; 2) Recall 21V-907: Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Cooler N57T High Temperature; 3) SIB 01 05 20: N47T/N57T EGR Cooler Ltd Wty Extension to 10 years without mileage limit. My car was built to US spec, and sold via U.S. Military sales in Germany (I'm Active Duty USAF). I was relocated to Florida, and brought the car with me. When this happened, I was told to register my car with BMW North America to get into their warranty validation system, and I did so. However, my car does not show up as needing any recalls or warranty work, likely because it was sold in Europe. As such, the dealer wants me to pay in excess of $3,000 to fix the problem. Both an independent mechanic and dealer technician have identified the previously-known safety problems as the cause of my car's breakdown on the freeway. I am in desperate need of help to get this fixed, as I've had to rent a car for weeks, and multiple calls to BMW North America and dealership visits have produced zero progress.
DEF SCR Active Tank Fluid Level sensor fails. BMW requires entire replacement of the Active Tank for $1200 parts + $1500 for labor. This is a ridiculous repair since Volkswagen sells a repair kit for the Active Tank fluid sensor for just ~$300 in their diesel. Given the high failure rates of the Active Tank fluid sensor present throughout BMW diesel line-up in the USA, BMW should instead provide a repair kit to avoid such an expensive repair. The 335d and X5d had such high failure rates of the active tanks, that the extended warranties were provided to owners 120K/10years.
- South San Francisco, CA, USA
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I recently got the EGR cooler replaced as part of the recall campaign safety issue, after my repair, a very strong smell of fuel and exhaust was coming into my car cabin, when I reported to BMW they said it should burn off - that it wasn-??t an issue. I took it a master technician to diagnose and inspect my car and he found that the turbo waster gate was leaking caused by all of the buildup of carbon and soot from a faulty EGR cooler. I brought this up to the dealership, and they said unfortunately this problem is not covered. I-??m escalating this issue because this is a majority safety and health risk, and BMW is not taking responsibility to fix the problem.
From purchasing this vehicle form Autohaus of Orlando, there was no such mention of this open safety recall at all. In fact, I believe the Check Engine Light had been tampered with, as it was not on, but immediately came on a couple days later. On the CARFAX, it is listed as a Manufacturer Safety Recall on 11/19/2021: "- Recall #21V-907:404 - EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION (EGR) COOLER - Status: Remedy Not Available - Need more information about this recall? Find an authorized BMW dealer, email CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com, or call 1-800- 525-7417" 200 miles from the car dealership, the car broke down as it was rapidly leaking engine coolant, it was inoperable and ran very hot, creating the potential cause of a fire. I had to take it to the nearest BMW dealership, which was BMW of Albany in Albany, GA. They fixed the coolant leak hose, which appears to be related to the open recall, and made note of the open recall. But did nothing to fix it. It was one day after the service from their shop where the check engine light came on, and I asked them about it, and Caroline from BMW Albany said: "Spoke to the technician, it says it is probably related to the recall for your vehicle that there isn't a fix for (the open recall you and I had discussed on the vehicle)- he says you could clear the code but it would probably just come back on with time. He says its also difficult to tell from that fault code --Caroline Eva BMW of Albany" I asked "what should I do about it" and got no response back. Message even says "read" On 8/31/2022, I took it into Fields BMW in Daytona Beach, FL for a separate service, and they did not fix this issue either. On NHTSA.gov, it states the following: "If the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner, please contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236 or TTY: 1-800-424-9153 or file an online complaint with NHTSA." There has been no remedy in over a year and a half.
There is a known Engine Timing Chain problem with this make and model of vehicle. These timing chains tend to fail and fail sometimes quite early. Repair of these engine timing chains is prohibitively expensive. NHTSA should investigate and determine that a recall should be required to ensure that these timing chains don't fail prematurely or are replaced by the manufacturer when they do so.
I was in a busy Freeway driving & Now my 2014 Bmw 328 D high pressure fuel failed which caused me to stall and be stuck in the middle of the freeway which also almost made me cause like 10 car crashes it was sorry scary but lucky police helped out and other driver where also caution
2014 BMW 328i Xdrive, 62K miles. Routine oil change and filter change serviced at BMW dealership Feb 2022. March 2022 (<30 days later), suffered catastrophic engine failure related to camshaft oil starvation and sudden loss of power while driving on highway at 60 mph. Dealership investigation unable to determine the cause, ruled out N20 timing chain and oil pump chain issues. Neither BMW NA nor dealership would stand behind engine failure - BMW NA stated the "car is too old." Full engine replacement completed at the expense of the customer ($11K). Very disappointing that an engine would suffer catastrophic failure related to oil starvation within one month of dealership oil service with multi-point inspection. BMW F30 N20 engines have numerous reports of failures.
While approaching a stop light I noticed that it was much harder to stop than expected. As I let up on the brake a little I started accelerating towards the car in front of me. I reapplied the brakes much hard and was able to stop the vehicle but I could tell that I was fighting the engine. I put the car into park and the engine raced up to about 4.5k. I then just hit the off button and put my hazards on. After a few seconds, I turned the car back on and the engine behaved as expected. I drove off without incident.
Timing Chain Guide failure after 75k miles resulting in catastrophic engine damage. I was in heavy traffic at 60 mph when the engine began to knock loudly, just as quick the drivetrain malfunction warning came on along with the oil pressure warning light. Immediately lost power & the vehicle went into -??Limp Mode-?? and within a 3 seconds it completely shut down causing a plethora of problems that made it a nightmare to get off of this busy highway. Vehicles were narrowly missing me & blowing their horns while I was trying to coast off of the side of the roadway. All this happened in about 20 to 25 seconds.The car has been in the garage for 6 months & a confirmation was made on the timing chain guide failure. The inlet screen to the oil pump has pieces of the broken guides stuck in it which restricted the oil flow to the entire engine. Both front & rear crankshaft bearings were seized up & spun inside the engine block. Upon inspection of the top end of the engine, indicators suggesting extreme heat resulting in damage to both camshafts, connecting rods, rocker spring retainers, rocker arms, valves, & piston rings. The VIN number of the vehicle is amongst the ones included in the Class Action Lawsuit against BMW regarding the malfunction of the timing chain guides. I still haven-??t heard back from BMW-??s representatives to date. My vehicle needs fixed whether it-??s beyond the mileage of the extended warranty or not!!
Travelling at 45 mph, engine failed and shut off. Coasted to the side of the road. Towed vehicle on a flatbed to a BMW Dealership. Dealer inspected engine and reported a Timing Chain/Timing Chain Guide failure. Recommended I replace the engine versus repair it.
Engine needs to be replaced. Bad timing chain. There is currently class action lawsuit with my exact year for 328I but I am 328D. From my research it appears the diesel models have experienced more problems than gas engines. Europe has done a recall with diesel engines due to this issue. Why not in usa? this needs to be covered and addressed. I maintained my vehicle flawlessly the entire period. Since BMW knew of this issue the warranty should have been covered up to 150K miles. I was quoted $21,000 for new engine, which is $5,000 more than its worth being very generous with value. This is unacceptable. I actually wanted buy another BMW as I just listed vehicle for sale days before this happened. Im glad I didnt sell my car even though im at a real financial loss here. It wouldn't be right. BMW wasnt right to conceal this in first place. I would have paid for replacement parts. Now they want capitalize on new engine parts and labor. This cannot be allowed. Diesel vehicles must be added to recall.
I have a 2014 328D F31 three weeks ago while turning into a parking spot at a grocery store parking lot at low speed, my 328D shifted to P mid turn, and the engine shut off. Upon trying to restart it, it would crank but not turn over. (thankfully, I was in a parking lot and going at slow speed - and not on the interstate). We had to manually get it shifted into neutral to be able to push it into a parking spot. Upon further inspection, it was determined that the high pressure fuel pump has failed. (thankfully it doesn't appear to be disintegrated as some others have reported). All open recalls have been repaired. This vehicle has been very well maintained, and great efforts have been taken to ensure only quality, fresh diesel has been pumped in the car. BMW has offered an extended warranty for this (not cheap) part. However, it's only up to 10 years or 120,000 miles, and my vehicle is at 128,000. I am incredibly grateful that no one was hurt, injured, or worse in this incident. But given the high frequency of this happening amongst other 328D owners, and the safety implications (many times on the interstate), I would expect that BMW would recall this vehicle and get these parts replaced before anything worse happens. It happened quickly and suddenly with no prior performance warnings, codes, or lights. In fact when running a foxwell schwaben 14020sch scanner, no codes are being returned. An additional safety concern of course is that this problem is not preventable with traditional diagnostics. My google research shows the Bosch fuel pump was recalled in other models, but the recall exempted the diesel variants. I can't imagine an item prone to failure, that's not listed on a replacement schedule. There are multiple lawsuits out there on the Bosch CP4 fuel pumps. (however CP4.2 seems to be more reliable than the CP4.1).
While driving 70mph car went into neutral coasting to a stop. I had no control of the gas causing a dangerous sittuation as we coasted to the side of the road. After placing the vehicle into park, it would not start and needed to be towed. Vehicle could not be put into neutral for towing purposes. Repair shop said the timing chain had went out seizing and ruining the engine. 15K repair bill, very dangerous sittuation having no control over a vehicle at high speed highway driving!
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328xi. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the vehicle seized without warning. The contact coasted the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to resume normal operation. The vehicle was towed to BMW northwest (4011 20th St E, Tacoma, wa 98424) where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. No leaks were present. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15V189000 (fuel system, gasoline) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated while driving at 5 mph, when the vehicle stalled. The contact stated unknown red engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to local dealer BMW of riverside located at 3060 adams St, riverside, ca 92504, (951) 373-5000, where it was diagnosed with needing the fuel system replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the contact stated he continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 70,000. Consumer says that the second time the failure occurred his wife was driving on the freeway. The failure mileage was 90,000. The manufacturer created an extended warranty for the issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pleasanton, CA, USA