5.2

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,722 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 BMW 528:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #18

Mar 152020

528

  • 102,737 miles
The vehicle engine light comes on everytime the engine heats up to normal operation. Tempareture and the revs up temporarily making it difficult every year to do emissions testing

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #17

Oct 032019

528

  • miles
There are a few recalls for my car but wen I put in my VIN to search, it says 0 recalls but I seen online that there are many recalls

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #16

Sep 112017

528

  • miles
In-tank fuel pump safety recall - no. 16V-746, last updated 10/13/2016. I attempted to get this recall accomplished after receiving a letter from BMW in Mar 2017 that the parts were available and to contact my local detailer for the repairs. I scheduled the repairs at BMW annapolis on 21 April 2017 but was informed the parts were in fact not available after an all day wait. I again contacted BMW annapolis today 9 Nov 2017 and was again informed the parts were unavailable which remains contrary to the letter I received from BMW back in March 2017. I believe waiting 2 years for parts is excessive. Thank you and have a great day.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #15

Aug 032017

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the parts to do the repair were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. BMW of houston North (17730 North fwy, houston, tx 77090 (281) 305-8901) stated that the manufacturer had not sent parts to the dealer for the recall repair remedy. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to call the service manager at the dealer to order the recall parts. The contact felt that he should not have to make calls to the dealer or service manager to order the recall parts. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #14

Jul 072017

528

  • 60,680 miles
I was notified of recall number 16V746 by BMW in December of 2016. On 12/20/16 I attempted to get an appointment at my local BMW dealer to repair the fuel pump, but was told that parts were not available. I also talked with BMW na, but got the same answer. I called dealer again in February & March of 2017, but was told that parts would not be available until April 2017. Called dealer (BMW of asheville) on April 18th, still no parts. Called dealer on July 6 to report fuel vapors noticed when parking the car. Told they would "pursue the repair parts". on July 7th, I received an email from david reiff, service mngr at BMW of a who stated in the email: "Mr. Therien, I will see what I can do to escalate this case. The fuel smell is not part of the recall part." On July 7th, I responded by email: "I don't understand how you could state that "the fuel smell is not part of the recall part." In a statement issued by BMW na (also on NHTSA's website) I quote: "this safety recall involves the in-tank fuel pump. The fuel pump connector may become damaged which may be noticed by fuel odor." My wife and I on numerous occasions have noticed the smell of fuel when parking this 528I. Please expedite this repair for the safety recall on this car. This has been a known problem by BMW since at least July of 2015. It has further been BMW's obligation pursuant to recall campaign no. 16V-746 to repair this defect within a reasonable period of time. We are now at 9 months after the safety recall was issued & 7 months from my first request to complete this repair. This not a reasonable period of time. Unless this is resolved in a timely fashion, I will forward my notes, emails and letters to the NHTSA in Washington as a formal complaint. Apparently, BMW does not intend to do these repairs. Please help me to get this safety issue resolved with BMW. Thank you.

- Arden, NC, USA

problem #13

Dec 012016

528

  • miles
Still no resolution to the safety recall issued December 2016.

- Jacksonville, AR, USA

problem #12

Feb 212017

528

  • 52,000 miles
The throttle body of the 2011 model of the BMW 528I has been faulty since day 1. the car jerks at low RPM making it dangerous during driving situations. The slow response time of the throttle can cause accidents. There is about thousands of complaints that BMW received over the years and they still are not issuing a recall on it.

- Selden, NY, USA

problem #11

Oct 132016

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part for the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #10

Oct 132016

528

  • miles
NHTSA recall campaign 16V-746 was issued 13 Oct 2016. To date BMW has yet to to notify us to schedule the repair of the defect - nearly 6 months after the recall was issued. We believe this an unacceptably long wait for which we have not seen any action from NHTSA or other federal authorities to compel BMW to accelerate compliance with the recall order. Are we going to have to wait for people to die in a fiery made for tv news accident before this is taken seriously"?" fix my car!!

- Ashburn, VA, USA

problem #9

May 082012

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. While the vehicle was in park or drive, the fuel warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the issue occurred several times prior to receiving NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline.) the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a fuel intake defect and the fuel cap was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Tustin, CA, USA

problem #8

Mar 272017

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Ashburn, VA, USA

problem #7

Oct 132016

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #6

Dec 012016

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part for the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #5

Dec 302016

528

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline). The part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Hillsborough, CA, USA

problem #4

Oct 252016

528 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 16V746000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact stated that the parts needed for the recall remedy were still not available and that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. Updated 02/03/17

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #3

Sep 152016

528

  • 75,000 miles
I just had fuel supply problem with my 2011 BMW 528I. My wife drove the vehicle to work and left it parked in the morning. When she wanted to go for lunch, the car would not start although the engine cranked and the battery was fine. The onboard system displayed the fuel supply warnings message. Trying to start the car for a couple of hours without any luck, we had to call in aaa to tow the car to the dealer shop for repair. After a couple of hours struggling to set the transmission to netural, we managed to get the car to the dealer shop. Right after we unloaded the car from the tow truch, it started to work normally. We left the car at the BMW service for diagnositic. But after two days of checking, they could not find anything. Everything seemed normal. They recommended me to replace the battery although they do not believe the battery was the cause. The fuel pump was just replaced a few months ago. So it's probably not the cause either (confirmed by the complete check performed by BMW dealer service). If it's due to the control module as mentioned in another case 10715571, it's a terrible flaw that shall be investigated.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #2

Jul 302014

528

  • 44,573 miles
I am experiencing an intermittent problem with the fuel supply system. After getting nowhere with the local dealership, I escalated the matter to BMW of North America, but they declined to assist. I feel they are not taking the matter seriously and my safety is at risk. I have had to take the car in for service repeatedly related to this problem: I drive the vehicle to work and leave it parked. When I come back to leave for lunch, the car won't start although the engine cranks and the battery is fine. The onboard system displays the same fuel supply warnings. After hours of repeated attempts (or up to a day later in one instance), the car does eventually start. (all of this can be confirmed independently. I took photos/videos to show the BMW technicians, and roadside assistance sent tow trucks.) the first time it happened, the local BMW dealership attributed it to a faulty control module, said it was a "computer glitch" and claimed to fix it by reprogramming it. The second time they told me it was the same control module, but this time they replaced it with a new one. I asked the service advisor if it could be the fuel pump instead but he said they tested it and it was fine. The day after I picked up my car, the problem happened for the third time. The dealership contacted BMW of North America and was told to replace the fuel pump. I asked for an explanation but they couldn't provide one. I then contacted BMW of North America directly but they refused to inspect the car or even provide an explanation for the previous repair attempts. If the fuel supply problem is due either to the control module or the fuel pump, then these parts appear to be prone to failure even when new (in the case of the newly replaced control module) or tested as working fine (in the case of the fuel pump). If it is due to something else, then we should find out what it is.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #1

May 092011

528 6-cyl

  • 2,000 miles
The vehicle has a significant delay in acceleration that occurs primarily after (I) the vehicle has slowed down to a speed between 18 mph and 24 mph; (II) a full stop (although it is intermittent following a full stop) and (III) sudden surges of acceleration. The acceleration delay is most noticeable when moderate acceleration is desired. The pedal can be depressed nearly fully with no noticeable acceleration for a short period. After the delay the car will accelerate, often in a surge. From a full stop acceleration is often a jerky affair. The acceleration issues significantly compromise safety due to the unexpected vehicle performance, both with the acceleration delay and the sudden surge of acceleration that occurs after about a second to a second and a half after the accelerator has been depressed. Often times when merging into traffic the vehicle has been nearly hit as a result of the acceleration delay. Likewise, it is nearly impossible to make a left turn until a road is empty as I have no idea how long it will take to cross opposing traffic.

- Sugar Land, TX, USA