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.
On BMW there is a consistent problem with the oil filter housing gasket leaking oil which runs down and gets on the V-belt causing slipping that affects power steering. It is common problem for the emergency brake plastic clip to brake and cause the emergency brake cable that runs above the drive shaft to scrape the driveshaft, causing the cable to wear out and cause premature failure of the emergency brake.
The contact owned a 2015 Bmw 328i. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle had caught on fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. The fire was in the engine area. The contact used a water hose to extinguish the fire. A fire department report was filed. There was no police report filed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Drivetrain malfunction warning comes on when the car runs for a few hours in the heat or when randomly driving. Sometimes the warning will clear itself after waiting a few minutes, but it might come back after a few minutes driving or not. In other instances, the drivetrain will not clear itself and will take more than a few hours. Took it to the repair shop 3 times and they indicated it could be the fuel pump modular or spark plugs or it could just be that the heat is messing up the software system. The mechanic has mentioned that drivetrain malfunctions have been occurring more regularly with BMWs. The issue is that this drivetrain can malfunction at any random time. Driving on a highway, street, or just starting up the car after letting it sit for a few minutes or days. It's a safety hazard because it can happen at any time unexpectedly. When it does, the car goes into neutral and this is dangerous if driving on the highway at higher speeds and needing to pull over into right hand lane. I've not yet taken it to a dealer to look at, just a certified BMW repair shop. There have been no warning issues and the car clears whenever it is taken to the repair shop.
After consulting many others that own or previously owned 328i bmw from around the same years (2015-2017); a common issue was found and assumed to be the timing belt. when i press on the accelerator moderately/ as per usual, my RPMs and speedometer hesitate for a solid second then it will catch up and start shaking. i suspect its the timing belt.
Vehicle is 100% BMW Serviced for it's history, showroom to present. Vehicle had been smoking after sitting 2-3 days and driving. We'd park and see wisps of smoke coming from the wheelwells and engine bay. Alarming! Never witnessed open flame, but as the saying goes, if there's smoke... Questionable component: 328xd Fuel Sensor Probe (BMW part #13-53-8-594-893 Fuel Feed Line 135040 ) Complaint/Report pertains to Fuel Sensor Probe failure and resultant fuel propagation(backfeeding/leaking fuel from sensor connection) into adjacent wiring/engine bay foils. Diagnostic System did not report sensor failure until extensive damage and hazard was realized. BMW USA responded to report as NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY(high mile vehicle) and therefore not of responsibility of BMW. According to local BMW Service team the event is NOT UNUSUAL and that several vehicles with same fail/error codes have exhibited similar fuel leakage/propagation/damages. VERY PROBABLE FIRE HAZARD Costly repairs; if system had detected failure when sensor failed we would have had it fixed. We reported the smoking several times but the service department didn't isolate the problem. We continued to drive the vehicle cross-country for 6+ months; each time the problem got worse. WE GOT LUCKY Repair bills came to almost $10k by the time we added all visits and the entire wiring bundle that had to be replaced due to fuel damage. Failed Sensor repair is around $750? BMW needs to implement a way to mitigate this problem to keep from having some potentially catastrophic/lethal endings. Similar problems that have contributed to vehicle fires in these BMW vehicles: 1) HEATER BOX malfunctions 2) PCV VALVE 3) COOLANT LEAK
- Black Earth, WI, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
BMW 328I check engine sensor light on code p0281 to replace coolant thermostat. Part has been replaced and code continually appears something-??s as ABS CHASIS malfunction sensor or check engine. Code also reads thermostat stuck open.
Driving to work and the engine oil pressure warning came up and the car began to decelerate and once completely stopped the power train malfunction warning popped up and I couldn-??t restart the engine. Towed to BMW of Toledo and was Told the timing chain broke and destroyed the engine.
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and independently restarted in LIMP mode. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred and various speeds. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Diesel fuel found in unexpected areas including wiring harness, fuel injectors, pressure sensors, turbo charger component, dde, egr, etc. Unable to locate source of fuel leak into electrical system causing potential fire hazard or serious vehicle malfunctioning. Advised by BMW service manager that cost to perform repair more costly than value of vehicle. BMW not supportive in correction or assistance with issues. Over 2.5 years of ownership, vehicle serviced >5+ times for engine warning light and drive train malfunction alerts. Egr valve replaced X3, exhaust pre dpftemp sensor, etc. Service performed on recalled flex disc B27, and egr cooler (multiple times)per advisory. Regular and timely maintenance performed on vehicle.
While driving the vehicle at freeway speed it suddenly and unexpectedly lost power causing me to have to take action to cross lanes of traffic to the shoulder. The dealer replaced the fuel rail and additional components however this did not prevent rerepeated recurrence of the issue. I am concerned that if the issue is not resolved it will lead to a dangerous and unsafe situation. This is a recurring issue even though the BMW repaired it. Car displays drivetrain malfunction message and check engine light.
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328D. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V755000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time to repair the vehicle. BMW of bellevue (13617 northup way, bellevue, wa 98005, (425) 243-5201) was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was notified and confirmed that the parts were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
On way home today 7/12/2019 car stalled out. I had very little brakes, steering was hard to turn and car slowed down quick. It started back up but then the passenger side window started going down on its own, and the A/C stopped working, and the drivers side window will not go up, and it keeps getting a warning going on then off then on says something about brake lamp control malfunction. When I got it home I left in driveway for a while when I tried to start it back up I started getting transmission failure warning and something about the engine. Then later the car did start up without the warnings but still has the original problems.
While driving on the interstate or over 50 mph the vehicle will not allow me to give it gas and a "drivetrain malfunction" comes on. The car then goes into limp mode and the engine shakes. The vehicle will not allow me to give it gas and before the "drivetrain malfunction" comes on you can feel the gas or fuel pump jerk. Then I am no longer able to give the car gas, limp bode happens, engine shakes, and the car puts itself in neutral. I have to find a way to get in the emergency lane without getting hit and turn the car off for a few minutes to reset the lights. But this has happened on more than one occasion. I have taken it to a body shop twice, still not fixed.
When I first heard about the recall for the egr cooler, I checked BMW's website and it said that the remedy was available. I took my car to the dealer, only to have them say parts weren't ready. I got a "drivetrain malfunction" error when I was driving to school a few months ago. After I got out of school, I was driving home when the check engine light came on. I took the car to my mechanic who diagnosed the problem as the egr cooler recall. He reset the code and sent me on my way. A few weeks later, the same thing happened again. My mechanic reset the code and sent me on my way again. I checked BMW's website again and they said parts were ready. I took my car into the dealer again, and they told me that parts weren't ready. Just today, I got another "drivetrain malfunction" error and the check engine light is staying on. I took it to my mechanic and he reset the code, but now the light is persistently on no matter how many times we reset the fault code. It has been over 6 months and BMW does not have parts ready. Every time I drive my car, I worry that it'll catch fire or something and leave me stranded along the side of the road. I almost feel like BMW should buy my car back, since it has had the same problem 3 times in a row.
I was driving on I-91 at normal highway speed and the car suddenly started decelerating on its own with no warning lights or other indication of a problem. I pulled over immediately and shut the engine off and got out to investigate and saw smoke under the hood. I called 911 and the car was visibly on fire by the time they arrived.
The contact owned a 2015 BMW 328xi. While the vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was not filed. The contact was unaware of how the fire started. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.
While attempting to pass at approx 50 mph on a two lane mountain highway, the car suddenly lost power, warning lights and buzzer sounded. The message on screen reported 'drivetrain malfunction, drive moderately'. the car continued to operate, vibrating badly whenever I gave it gas. We limped home, shut it off. Two hours later I restarted it and all the error warnings disappeared and the car is running normally again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pflugerville, TX, USA