The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. While driving 50 mph, the oil pump and drivetrain warning indicators illuminated. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle violently jerked and stalled. As a result, the contact sustained injuries to the breast, but did not require medical attention. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The contact was in heavy traffic and was not able to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to rallye BMW (1 brush hollow rd, westbury, NY 11590, (516) 393-0000) where it was diagnosed that the oil pump and drivetrain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000. The VIN was not available.

- Freeport, NY, USA

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.

- Freeport, NY, USA

There's a leaking coming from the engine bay area I replace the valve cover gasket but that hasn't stop the smoke coming out of the car I've seen in several BMW forums that owners of 3 series have complain about these and the two major problems that cause this is 1. the valve cover gasket or the turbo oil lines the oil get into the catalyst converter and start smoking and heating and this might cause a fire while you are driving or coming to a complete stop

- Spring, TX, USA

Error - "drivetrain malfunction: Drive moderately. Maximum drivetrain output not available. Consult service center." This was taken to the dealer (BMW of silver spring, md) at first. They said it was thermostat issue. So, they installed a new thermostat and I paid my $100 deductible. The same error started appearing again just a few days later. The car suddenly shudders, jolts and shifts from eco mode to comfort mode if driving on freeway. If the error appears when the car is parked, the car does not switch from park mode to drive mode until you totally you shut down the engine, then restart and drive out immediately. Instantly, it shows "drivetrain malfunction" error on screen. The engine make a groaning noise. You can feel the power of the engine is significantly reduced. You have to hit the accelerator pedal deep to extract power out of the engine. The tachometer (the right dial on dashboard) moves up in the region of 3X1000 to 4X1000 /min range even to get to a speed of 30 miles/hour. So, when driving moderately, it can suddenly stall. This is a huge safety risk on city roads as one can get hit and be rear-ended by a car from behind with your family inside the car. I feel much unsafe driving this car now. BMW should fix this drivetrain error on install a new engine altogether. My car is still under warranty. This is a recurrent error, and it does not go away. I am losing faith in BMW.

- Germantown, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and failed to shift into neutral. Additionally, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The driver sustained injuries to the neck and back, a head concussion, ruptured blood vessels, and a face contusion that required medical attention. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. There was no update on the status of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 79,000.

- Canyon Country, CA, USA

Timing chain stretch. The timing chain has stretched and as a result is rubbing on internal components and is at severe risk of snapping this is a known issue and BMW has offered and extended 7 year/70,000 mile warranty to cover cars manufactured before 3/2013 however cars ineligible for factory warranties aren't covered and there are exceptions. They need to issue a recap!

- Asheville, NC, USA

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.

- Bartlett, IL, USA

I purchased my vehicle with $7000 down and the first week the "drivetrain malfunction" warning came on as I was entering the freeway. They said it had to do with the turbo. It has been less than 2 years and my car has been in the shop 7 times for a "drivetrain malfunction". I have had to pull over in the middle of traffic most of the time off the freeway. And, again today (12/3/2017) I was entering the freeway and also hit a semi when my car lost power due to the drivetrain malfunction.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

Travelling at 60 mph on the highway I got a message "drivetrain malfunction". before I was able to stop, the car shut down. It was towed to the dealer and they told me the plastic timing chain cover broke off and permanently damaged the engine. It will cost me $8300 to repair. After some research, I found others have had this happen and that BMW has since changed the design.

- Fitchburg, MA, USA

On 6/5/2017 I was driving on a very busy garden state parkway in the afternoon at about 65 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 message was gone and it drove ok. I was very scared to drive it but the message has not come back. Instead my husband's BMW X3 2013 had the same message 2 months later and he was also on the highway during the incident. BMW service told him that the problem is the timing belt. 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 (and my husband too). What does it take for BMW or NHTSA to issue a recall for this problem - a death or few?

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

Timing chain is making a whine and a rattle sound when engine is running. The N20 engine (twin turbo 4 cylinder) in this car any many other BMW vehicles timing chains are known to stretch and break along with the original brown/dark orange color plastic timing chain guard rail. The timing chain guard rail was made out of a defective plastic until around 1/1/15 when BMW realized there were owners having catastrophic engine failure not if the chain breaks, but when. The only repair if the engine fails is to replace the engine at a cost of approx. $12K and $8K in labor totaling about $20K which exceeds the value of my vehicle. Vehicles with this engine manufactured after 1/1/15 have the redesigned more durable white plastic timing chain guard rail allowing the engine to run smoother and without the risk of engine catastrophic failure. There is a grave safety risk for owners with this engine with the original pre-2015 timing chain & guard rail design because if you are traveling in normal traffic or attempting to cross a train track or other dangerous intersections, occupants can be killed as a result of the vehicle stalling. Contacted BMW North America on 5/19/17 regarding the issue and had the vehicle inspected by my local BMW dealership who indicated there was nothing wrong. The total cost to replace my original timing chain and timing chain guard rail with the re-designed version would cost $4600 with parts & labor. BMW usa and the dealership refused to cover the cost and denied this important safety defect. I also provided them a copy of a web link with a youtube video of the issue narrated by an independent BMW technician explaining the defect. See the link below which contains photos and the youtube video related to this issue. Https://bmwtechnician.com/2016/08/07/N20-timing-chain-issue/

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle independently drifted from side to side. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the wheels needed to be aligned; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was determined that the vehicle was functioning as designed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer a third time, but the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle had previously been serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 13V454000 (service brakes, hydraulic). While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed a burning oil odor and noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact drove home and discovered that the vehicle had an oil leak. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump failed, was leaking, and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

- Chino, CA, USA

While driving car completely stalled out for no specific reason. This occurred on freeway with cars all around I was lucky to be able to coast to shoulder. Checked on board vehicle status all checked "ok". after a short time car started right up drove it home and next morning it stalled out again while on a city street. This time unable to put into neutral, electronics worked, had to flat, had to flat bed it to the dealer. This makes this car dangerous and unreliable. Car is currently in for repairs. Attached is the recommended services have not received completed work report.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

While I was on stanby waiting for somebody to move out of spot so I can park and my foot on the brakes the engine reved up above the 6000 RPM on its own.

- Eastpointe, MI, USA

This is now a repeat problem (3 times). Driving at speed on local roads the car drops to idle speed and there is no response from the gas pedal. This morning I had just gotten the car back from BMW service and was driving back to work when the same thing happened. This time it happened as I was turning across the oncoming traffic lane and I was let basically stationary in the oncoming lane.

- Arlington, MA, USA

It seems that I have damage to my valve cam, well just looked up and the vehicle was involved in an accident that was never reported to me at the time of purchase - I am looking at paying over 1700 for a valve cover (labor and material). My air bag lights came on in July and I am told that my VIN is not under recall - when I took to mechanic I was told to take to BMW to have added to recall.

- Humble, TX, USA

The vehicle can't handle heavy rain with medium sized puddles. The owner's manual clearly states, "drive through calm water only if not deeper than 9.8 inches, no faster than walking speed up to 6mph." This puddle was under 4 inches as I measured and took photos, but BMW refuses to warranty the work. They claim the engine hydrolocked resulting in full replacement of the engine. A quick trip to google and you will see many people complaining of the same issue. We were the only car disabled. 2 dealers admitted to engineering flaws, but laughed at BMW covering the repairs. BMW usa was of no help either.

- West Long Branch, NJ, USA

Oil seeping into the turbo system causing moderate to heavy white smoke from exhaust at cold start up only.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

Engine light appeared which is resulting in a replacement of the thermostat.

- Bowie, MD, USA

The car has been taken back 3X in the past 3 months for the same issue the car turns off by itself when stopped. BMW dealership could not find any mechanical problems or reasons for engine shutting off.. they shut off the feature and the car continues to shut off... on the morning of July 3, 2014, as I was coming to a red light the brake pedals got very hard and I had to push the pedals all the way to the floor for the car to stop completely. The car is currently in the shop being checked out. I called BMW to find out what can be done, I dont feel safe in this car anymore.

- Miami , FL, USA