Power Train Problems of BMW 528 - part 1

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over, and after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, and the message "drivetrain malfunction" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure started recently and had occurred several times. Additionally, the vehicle was vibrating intermittently and lost motive power. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle failed to accelerate above 15 mph. The contact smelled the odor of gasoline inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

See all problems of the 2011 BMW 528 🔎.

My 2013 BMW 528i was serviced under recall 24v-608 (coolant pump electrical connector / dme). After the recall was marked complete, the car developed several serious failures: coolant pump / connector (recall item) – the dealer refused to replace the coolant pump even though the recall notice from the government includes both the pump and connector. Shortly after, the water pump failed completely, causing “high temperature” warnings and putting me at risk of sudden overheating and breakdown on the road. Dme (engine control unit) – this was supposedly updated during the recall, but it failed to detect existing problems. Before the recall, I was never warned about issues with the turbo or oil leaks. Immediately after the recall update, the car started misfiring and showing drivetrain malfunction. The recall did not prevent or detect the failures as promised. Valve cover gasket (oil leak) – after the recall, a severe valve cover oil leak appeared, causing lean air/fuel mixture, misfires, and risk of fire. Oil leaking onto engine components is a known safety hazard. The dealer admitted the gasket leak existed but refused to cover it. Turbocharger / wastegate – the dme flagged turbo wastegate actuator problems after the recall. The turbo cannot be ordered separately from the actuator, leading to very expensive repairs. Before the recall update, this issue was not visible, so I believe the recall software either failed to detect earlier or triggered worse conditions. Because of these combined failures, the car became unsafe to drive: misfires caused loss of power, overheating warnings increased risk of sudden engine shutdown, and the oil leak created a fire hazard. An independent mechanic later confirmed the water pump failure and valve cover gasket leak, which I had to repair at my own expense. I believe the recall defect (coolant pump connector / dme) caused or contributed to the damage of the water pump, gasket, and turbocharger. BMW and the dealer refused to rep.

See all problems of the 2013 BMW 528 🔎.

A critical component failure has rendered my 2016 BMW 528xi inoperable and unsafe. The water pump failed, forcing the car into a safety "limp mode," limiting its speed to approximately 40 miles per hour. This issue mirrors NHTSA recall 24v-608 regarding an electrical connector on the water pump that can short circuit, potentially causing a "thermal event or fire. " the problem began with dashboard warnings about overheating, despite the coolant reservoir being full. Following these warnings, the vehicle entered "limp mode," posing a significant safety risk in normal traffic. The potential for fire is also a major concern. An independent service center has confirmed the water pump and its electrical connector as the point of failure. The failed component is available for inspection by a NHTSA investigator. I contacted BMW's customer relations line and was informed that no remedy is currently available. I must wait for an official letter before any action can be taken, including reimbursement. The representative did not provide a case number, making it impossible to track my complaint. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, law enforcement, or an insurance representative. I am unable to transfer the title because the car cannot pass a safety inspection in its current state. I am in a severe catch-I must receive a recall letter for a vehicle that I am unable to finalize ownership of. This failure to assist an owner with a known safety recall has left me stranded with a dangerous, undrivable vehicle.

See all problems of the 2016 BMW 528 🔎.

Very often, when I change the gear to 'drive' or 'reverse' I get a message on the dashboard screen - "secure vehicle against rolling" and the car does not move unless I shift the auto gear lever several times or sometimes shut off the engine to get back to normal driving. Once when I was in such a situation, no matter what I do, the error message would not go away and I had to call the tow truck to get home. And when tow truck person brought the car home, the problem fixed itself!! I only have 81000 miles on this car. It is a very serious safety issue as far as I am concerned. Please help.

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528xi. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system); and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact was informed that the recall repair had been performed. The contact stated that upon driving off the parking lot at the dealer and coming to a complete stop at the traffic light, the message "drive train malfunction - service to nearest BMW dealer as convenient" was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle was significantly sluggish and failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the coolant pump, and the part was not covered under the recall; however, the recall remedy information stated that the dealer would inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and would install a protective shield, free of charge. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

See all problems of the 2012 BMW 528 🔎.

Both of my headlights had moisture. I replaced the driverside first because you could literally see water sitting in the headlamp. Then I replaced the passengerside a year later because it was doing the same thing that the driver side started doing. I have not had any accidents nor has there been any damage to the front of the car. It appears that this is a known problem. My adaptive part is still not working, but the headlights are working. I have replaced my timinig chain and I keep getting a drivetrain malfunction warning. I am not getting a real answer as to why this is occuring.

-drivetrain warning message was displayed, indicated to drive moderately, and moments later car sputtered and ceased to operate. Mechanic inspected and reported the timing chain failed and is to blame. Also, the engine may be impacted due to fraying parts that may have entered engine values over the course of time. Vehicle may be available for inspection for a short period of time (sold car to mechanic for very nominal amount). -my teenage daughter was driving the car when the above occurred and broke down on a busy highway. Thankfully, she avoided a collision. The police were called and the car towed. This could have been extremely harmful to both my daughter and the general public. -an independent mechanic diagnosed the issue and confirmed the issue. -the vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The manufacturer (BMW) did perform an extensive evaluation and repair of the coolant line approximately two months ago but did not mention this issue. -I believe the drivetrain warning displayed once or twice with a message to drive moderately. On recollection, this was after the visit to fix the coolant issue. -we purchased the car new in 2013, were the only owners, and I expected much more from BMW. We are very upset given the potential harm that could have occurred. Also, I have since read about a class action lawsuit impacting this very same issue and pertaining to our year, make, and model. We were not informed of this lawsuit, nor did we receive a recall notice for the defective timing chains in these models. I took a substantial loss on this vehicle as compared to its fmv had this not occurred.

It feels like someone is hitting me from behind when it downshifts from I believe 2nd into 1st gear. Its a hard down shift. I was told by a mechanic at bavarian auto in bakersfield CA. His name is sal and he is the owner. I told him when I took my car in that I wanted the transmission fluid changed. He told me it's a lifetime transmission and it never had to be changed. Now I'm pretty sure I'm having a problem with my transmission because of it needing the oil changed.

Vehicle leaked oil to where it caused an engine fire.

While driving error message came up on screen saying add a quart of oil, car was smoking and engine block caught fire.

My BMW started leaking fluid 4 months ago. Lights on dash came on one light was the triangle light which engine light. I had it serviced completely oil & filter change hooked up to machine that checks all components senors everything checked out great. One week later I was driving I was coming to a stop my brakes sounded like they were grinding next day had mechanic check the brakes all good. Next day I am pulling out of attorney parking lot as I am turning the steering wheel my BMW makes a load screaming cracking noise so I turn my steering wheel up right to drive straight it makes the same noise. I stop to look around my vehicle to see if anything is leaking or dragging nothing was dragging but maybe one or drops of something I touched the solution to feel if it was water or oil? it felt oily so I drove to my mechanic he lifted it up on the racks. We both could see some solution was leaking around possibly where engine oil plug is then we saw it had been leaking back to middle of my vehicle water area and running back to the middle of my vehicle. My mechanic decided to put the machine that checks for certain items on vehicles I know it checks my sensors not sure what else?? he and a couple of the other mechanic stop and help him. I left my vehicle he let me drive his vehicle home he wanted to check other issue tomorrow. Next day I got to the mechanic he said he knew it needed a transfer case and 4 sensors he said it would take time to buy a new transfer case for 2012 BMW 528i xl so to leave my vehicle with him. Then I get this letter today 12/13/24 from BMW dated 10/2024 it states there defect which relates to motor vehicle safety issue which means a part is being recalled on my vehicle!! my question my vehicle has already gotten damaged by this recall I am trying to fix the problems plus paid already $1500. For repairs to my mechanic whom thought that fix my issue but has not. Please inform me as to what I the owner of this model vehicle that has a defective part.

The check engine light is displayed, a drivetrain malfunction message is being displayed and the engine's power output has been reduced the issue is diagnosed as turbocharger wastegate valve actuator I would like for BMW to extend the limited warranty for this issue to 2014 BMW 528i.

See all problems of the 2014 BMW 528 🔎.

Driveshaft dampener (guibo) is cracking with 57k miles on the vehicle. This may be the result of poor manufacturing quality. This problem was identified by the BMW dealership while performing a routine service inspection.

The drivetrain disintegrated. Car started running really rough, and then just stopped completely. Would crank but would not move. Yes, it is available. Car would barely go, and then just stopped in the road. I had to have it towed to a mechanic. No, I had not received a warning of this possible hazard. No, it was not inspected by any of the above, but was inspected by numerous mechanics. Yes, drivetrain light/warning came on, as well as, drive at a slower rate when the car started to drive roughly. The turbo also went out on the car. May 28, 2024.

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the transmission warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 17v138000 (power train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,000.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and made unusual sounds. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift as intended and was seized in park(p). The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,582.

When driving any acceleration will cause the car to shift from drive to neutral. This can happen under normal driving conditions and at any speed.

See all problems of the 2010 BMW 528 🔎.

BMW 528i xdrive purchased new in 2013. Currently has 103k miles. While driving on hi-way at 65 mph, received "low oil pressure" alarm on instrument panel. Pulled on hi-way, engine shut-down. Initial diagnosis by local mechanic is timing chain failure. Have read countless blogs about this being a recurring problem with the plastic timing chain degrading, 90% leading to complete engine failure - repair of which far exceeds value of car. Went to BMW dealership which didn't even bother to read the class action reports I presented. They had done some service work a year or so ago with no mention that this is a rather common issue. Said they would repair at my cost and that's all they can do. Ridiculous the lack of ownership and responsibility that BMW is taking. Hopefully if enough people report BMW's behavior, an oversight agency will have enough stroke to force BMW to deal with this.

I am 70 years old, driving in a high traffic area and my vehicle stopped! I brought it into the dealership and was told it was a timing chain issue and it needs to be replaced. The repair cost is very expensive. There was a lawsuit settled about fauly timing chains in 2021. My vehicle is not covered by it, not due to mileage but age. It is dangerous for a car to suddenly stop in the middle of heavy traffic. I had to call the police to stay behind my car with lights flashing so it was not hit. Louisiana was under an extreme heat warning at this time. The car could not be started and I had to wait for a wreaker, in extreme heat. BMW did not recall these vehicles named in this suit. No engine light came on prior to this incident. I travel long distances to larger cities for healthcare. I am thankful this did not happen on an interstate with six lanes. In my opinion, recalls should have been sent out to owners. It puts drivers at risk in areas of high traffic.

I have a 2011 six-cylinder BMW 528i. I was driving down the road and had a yellow engine light come on and my car lost all power and I coasted into a parking area and then had my vehicle towed to the BMW service center. They determined the problem was that the vanos unit bolts had broken off and they repaired the vehicle charging me $6678. 11. I found out about a recall for 2010-2012 5 series BMW’s and my service advisor told me that I didn’t qualify for is because the recall had expired in 2021. I called BMW north America and they referred me to nhitsa. I have a video sent to me from the service technician showing me where the bolts had sheared off. I feel that this should have been repaired by BMW at no charge to me.

I purchased the used BMW from a very reputable dealership may 2021. Last week, I was driving the car and all of the dashboard lights went on suddenly. The car began to buck and I pulled over immediately. I had the car towed to the local BMW dealership. The service department informed me, the serpentine belt broke, wrapped around the crankshaft, and grinded into pieces. The pieced of the belt were sucked into the engine and caused the engine to seize. When researching this problem, because I never heard of it before, it seems it is a fairly common problem with BMW’s. The BMW dealership wanted $14,000 to insert a new engine. There is no way I can afford that, and if it is a known problem, why wasn’t there a recall? I contacted BMW customer service and they said there was nothing they can do to help me. I am stuck with a auto loan for $19,000 with monthly payments, and a car that doesn’t move. When I purchased the car last year, an extended warranty was around 8k because the car was older. . Read more...

Transmission system is not functioning properly. The shifter automatically shifts into "n" or "p" when shifting into "d" or "r". The instrument cluster displays "transmission malfunction". Check engine light comes on. The code is p17e1 "ratio monitoring clutch "a".

See all problems of the 2008 BMW 528 🔎.

The "secure from rolling" alert pops up on screen and car is prevented from moving. Engine must be shut off and ignition turned back on to work. Gears/spring probably need replaced per error message.

I have a 2013 BMW 528i with 160,299 miles. I bought it 4 months prior to the incident with 145,000-150,000 miles on it. First the beginning of the month, the blower motor from the ac/heating stopped working. This was not covered under the extended service warranty I purchased. Then last that month my girlfriend is driving on the interstate merging onto another interstate when the BMW's drivetrain malfunction warning light came on and she had a loss of power. She did everything she was supposed to do. I had the veh towed home. The next day, I went out and it would not even stay running. I then had it towed to the repair shop which was chosen by the dealership I bought the car from. They inspected it and stated that the fuel injectors needed replacing because they were leaking. How was I to know they were leaking. There were no indicators at all prior to the warning light and lost power on the interstate. She could have been badly injured. Warranty stated this was not part of the engine, so they would not cover the repairs. The car is still sitting at the shop 4 months later. It is going to cost over $2000 to repair.

Upon purchasing the vehicle it was not serviced as supposed I have been calling only to be played around with this has been a nightmare I haven't made my 3rd payment and currently carless.

The engine timing chain failed due to faulty plastic guide around the timing chain which gets brittle and brakes in the engine causing catastrophic engine failure. Our safety and the safety of others on the parkway was put at high risk because the car goes into some safe mode and puts itself into park!! this three lane parkway has no shoulder to pull over on at all! so we were blocking the entire lane during rush hour traffic in nyc!! this problem was confirmed by the BMW dealership where the car is now, and they are fully aware of this issue with certain model Bmws produced between 2012 thru 2015. The vehicle was inspected by BMW certified mechanics at their service station. The warning light came on a min before the car shut itself down on this very dangerous stretch of highway!!.

Error codes : 1. E11480 no message (alive counter safety 0xd7) receiver instrument cluster transmitter airbag 2. E11482 message (alive counter safety 0xd7) not current receiver instrument cluster transmitter airbag 3. B7f685 under voltage . 4. E114db instrument panel: demand based service message, message from cbs subscriber (bbv) missing 5. E114dc instrument panel: demand based service message, message from cbs subscriber (bbh) missing 6. E11421 message demand based service message from cbs user has failed drivetrain malfuction when drive sport mode the trunk always open for no reason when unlock the car.

While driving on the grand central plwy, queens, NY, a drive train motification came on and stated to drive moderately, right after the oil light came on. We were near a gas station, and added a quart of oil. The oil light went out, the car started without hesitation. We decided to go home, we got off the highway about a mile out, the car just stopped went into park and could not start again. It would crank over, but not connect. We were on a four lane road, luckily there was no one behind us, it could have been a terrible incident. The car was towed to a BMW dealership in great neck, NY and we were told it was either the engine or the timing chain and it was not worth fixing. The car was then towed to my mechanic, who stated there was a technical warning #n20 & n26 regarding the timing issue. Hoping something can be done.

Car just wouldn't start one day. Drivetrain malfunction warning indicating timing chain replacement. Car just sits in my driveway. Will cost 6 grand to fix. Timing chain failure probably effected my engine.

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 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 file department was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the an 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 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.

While driving with my children, the u-joint on my BMW 528xi failed, causing the driveshaft to break. There was no warning lights or other system indicators. Because the car was moving, the driveshaft continued to spin, smashing the oil and pan and other components in the car. Thankfully I was driving on a side street and not on a highway, because I would imagine there could have been injury if this occurred at higher speeds. BMW confirmed that the u-joint failed upon inspection. My personal mechanic said that a driveshaft and u-joint is not a maintenance item and that it should not fail if properly designed and manufactured. I have since learned that BMW recalled this exact component on certain other 5 series and x5 models during the same years, but not my model.

The timing belt broke with no warning and destroyed the engine.

I own BMW 528i 2012. These engines are straight up bad. Timing chain failed at 149k miles with no signs of failure. Just driving down the road when suddenly the car just turns off and goes into neutral on its own. I simply pulled over restarted the car to cylinder misfires, car struggling to accelerate, smoke out the exhaust, and a loud rattling sound. I pulled over had the car towed. I had my car taken to a independent shop for repairs and diagnostics and what I got told was absolutley crazy. The timing chain guides broke off the timing chain, went down into the oil pump and those pieces settled into the pump restricting oil from going to the top of the motor causing the timing chain to start slacking and breaking from the top. He also said one of the camshaft caps also has a crack in it. The car has been parked in my driveway for 6 months because repairing the motor would cost a ton, and putting in a remanafactured motor with labor cost would cost just as much as buying the same car again. BMW had a lawsuit about the n20/n26 but thats only covered upto 100k miles. Considering my car was running good I had no reason too change anything on this car. Oil changes were done almost every 3-5k miles and the car had no sounds no lights on the dash. I tried to claim the sulev/pzev warranty which is covered upto 150k miles and the dealerships either never contacted me back or they just said no. I even contacted the hq of BMW and they also refused any repair even with sulev warranty. BMW knows 100% these motors have a bad timing chain issue and that these timing chains can fail at any moment. What type of motor fails at 150k miles. Im a college student, my dad gave me this car for graduating high school. I maintained my car so much just for it to fail out of no where and the way it failed could have caused someone to crash into me. Im really upset that BMW isnt taking responsibility for whats wrong and wont recall these timing chains or motor no matter the mileage on the car.

In 2020 the engine started malfunctioning at 76,000 miles. I took it into the BMW dealership to get it inspected and they stated that it was a valve issue and charged replacement. After replacement, the engine lit would come on and I called the representative. He stated that it would need time to reset so I continued driving it. Eventually the light did not come on for some time. A year later in 2021 after driving to work the engine started to stall on my way to work on the highway. I since taken it back to BMW stating that it was less than 10,000 miles since the repair and I'm having engine troubles again. After talking to the BMW service representative, they stated that I will need a new engine because it is now blown. The engine only has 84,000 miles on it and I requested root cause analysis on the engine. After reviewing online, I discovered that this engine is mounted on multiple platforms BMW sold and is known to have issues since 2017 and a lawsuit in 2020, the same year I took my car to the BMW dealership for repairs. They neglected to inform me of the issue with the engine when I first took the car in and put my car back on the road with a faulty engine. Gross negligence by BMW.

Was at my fianc� grandads funeral Saturday 02/06/2021 and the car started acting strange immediately I heard strange noice coming from the front of the engine got a diagnosis and mechanic told me vvt issues got if fixed at a certified BMW tech and on his bulletin I seen the recall and he told me about this recall and that he gets many cars every week for this job he told me I would be reimbursed from BMW of north America I have all the recites for the labor and parts and I really need your help in getting this resolved.