10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
123,813 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #10

May 022017

328

  • 108,000 miles
While driving the car, it loses power completely and the engine shuts off. This has happened several times while driving on the freeway at high speed. It is a very dangerous situation, as the car quickly decelerates and power steering no longer works. I have been incredibly lucky to be able to get to the side of the highway after losing power each time (it has happened on the freeway 5 times now). The car will not start after it loses power and puts up a random check engine error. Sometimes, after sitting for a period of time, it will start up, but this seems to be completely random, as it happens sometimes, but not always. I have taken the vehicle to BMW several times now and they have replaced several parts and assured me it is fixed, but it keeps happening. I am now very concerned for my family's safety. I realize the car is a 2009 model, and it has a little over 100,000 miles on it, but this type of power loss should not be happening over and over again, especially when it has been taken to the BMW dealer. I have specified the last incident in the "when did this happen" question below, but the problem started about 6 weeks ago.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #9

May 052016

328

  • 83,000 miles
Driving along at 80 mph on the expressway in rush hour traffic, heading into a curve. Cruise control was activated, service engine light came on, and car shutoff. Was able to activate hazards and maneuver between the car and semi next to me to get to right shoulder. (ditch on left side) once safely off the side of the road tried to restart and car cranked but did not start. Just had fuel pump replaced 6 weeks ago for same cranking, but not starting behavior. BMW has confirmed the new hpfp they put in 6 weeks ago failed.

- Millbury, OH, USA

problem #8

Jul 202015

328

  • 91,000 miles
I had just left home and had been driving for few minutes. Was waiting on top of a small hill at a stop light and started to accelerate when it turned green. That is when the car turned off and started to roll backward down a hill. Had to put on emergency brake and tried to turn on the car but nothing happened. So had to cruise backwards to the side of the road. Power steering was not working and was difficult to steer. After wating 10 minutes tried to restart car again and it turned on. Brought the car in to the BMW dealership and they said they could find anything wrong with the car. Now 4 months later my car is not working at all.

- Peoria, AZ, USA

problem #7

Jul 222015

328

  • 104,000 miles
When crossing an intersection engine lost power and power steering went out. Took car to BMW dealership and they said the fuel pump went out and the pump and tank have to be replaced.

- Alabaster, AL, USA

problem #6

Jun 302014

328

  • 114,000 miles
The engine shut down while driving in traffic. Only after disengaging the key and waiting about 30 minutes, the vehicle can start up again. If the problem is not addressed, this event will happen within about a day to a week. I drove the vehicle daily on my commute to work. This problem has always occurred on my return trip in the afternoon. The error codes that showed up were: A generic code for the fuel pump, fuel module control voltage too high, and fuel module control current too low. After two trips to weatherford BMW, the problem was tentatively solved. On my first visit, they misdiagnosed the problem to be that the fuel module control voltage was out of calibration. They supposedly recalibrated it, test drove it, and solved the problem. They charged me the $210 diagnostic fee because they claimed this was not a warranty issue. However, the same problem occurred the next day on my afternoon commute. After bringing my car back to them. They diagnosed the problem to be a faulty fuel pump control module (ekps module). The repair was covered under the sulev warranty for BMW vehicles with the N51 engine. They did not charge me this time, but they refused to credit the charge on my first visit, saying that they would have had to recalibrate the voltage anyway. I contended that the faulty module caused the voltage to be out of calibration and that a functional replacement module would have brought the voltage back within specification, and that if they had just replaced the module on my first visit that they would not have had to recalibrate the voltage. However, weatherford BMW insisted on not refunding the charge for the first visit, and I have filed a claim with my credit card company to dispute the charge.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #5

Jul 272015

328

  • miles
The vehicle was parked but still running. An error message "fuel pump failure" popped up on screen and the "check engine light" turned on; the car turned off. The car has not been able to restart. It should be noted that I took the car in for service less than two weeks prior.

- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

problem #4

Sep 052014

328

  • 29,520 miles
Purchased the car used appx 4 months ago with just under 25K miles. Last week while driving in traffic appx 45 - 50 mph the car started to skip and lose forward power. While waiting for a tow truck the car just lost all electrical power as well. I could hear relays clicking but nothing worked. At the shop (non-BMW) to be evaluated I had to purchase a new battery (this replaced the original). Final evaluation was that the fuel pump needed to be replaced which I have now paid for out of pocket. I am afraid that there is some electrical issue lurking as well, but so far the car is driving well. Since I purchased the car used I was not aware of any recalls but now I have searched by VIN and found the recall on the battery cable and have that scheduled. 29,520 miles is too soon to need a fuel pump replacement!

- Suwanee, GA, USA

problem #3

May 232014

328

  • 40,000 miles
As I was driving my car normally my car just turned off on me while going 50. Its telling me on the screen its the fuel pump.

- New Britain, CT, USA

problem #2

Apr 152013

328 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
I was driving South on rte 495 in MA in the left lane and had just passed the exit ramp to rte 3 when the car seized and dramatically slowed down, I was going 70-75 mph with other cars behind and next to me going the same speed. It's only due to the alertness of the driver behind me that both of us are not dead. He swerved into the middle lane and went by me. After that I crossed three lines of traffic going at 10-20 mph on a major highway. I survived the experience, but I feel it is my responsibility to report this incident and hopefully save the life of somebody else in the future if BMW can be compelled to fix their fuel pump issue on the 328I. I called BMW as I was waiting for a tow and was told that there's a recall on the 335's fuel pump, but not on the 328I. I believe only a death will compel them to take action. As for me, I paid the BMW dealership in sudbury, MA $800 to replace the fuel pump and drove the car straight to a Mazda dealership and traded it for a cx-5 because I believe the BMW is unsafe and a possible death trap.

- Medford, MA, USA

problem #1

Oct 012012

328 6-cyl Diesel

  • 59,700 miles
2009 BMW 335D, egr cooler cracks open and starts fuming unfiltered diesel exhaust into the environment and into cock pit of car. Highly dangerous gas has severe impact to occupants, car could not be driven as exhaust smell inside of car. BMW refuse to fix this under below mentioned recall as it does not include the cooler. Recall campaign no. 11E-A03: BMW voluntary emissions recall campaign scr catalyst, egr valve and/or def mixer and ECU software flash failed exhaust cooler makes the car illegal on road as it exceeds emission limits and is impacting the environment and is a health hazard.

- Glen Ellyn, IL, USA