2012 Bmw 328I: complaints, problems and recalls

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITH AN ILLUMINATION OF THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR. THE CONTACT APPLIED SIGNIFICANT FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO MANEUVER THE WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. UPON RESTARTING, THE STEERING WHEEL FUNCTIONED NORMALLY WITH THE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT T…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10483170 at NHTSA ↗

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DISENGAGES IF PASSENGER SITS ON ANY TYPE CUSHION. PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DISENGAGED LIGHT IS ON IF PASSENGER IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SITTING ON ANY TYPE OF CUSHION OR PADDING. THE AIR BAG CAN DISENGAGE IF PASSENGER WEARS A PADDED WINTER COAT. THIS BMW 328I ORIGINALLY WAS DELIVERED WITH THE AIR BAG ENGAGED WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DISABLED LIGHT WAS ALWAYS OFF AND THE AIR BAG WAS ENGAGED. BMW WILL NOT RESTORE TO THE ORIGINAL DELIVERED CONDITION. THE PASSENGER SITT…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,828 miles reported. Look up ODI 10484241 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS PULLING INTO THE DRIVE WAY TO PARK MY CAR. BECAUSE THERE IS A TINY SLANT, SO I DECIDED TO PUSH FOR A LITTLE GAS. THE CAR, HOWEVER, DID NOT STOP WHEN I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BECAUSE THE I DRIVE THROUGH THE GARAGE DOOR. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10498053 at NHTSA ↗

DRIVER OF A 2012 BMW 328I, WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN OUT OF A PARKING LOT WHEN HER VEHICLE WAS STRUCK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE (ROUGHLY THE MIDDLE OF THE VEHICLE) BY A CHEVROLET BLAZER THAT WAS TRAVELLING AT A RATE OF AT LEAST 40 MPH. NONE OF THE BMW'S AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. AS A RESULT OF THE AIRBAG FAILURE, THE DRIVER'S HEAD WENT THROUGH THE WINDOW OF THE DRIVER'S DOOR, RESULTING IN PHYSICAL AND NEUROLOGICAL INJURIES. BMW STATES THAT THE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS/WAS WORKING PROPERLY (I.E. - BMW ASSERTS THE AIRBAG SYSTEM SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED IN THIS…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10508539 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 328I EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR EFFICIENT GRIP RUN FLATS TIRES, LINE SIZE 225/45R/18. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE DEVELOPED A BUBBLE ON THE SIDE WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY DRIVING OVER A POT HOLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE DOT AND THE VIN NUMBERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,393 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,000. *…

Owner-reported narrative. 4,393 miles reported. Look up ODI 10510364 at NHTSA ↗

APRIL 2013, A WARNING SIGNAL ON MY VEHICLE NOTIFIED ME THERE WAS A NEED FOR COOLANT. I SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE FOR 4/18/13. I INFORMED THEM OF THE COOLANT WARNING AND ALSO INQUIRED ABOUT RECALL NOTICES. ON 4/19/13, I CALLED WEBER BMW MYSELF TO CHECK THE STATUS, LOUIE INFORMED ME THERE WERE 3 RECALL NOTICES ON MY CAR THAT WERE APPARENT AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED, AND THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO HOLD MY CAR UNTIL MONDAY 4/22/13.I PICKED UP MY CAR ON 4/23/13 AND LOUIE INFORMED ME ALL THE RECALLS WERE FIXED AND MY CAR WAS GOOD TO TAKE HOME. ON 4/24/13, T…

Owner-reported narrative. 14,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10510862 at NHTSA ↗

THE I DRIVE COMPLETELY FAILED LEAVING THE SCREEN BLACK AT THIS TIME I HAD NO AUDIO,NO HANDS FREE TELEPHONE NO WAY TO CHANGE ANY SETTINGS ON THE VEHICLE. WENT TO BMW DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS AN OVERTEMP CODE AND THAT BMW WAS AWARE THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS AND ENGINEERS WERE WORKING ON IT BUT AT THE TIME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM THIS CAR ONLY HAS 12,300 MILES ON IT AND STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THERE WERE 3 OTHER CARS THERE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ALL CARS HAD LOW MILEAGE. I FEEL THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT…

Owner-reported narrative. 12,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10522005 at NHTSA ↗

WENT TO START CAR AND GOT A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION MESSAGE. HAD IT TOWED TO A BMW DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY WILL REPLACE THE INTAKE VANOS SOLENOID SENSOR. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 8,682 miles reported. Look up ODI 10522529 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2013-09-26 (September 26, 2013)

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 320i, 328i, 320i xDrive, and 328i xDrive sedans; model year 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagons; model year 2012-2013 528i and 528i xDrive sedans, model year 2013-2014 X1 sDrive28i and X1 xDrive28i vehicles and model year 2012-2014 Z4 sDrive28i roadsters. Due to insufficient lubrication, the vacuum pump that supplies brake power assistance may fail.

Consequence: A failure of the brake vacuum pump results in a reduction in braking power that could increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will modify the vehicles to prevent insufficient vacuum pump lubrication, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 31, 2014. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

Reported: 2014-10-07 (October 7, 2014)

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon, 2012-2014 BMW 320i Sedan, 328i Sedan, 320i xDrive Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 2012-2013 BMW 528i Sedan, 528i xDrive Sedan, 2013-2014 BMW X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i Sports Activity Vehicle, 2013-2014 BMW X3 xDrive28i Sports Activity Vehicle, 2012-2014 BMW Z4 sDrive28i Roadster, and 2014 BMW 428i Coupe, and 428i xDrive Coupe. Due to insufficient lubrication, the vacuum pump that supplies brake power assistance may fail. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 13V-454.

Consequence: A failure of the brake vacuum pump results in a reduction in braking power that could increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will install a locking ring in the camshaft to retain the camshaft seal disk in the proper location, free of charge. The recall began on December 2, 2014. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Reported: 2015-08-17 (August 17, 2015)

BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, and ActiveHybrid3 vehicles manufactured October 20, 2011, to June 22, 2015, 2014-2015 328xi Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured March 21, 2013, to March 17, 2015, 2014-2015 328d, 328xd vehicles manufactured June 28, 2013, to April 21, 2015, and 2014-2015 328xd Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured July 5, 2013, to April 21, 2015. The affected vehicles may have been programmed with new software that inadvertently makes the front side marker lights inoperative in conjunction with the parking lights or the headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence: If the side marker lights do not illuminate, the vehicle may be less visible at night, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will upload revised software to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or by email at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

Reported: 2020-01-15 (January 15, 2020)

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive and M3, 2009-2011 335D, 2006-2012 325xi, 328i, 328xi and 328i xDrive, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 2007-2013 328i, 335i, 335is, M3 Coupes, X5 30si, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 48i, X5 xDrive48i, X5 xDrive50i and X5 M, 2009-2013 X5 xDrive35d and 2008-2014 X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6M vehicles equipped with non-desiccated driver frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Reported: 2024-07-03 (July 3, 2024)

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (324i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi), 2006-2012 3 Series Sportswagon (325xi, 328i, 328xi), and 2009-2011 3 Series Sedan (335d) vehicles. The original steering wheel may have been replaced with a sport or M-sport steering wheel equipped with an inflator that can explode during deployment.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the driver's air bag module as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 30, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Reported: 2024-08-13 (August 13, 2024)

BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.

Consequence: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.