2016 BMW 320I Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 320I. The contact stated that the Drive Train Failure, Check Engine, and Engine Overheating warning lights were illuminated. There was a fuel odor coming from the vehicle, and fluid was leaking underneath the vehicle near the muffler and under the driver's side seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the codes were cleared but the failures persisted. Another dealer, Hendrick BMW Northlake (10720 Northlake Auto Plaza Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28269); was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched and found information about a recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

NHTSA ID

11729591

Incident

Dec 7, 2023

Mileage

145,000 mi

The contact owned a 2016 BMW 320i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. The vehicle was unoccupied. The contact stated that while walking into the house that she noticed the fuel odor. The contact stated that after entering the residence, the contact walked back out and noticed the vehicle was on fire. The contact noticed the fire coming from the engine hood. The fire department was called. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle and the items in the vehicle were consumed in the fire. The contact stated that the garage, which was attached to the contact's residence, and the items in the garage were consumed in the fire. In addition, the contact stated that the contact's residence was filtered with smoke. The contact stated that, because of the smoke in the contact's residence, the contact was residing in a local hotel. The fire department and the investigator mentioned that the origin of the fire was the engine. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact stated that the vehicle was consumed but the flames. No injuries were sustained. A fire report was filed. No police report was filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was offered financial assistance if the contact agreed to purchase a new certified vehicle. The contact declined, and the case was closed. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11693785

Incident

May 21, 2025

Mileage

160,000 mi

The contact owned a 2016 BMW 320i. The contact stated that after driving approximately 28 miles, arriving at her residence to park the vehicle in the garage, and noticed a burning odor. Upon inspection, a fire was coming from underneath the hood. The contact, lacking a fire extinguisher, attempted to use flour to extinguish the fire. However, upon returning, the fire was larger and made a loud noise as it expanded, before quickly reducing in size. The contact called the fire department and began removing items from the vehicle. The contact retreated to a safe distance from the garage where the vehicle was parked and awaited the fire department's arrival. The Fire Department arrived, and the fire had expanded to the garage, and the fire was extinguished. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed and declared a total loss. A fire inspection determined that the origin of the fire was the engine. A dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ID

11683254

Incident

May 21, 2025

Mileage

95,000 mi

i have previously reported this issue, confirmation #11656013. However, after diagnostic with a Certified BMW Service Center, i wish to follow up and add additional details. My 2016 BMW 320 XI is experiencing an issue with the Turbo Oil Feed Line. This is a known issue, reported under SI B11 11 16 on the NHTSA.gov website. i have been told that my specific vehicle / VIN is not included as part of this coverage under the Extended Warranty. However, since my car, N20 Engine is experiencing this specific issue, i am requesting my car be considered to be effected and that it should be included in this extended warranty. i have attached a copy of the Diagnostic / Inspection of my vehicle, dated 4/29/2025

NHTSA ID

11657771

Incident

Feb 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle after the vehicle had not been driven for a while, there was blue smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local service center, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine oil feed line to the turbocharger was leaking. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to BMW Warranty Extension: SI B11 11 16; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11656013

Incident

Dec 5, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact found information regarding Technical Service Bulletin: SIB 11116 (Engine and Engine Cooling released in July 2017). The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer linked the failure to the Technical Service Bulletin; however, the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ID

11648688

Incident

Sep 17, 2024

Mileage

119,000 mi

While replacing the battery, the battery well was rusty. If allowed to continue I have no doubt the very heavy battery will fall through to the ground causing an accident and very hazardous materials will spill on the roadway (acids and lead from a ruptured battery).

NHTSA ID

11621820

Incident

Oct 24, 2024

Yes

NHTSA ID

11527569

Incident

Jun 18, 2023

BMW released a SIB 01 03 22 Plastic Fuel Tank (B58/N20/N55/S55) Ltd Emission Wty Ext To 15 Yrs/150,000 Miles. I have a plastic fuel tank with this problem but the range for the warranty is for models F30 2013 to 2016 320i and xDrive Sedan that are produced between July 02, 2012 to April 30, 2016 . My vehicle was produced on May 2016 but has the same plastic fuel tank. Upon calling BMW north america they said they said they can not make exceptions and there is no escalation path. My point is if the same plastic fuel tank is used for the vehicles with in the warranty date range, why isn't my car covered? It is reasonable for BMW to add my VIN to the exception list.

NHTSA ID

11525692

Incident

Jun 6, 2023

The front brakes are locked up and I went to the dealer and they are asking $7000 to replace the dsc module. It was also braking while I was driving on the highway and I got scared and pulled over and checked everything looked okay but i didn’t know what happened. I am glad nobody was behind me when the car (bmw)brakes it self while it was running. I hope you do a further investigation and see what is happening to the bmw brakes. It only had 52139 miles when I send it to bmw of Dallas and they took 3 days to find the problem and told me I need to pay $7000 to replace the dsc module (abs module) I can’t afford to pay that kind of money what do I do

NHTSA ID

11523884

Incident

May 22, 2023

while driving on the high way while raining the car is braking it self to slow down. and release after it slow down to 40 mph or lower. I also notice my front brake is garbing the brake while driving and it does not release the brake when you release the brake pedal

NHTSA ID

11523341

Incident

May 1, 2023

My right turn signal suddenly stopped working. The BMW dealership diagnosed the problem as the fem module failure.

NHTSA ID

11520334

Incident

May 1, 2023

When starting a cold engine, a “plume of blue smoke” can be seen emitting from the exhaust tailpipe for approximately 10-20 seconds. There is no engine malfunction light illuminated (no” turbocharger boost faults are stored) and no drivability issues are detected.

NHTSA ID

11494195

Incident

Jan 3, 2022

I have referred to the owner's manual of my vehicle and it does not show me nor indicate how to get access to the trunk from the inside of the vehicle in an emergency situation. I've looked for a seat release latch handle and there is not one. I've researched and contacted BMW experts and they state normally it should have one, other times it may not... I've pulled the middle seat armrest down to expose the plastic access hatch and when I pulled it out of the way, it exposed a metal frame that was in the way and appeared it was part of the backseat metal frame. I've felt around, looked and mentioned this to experts, and they could not explain anything of the sorts other than "normally it should have one, other times it may not...". Ultimately, I find this extremely hazardous, because it is very misleading in the manual to offer a trunk cable release handle (in the trunk) but not a single way to get access to the trunk from the inside of the vehicle if an emergency/accident happened...

NHTSA ID

11493280

Incident

Nov 12, 2022

I have smoke that comes from my exhaust pipe only whenever I first start my vehicle at the beginning of the day. I had a diagnosis done on my vehicle and was advised that my oil feed line was faulty. This is a known design flaw with BMW vehicles from years 2013 through 2016. I would like for BMW to repair the flaw on my vehicle since this is a known manufacturer issue which is something out of my control. Please contact me by email or cellular phone @ [XXX] or [XXX]. Thank you INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11484151

Incident

Aug 13, 2022

Vibration in the brakes heavily at higher speeds when gradually pressing brakes shakes. When pressed harder during shaking goes away with the breaking. Brand new brakes brand new rotors alignment yet the vehicle is still having this issue I’m hoping that the vibration doesn’t cause any electronics or braking mechanism not to properly work to me this is a safety concern a safety issue and I’m seeing it pop up a lot I watch video reviews on magazines pros and cons of this vehicle the one thing stayed it was a vibration in the brakes that the reviewer could not answer and he says it wasn’t a problem but it has to be a Manufacturing issue. I hope this helps anybody else Only the manufacture can answer this question

NHTSA ID

11449196

Incident

Jan 27, 2022

I WAS INVOLVED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT IN A 2016 BMW 320I WITH FRONT AND PASSENGER SIDE IMPACT. IT WAS SO BAD, IT PUSHED BACK MY ENTIRE AXLE, WHEELS, ETC. MY DRIVER SIDE NOR PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. I WAS TRAVELING 40 MILES PER HOUR WHEN HIT BY ANOTHER DRIVER WHO WAS TRAVELING DOWNHILL AT OR ABOVE THE SAME SPEED. SOS BUTTON DID NOT WORK EITHER. THIS HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET (INTERSECTION). THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. I HAD TWO MINORS IN THE CAR WITH ME. THE MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON MY DASH, ETC. SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT FAULTY AIRBAGS, ETC. COLLISION EXPERT CONFIRMED SENSORS DEFINITELY SHOULD HAVE MADE FRONT AND SIDE, CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOY. THEY EVEN ANOTHER VEHICLE (SAME MAKE AND YEAR) IN THEIR LOT WITH SAME IMPACT LOCATIONS- THOUGH NOT AS SIGNIFICANT/SERIOUS- SHOWING ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. *TR

NHTSA ID

11324617

Incident

May 8, 2020

Mileage

55,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 BMW 320I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MANEUVERED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE OR HITTING A PEDESTRIAN. THE VEHICLE WENT UP ON THE SIDE WALK AND THE CONTACT QUICKLY ENGAGE PARKING BRAKE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OFF LEASE ONLY LOCATED AT (5580 NW 145TH ST, MIAMI GARDENS, FL 33054), TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE ROTORS AND BRAKES WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE ABS BRAKES FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER TOWED THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER UNKNOWN DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY THE DEALER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11318561

Incident

Mar 4, 2020

Mileage

37,000 mi

TO NHTSA: NOT TOO LONG AGO THE TIMING CHAIN AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL PINION BEARING WENT OUT ON MY 2016 BMW 320I ([XXX]) TIMING CHAIN ISSUE SHOULDN'T OCCUR ON A MOTOR WHICH ONLY PRODUCES 180 HORSEPOWER WITH NO MODS OR TUNES. THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL SHOULD DEFINITELY NEVER GIVE OUT UNLESS YOU'RE PUSHING OVER 700 HORSEPOWER ON A STOCK DIFF. AGAIN MY CAR HAS 180 HORSEPOWER AND HAS NEVER BEEN MODDED. THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

11289981

Incident

Dec 2, 2019

Mileage

150,000 mi

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WITH A HIT AND RUN VEHICLE AND RESULTING IN THE ACCIDENT, MY STEERING WHEEL CAME OFF IN THE PROCESS HITTING ME IN MY PELVIC AREA AND NOW I AM HAVING TROUBLE URINATING AND I HAVE BLEEDING. THE AIR BAGS ALSO BURNED THROUGH MY CLOTHES AND ONTO MY SKIN. I SUFFERED FIRST DEGREE BURNS TO MY ARM, STOMACH AND THIGH.

NHTSA ID

11277528

Incident

Oct 27, 2019

Mileage

60,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL - A SAFETY RECALL HAS NOT YET BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS VEHICLE AND/OR ITS TAKATA AIRBAG SYSTEM. DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY ATTEMPTING TO TAKE A LEFT HAND TURN WHEN SHE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. AFTER IMPACT, HER VEHICLE TRAVELED ACROSS THE YELLOW LINE, ACROSS A SOUTHBOUND LANE AND OFF THE ROADWAY INTO A 4 FOOT DITCH. THE AIRBAG SYSTEM FAILED TO DEPLOY BOTH WHEN STRUCK BY THE OTHER VEHICLE AS WELL AS THE IMPACT WITH THE DITCH. DRIVER WAS INJURED AND TAKEN TO EMERGENCY ROOM. PASSENGER IN HER VEHICLE WAS REMOVED BY THE JAWS OF LIFE AND AIRLIFTED FOR LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES.

NHTSA ID

11166339

Incident

Nov 23, 2017

Mileage

13,873 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 (NA) BMW 320I. WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED SPONTANEOUSLY. WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. THE VEHICLE DROVE STRAIGHT THROUGH SOME SHRUBS AND CAME TO A STOP ON THE LAWN OF A BANK. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN BMW DEALER IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA AND WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE INSURANCE COMPANY ISSUED A CHECK FOR THE BODY REPAIRS OF THE VEHICLE, BUT NEITHER THE MANUFACTURER NOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY COVERED THE MECHANICAL REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000.

NHTSA ID

11065295

Incident

Jan 21, 2018

Mileage

6,000 mi

CAR HAS SHUT OFF WHILE IN MOTION AND INDICATOR WARNING COMES ON SAYING 'DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION' THE GAGE INDICATES THERE IS AT LEAST 42 MILES OF FUEL BEFORE EMPTY. LUCKILY THIS HAS HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET. THE CAR SHAKES AND MAKES A LOUD SOUND BEFORE PUTTING ITSELF IN NEUTRAL. ALSO THE BRAKES WERE RECENTLY REPLACED BY BMW BUT THEY DO NOT STOP PROPERLY AT SPEEDS OF 50 MPH. ALSO THE SUNROOF OPENS INDEPENDENTLY WHEN IT RAINS. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON 3 OCCASIONS WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11046601

Incident

Nov 12, 2017

Mileage

27,000 mi

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ABOUT 40 MPH, I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT OR A LOUD POP OVERHEAD. I PULLED OVER TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED AND THE SUNROOF HAD A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE AND THE GLASS WAS BOWING UPWARDS. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS PASSING ME AT THE TIME AND I DID NOT SEE ANY PROJECTILES COMING TOWARD THE CAR THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE. THE SUNROOF JUST SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED.

NHTSA ID

10966258

Incident

Mar 15, 2017

Mileage

32,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING IN A 25 MPH ZONE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, DRY ROADS DURING DAYLIGHT AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED SUDDENLY. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES, THEY LOCKED AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO SLIDE TOWARDS THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD TO QUICKLY TURN THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR HEAD ON. I HIT THE CAR ON THE LEFT SIDE AND DAMAGE TO MY CAR ON THE RIGHT SIDE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10930071

Incident

Dec 2, 2016

Mileage

6,243 mi