10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 8
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 80,148 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.
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward and jerked significantly. The contact released the accelerator pedal and the failure stopped temporarily. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The contact stated that whenever the failure occurred, she would veer to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle would restart on some occasions and would fail to restart on other occasions. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where the battery was replaced. However, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on two occasions. The independent mechanic replaced the battery and fuses. However, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled a strong burning odor and she noticed smoke in the rear of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road, where she noticed flames on the rear driver's side of the vehicle where the gas tank was located. The contact immediately exited the vehicle. The contact also saw flames underneath the hood. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of fire extinguishers and the fire department. A fire department was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic. The independent mechanic jumpstarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence. The contact later received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine And Engine Cooling), which she associated with the failure. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Hanford, CA, USA
Headlight internal wiring insulation completely degraded, exposing wires and causing electrical shorts/arcing. Unchecked this will certainly cause a fire.
- Laporte, IN, USA
Feels like the brakes on and it pulls to the passenger side where it feels like the wheel is going to come off and the passenger seat belt is locked where it won't extended out to buckle and the car dog walks back and forth while driving
- Lucerne Valley, CA, USA
Driver side headlight went out, so I automatically assumed that the bull was blown. Went and bought $100 bull that controls the high beam and the low beams, replace the bulb, and the headlight still doesn't work. Took the ball back and got another bulb, and the headlight still doesn't work. As I was replacing the bulb I noticed bare wires showing, on multiple wires, as far as I could see. This is definitely a safety issue, as it could cause my car to catch fire.
- Pelham, AL, USA
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528I. The contact stated that there was an oil leak, the steering wheel seized, the battery and check engine indicators flashed, and the vehicle stalled. In addition, the contact noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair facility for diagnostic testing, but the results were unknown. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V683000 (engine and engine cooling), but the contact did not receive a recall notification. The vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failures. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.
- Weymouth, MA, USA
All of the internal headlight wiring insulation on both headlights is crumbling off which is exposing the copper wire, causing sparks and shorting out. I have performed much online research and apparently this is a known problem by BMW. Currently it's a huge safety issue because it's unpredictable when headlights will short out while driving, losing sight of the road and possibly increasing risk of accident.
- Lago Vista, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528xi. The contact stated that the vehicle independently shifted into neutral at any rate of speed while the gear was in drive or reverse. In addition, the vehicle lost power. The failures occurred without warning. The dealer (BMW of towson, 700 kenilworth dr, towson, md 21204, (410) 317-2237) was notified, but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact also noticed excessive smoke entering the vehicle through the air vents and thick, white smoke coming from the tailpipe. In addition, the vehicle stalled several times without warning. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the failures. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was not available.
- Pikesville, MD, USA
Headlight wiring inside headlight assembly is deteriorating badly. The protective coating is cracking and flaking off leaving the exposed copper core which in turn shorts out the lights. Possible fire hazard as well.
- Hanahan, SC, USA
"takata recall" my expansion tank cracked, then it blew up. Something is wrong with my cooling system. My fan would make a loud noise every time I started the vehicle. My thermostat hose deteriorated and my check engine light has been on for about 5 months. In addition my electrical/battery is bad and my car is no longer functioning since 2 months ago. Please help!
- Providence, RI, USA
Car power suddenly stops without warning. Usually happens when I'm either driving or when I am idle; when driving it just stops, and when I am in idle, it vibrates vigorously and then stops.
- Kissimmee, FL, USA
I was driving and bumped up against a sidewalk curve and my airbags deployed as well as my car shut off. It will not start another more and the hood underneath was on fire. (smoke was present).
- Hyattsville, MD, USA
Error code 93C8 - driver side front air bag sensor malfunction
- Batesville, MS, USA
For approx: 2 wks. Each time that I start my car in the morning to proceed to work. My ABS, dsc, check engine light, transmission malfunction light, ( sos ph), my radio shuts off & on I have to reset my clock each time I restart my car the window wipers come on & stay on till it goes off by itself & sonetimes my computer dashboard goes completely black. On Sunday Jul 30, 2017 it no longer will shift. Into gear. I had recieved a notice thru via: Mail about 2 1/2 mos. Ago for a civil lawsuit on the 5. series & my car was incl. In the. Recall but wasn't having any problems @ the time so I discarded the form in which I now. Regret. The towing co. Stated to me this is been ongoing for yrs. Now & the BMW dealership is well aware of. This matter but aren't notifying. The customers he. Said he tows BMW's all series for the same exact problem
- Somerset, New Jersey, NJ, USA
Wiring inside headlight assemblies flaking off leaving bare wires.
- Moss Point, MS, USA
2008 BMW 528I automatic sedan with 104K miles... head light wiring harness (driver side and passenger side) insulation is degrading resulting in bulbs malfunctioning/burning out regularly/shorting out/blown fuses, and possibly an electrical fire. An employees at one BMW dealership, said BMW is aware of the issue and refuses to address the issue' until they are forced to by the government or a lawsuit.
- Houston, TX, USA
The vehicle is made with inferior wire coating that can and I'm sure has resulted in fires. Not to mention the features of the lights can and will stop working unexpectedly. This also causes shorts in the wiring of the switch in the dash I believe and possible battery drain leaving people stranded or even having car die while in motion. BMW had my car for 3 weeks trying to figure out all their other faulty issues - they finally had their head foreman take the car home with him and go over it with a fine tooth comb. He fixed most of the issues. They had sent me home with my car 3 or 4 times telling me my issues were resolved only for the car to stall, smell like burning rubber or just not start. They were also aware of the faulty wiring but did not list it as an item of eminent concern - however after taking car to another mechanic for a blown bulb a month later they expressed to me the extreme fire hazard the vehicle wiring posed and that because of the nature (or problematic design rather) of BMW they were not at Liberty to delve into such matters. BMW is the utmost morally reprehensible auto maker I have ever encountered from start to finish. My lights went out while driving and I was almost hit by a driver in a large escalade around dusk a week ago. What's worse is when I took vehicle to BMW I was also having them fix the tail light recall that is prone to cause fires. I have never met more incompetent people. You do not get what you pay for.
- Cooper City, FL, USA
Just bought a used 2008 528I (E60) w/94K miles, in otherwise perfect condition. Went to change the angel eyes from drab yellow to lux led's. noticed bare wires on both sides of the bulb connectors, on both sides of the car. Tried to use electrical tape, just made more bare wire. The more I touched the wires, the more insulation flaked off, almost like a powder. I've never seen anything like it. Can't possibly be safe. Definitely a fire hazard. Neighbor brought over a bottle of liquid tape, and I re-coated all the bare wire I could see, making sure each wire was separated so a short would not occur. That is a good temporary fix. Will have to stay on top of this problem, since most, if not all, of the headlight wiring is made with bad, quickly degrading wire insulation. A real disappointment in otherwise good german quality and engineering. I guess the source procurer at the factory saved BMW some big bucks on that wire!! this is definitely a NHTSA safety recall issue. Tort lawyers should have a field day on this one. Photos of this problem are available at: www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2132684-headlight-wire-jackets-just-flake-off
- Canyon Lake, TX, USA
Insulation covering headlight wiring cracks off leaving large amounts of bare areas. This resulted in electrical shorts, draining battery, erratic electrical system behavior, blown headlight bulbs, and an intermittent burning smell in my car.
- Gulfport, MS, USA
Electrical wiring insulation/sheathing within the headlight unit/housing is showing signs of and or outright deterioration which in turn exposes bare wires within the headlight housing. At this point, the daytime running lamps have been the only effected lights but the wires for the headlights are also noticeably troubled. The issue is not speed, movement or area dependent. For further reference, I will provide a link to an owner's forum detailing other's dilemmas due to this exact issue: www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?T=798640 I look forward to a response.
- Kingsville, TX, USA
- Las Vegas, NV, USA