2009 BMW 128I Owner Complaints

VANOS chamshaft bolts broke, and had to pay $3,200 to replace assembly, and restore timing in engine. There is currently an open recall for 2010+ models but the problem still occurs on 2009 models as well. This is a huge risk for drivers as the car can randomly stall and cause fatal accidents and/or financial burden. This problem has been addressed for earlier models, and needs to be held to the same standard for later models with the same engine.

NHTSA ID

11631292

Incident

Dec 14, 2024

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 128I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11622707

Incident

Mar 2, 2022

My electric water pump failed and my car overheated 3 times (once resulting in thick white smoke coming from the engine) tow trucks were called and fire department notified. Car is now unused on drive way as it just overheats constantly when turned on.

NHTSA ID

11609838

Incident

Aug 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 128I. The contact stated the vehicle overheated. There was a hole in the radiator. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the radiator needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V683000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.

NHTSA ID

11496457

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Mileage

84,000 mi

Broken coolant pipe causing engine to overheat

NHTSA ID

11460590

Incident

Jul 1, 2019

Water pump failure Radiator hose disconnected Thermostat Assembly

NHTSA ID

11460589

Incident

Jun 26, 2019

FIRST WE HAD THE ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHT ERROR CODE, WE ALSO HAD FREQUENT BLOWN BULBS. AFTER PULLING THE COMPLETE UNIT OUT FROM THE CAR NOTICED THAT ALL THE WIRING INSULATION IS CRUMBLING AND FALLING OFF THE WIRING LOOM. MULTIPLE WIRE WERE BONDED TOGETHER CAUSING HEAT AND SHORT CIRCUITS.

NHTSA ID

11361671

Incident

Sep 28, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

THE AIRBAG ON MY VEHICLE WAS REPLACED DURING THE FIRST AIRBAG RECALL. DOES THE AIRBAG NEED TO REPLACED AGAIN?

NHTSA ID

11300096

Incident

Jan 17, 2020

TAIL LIGHTS DOESN'T WORK

NHTSA ID

11230516

Incident

Jul 4, 2019

PURCHASED THIS CAR YESTERDAY (06/08/2019), AND AFTER BUYING IT NOTICED THAT THE PROMETER WAS DISCONNECTED AND THE WIPERS, WHICH THEY SAID WOULD BE FIXED, HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED. THE CAR DIED ON ME WHEN WE WERE DRIVING AT AROUND 35 MPH AND ALL LIGHTS CAME ON ON THE DASH BOARD. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND HE SAID I BOUGHT THE CAR AS IS AND DID NOT LET ME EVEN TELL HIM ABOUT THE ODOMETER. HE PROMISED TO FIX THE WIPERS ON THURSDAY, THOUGH.

NHTSA ID

11218814

Incident

Jun 8, 2019

Mileage

75,758 mi

WHEN WE SAW THE CAR WE NOTICED THE WIPERS WERE ON AND WOULD NOT QUIT. THE MANAGER OF THE DEALER TOLD US HE WOULD GET IT FIXED, THAT THIS WAS NO PROBLEM. WHEN WE CAME BACK, THE WIPERS WERE OFF AND WE DID NOT CHECK THEM. AFTER WE LEFT, THE CAR DIED ON US AND ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON ON THE DASH. WE DROVE BACK TO THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM WE WANTED OUR MONEY BACK, BUT HE SAID THAT WE HAD BOUGHT THE CAR "AS IS" AND THAT MEANT THAT WE HAD NO RECOURSE. I TOLD THEM THAT IF I BUY A CAR FOR THE SAKE TO BE GOOD THE CAR MUST BE ABLE TO BE DRIVEN, BUT HE SAID THAT HE WOULD FIX THE WIPERS ON THURSDAY, BUT THAT'S ALL HE'D DO FOR US.

NHTSA ID

11218811

Incident

Jun 8, 2019

Mileage

78,758 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE, THE REAR WINDOW DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CENTURY BMW (2934 LAURENS RD, GREENVILLE, SC 29607, (864) 214-3449) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR WINDOW NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11210693

Incident

May 29, 2019

Mileage

70,000 mi

DEFECTIVE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT SENSOR INTERMITTENTLY GOES ON AND OFF. IF THE ELECTRONIC SENSING MAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT FAILS, THIS WILL DISABLE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY DURING A CRASH.

NHTSA ID

11196725

Incident

Apr 13, 2018

Mileage

77,694 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) MONTHS AGO. THE DEALER (BMW OF FORT WALTON BEACH, 1000 N. BEAL PARKWAY, FORT WALTON BEACH, FL 32547, (850) 863-2167) WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE PART WOULD BE SUPPLIED FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED SEVERAL FAILURES THAT PROGRESSED WHILE WAITING TO RECEIVE THE RECALL REMEDY, SUCH AS AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR. THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER THE DEALER COMPLETED AN AIR BAG RECALL REPAIR AND THE DEALER WAS SERVICING THE COMPUTER TO DETERMINE IF A SENSOR OR THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11079742

Incident

Nov 30, 2017

NALLEY BMW IS SAYING THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS RECALL ON MY CAR, BUT IT IS COMING UP IN THE RECALL DATABASE AND I AM HEARING A NOISE IN MY CAR (A WHIRRING / HIGH PITCHING HUMMING SOUND) POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER : THIS RECALL INVOLVES AN ENGINE COMPONENT KNOWN AS THE POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER.

NHTSA ID

11043652

Incident

Nov 6, 2017

Mileage

78,500 mi

TAKATA RECALL

NHTSA ID

11015423

Incident

Jan 1, 2009

DRIVER SIDE LED TAIL LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT. THE RUNING LIGHTS HAVE THREE BARS THAT HAVE GONE OUT AND HAVE GOT NO HELP FROM LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN FIXING THEM. THERE ARE NEWS ARETICLES OF THE RECALL AFFECTING ALL MODEL YEAR BUT NONE SHOW UP FOR MY CAR EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10992448

Incident

May 15, 2017

Mileage

19,500 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS); 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. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

10967709

Incident

Mar 1, 2016

TAKATA RECALL---THE BMW IS USED AS A COMMUTER VEHICLE TRAVELING 64 MILES EACH DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK. I WAS ALERTED TO THE AIR BAG PROBLEM BY THE DEALER. I'VE CONTACTED THE DEALER ON 2 OCCASIONS INQUIRING AS TO THE STATUS OF THE REPLACEMENT BAGS; BOTH CALLS WERE NOT HELPFUL AS I WAS TOLD THAT THE BAGS WERE STILL NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT THERE IS NO DATE AS TO WHEN MY CAR CAN BE REPAIRED. I UNDERSTAND, TOO, THAT THE CAR CAN'T BE SOLD OR TRADED FOR A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE. THIS SCENARIO HAS LEFT ME IN A COMPRIMISED POSITION. I'M DRIVING A CAR THAT HAS A SERIOUS DEFECT THAT COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO MY HEALTH AND I CAN'T REPLACE THE CAR WHICH NOW HAS OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ID

10934496

Incident

Jul 1, 2016

WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM BMW FOR THE AIRBAG A FEW MONTHS AGO BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A DATE WHEN IT WILL BE COMPLETED. IN OUR OPINION, THE OLDER MODELS SHOULD BE REPLACED FIRST DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF INJURY.

NHTSA ID

10919971

Incident

Mar 5, 2016

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. 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. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10892510

Incident

Mar 3, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE DRASTICALLY REDUCED SPEED AS IF IT MIGHT STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V044000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 04/13/16*LJ THE BLOWER MOTOR WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 04/20/16. *JB

NHTSA ID

10820078

Incident

Nov 2, 2015

I RECENTLY HAD TO PURCHASE A NEW PASSENGER AIRBAG ON MY 2009 BMW 1 SERIES, SINCE THE ENTIRE PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN BMW VEHICLES WHICH HAD A RECALL DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING PASSENGER AIRBAGS. WHEN I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE PERSONS AT THE DEALERSHIP MENTIONED THAT THE 2009 1 SERIES HAS NOT BEEN AFFECTED BY THE PASSENGER AIRBAG RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10749301

Incident

Aug 3, 2015

Mileage

64,800 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AT NIGHT, BOTH TAIL LIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

NHTSA ID

10702873

Incident

Mar 27, 2015

Mileage

55,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WINDOW CAVED IN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THE REAR WINDOW WAS NOT BUILT TO WITHSTAND A LONG DISTANCE DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

NHTSA ID

10594321

Incident

May 23, 2014

Mileage

48,000 mi