2011 BMW 328I Problems

I brought my vehicle to an authorized dealer for three open safety recalls. Two were performed at no charge. The third, the VANOS adjustment unit screw connection recall, was not performed. The dealer stated in writing on the repair order that the vehicle has a broken valve cover bolt, that the valve cover will not seal properly, and that a new valve cover is recommended to complete the recall. They quoted $1,077.43 for a valve cover as a customer-pay repair and stated the recall could not be completed until that was done. I declined the valve cover. The recall was not performed. The bolt is not broken and the valve cover is not broken. The threads in the cylinder head bolt boss are stripped, and a larger bolt was installed that holds. There is no oil leak. A new valve cover would thread into the same stripped hole in the cylinder head and would not repair the damaged threads. The dealer's proposed repair does not address the condition they described. The manufacturer's dealer bulletin for this recall lists a cylinder head cover profile seal as a recall part and does not list a valve cover in any parts list. The remedy requires removing the cylinder head cover regardless. I left without signing the repair order. The recall remains open. I am reporting that a free safety recall remedy was conditioned on a customer-pay repair. The dealer could have performed the recall, documented the pre-existing thread damage on the repair order, noted that the customer was advised and declined the valve cover, and disclaimed responsibility for any future seepage at the cover. I would have accepted that. Instead they performed neither the recall nor any repair, and left a federal safety recall open.

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the VANOS bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: SIB 11 04 14. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under the TSB. The failure mileage was approximately 157,637.

The power cable to my battery needed to be replaced from the front to the rear. This seems like the recall NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 13V044000 but my car was not listed for it.

Footwell module (FRM) module went out after negative battery disconnect to change fuse. Module being inoperable is causing windows to not operate,interior lighting not working, headlights stay dim (not good for nightime driving), blinkers inoperable (not good for driving with windows not working- no arm signals), dash light also inoperable.

RE: Recall on 2011 328i Vin# [XXX] I drove the car to run an errand, car was running ok but had a miss. During my drive home, the car stalled. I had to quickly coast to a parking lot in order not to get hit by the car behind me. I tried to restart the car, but it acted as if it needed a jump. Tried to jump the car but it turned over slowly without starting. Ended up getting it towed to Metairie very early the next morning, due to parades. Had a friend of mine, a BMW shop owner, take a look at the car. He told me that he found out that it had a few recalls and he thought that may be the problem. I spoke with a service advisor at BMW dealer that checked the vin and said the recalls would be taken care of along with anything it caused. I made the appointment and had it towed to BMW dea;er. I was assigned to Erin C, Service Advisor, when I made my appointment. My appointment was for 7:30 AM on the 28th of March. I heard from Erin at 4:30 that afternoon with an update. She told me that I had a seized engine and it was going to cost ten thousand or more to replace the engine. I asked if the recall was done on it, because the recall stated that one of the indicators of the Vanos issue was that it would not start any more. I also found information saying that stalling, engine seizing, and oil starvation can be dangerously caused by the recall. Erin stated that they would take the valve cover off to confirm. Didn’t hear from her on Friday, or over the weekend. I got her on the phone Monday evening at 5:30 PM. Erin told me the same information that after they took off the valve cover and videoed it (have not seen that video yet). That my engine was seized. She assured me that they hooked up the car to communicate with the engineers who confirmed, from all the evidence, that the engine seizing was not caused by the recall but lack of oil circulation. If she had a diagnostic done on the car, she had not shared any codes found with me at this INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

Nothing has malfunctioned yet on the vehicle, however, these recalls are putting my daughter at risk while driving as there is an air bag and engine recall on the vehicle. Every time we contact the dealership, the recall is still unavailable.

I recently brought my 2011BMW 328i in for recalls and a shutter noise. My vehicle is equipped with the N51 SULEV motor. I recently was not able to set monitors for smog due to a shutter issue. I was told by a reliable mechanic it was the torque converter, and it is covered under the SULEV warranty. I was shocked when Bob told me that the torque converter was not covered under BMW SULEV warranty. It clearly states that in the SULEV warranty and my car only has 123,000 miles. He proceeded to call my car "a can of worms" and told me the technician simply does not want to work on my car. I know for a fact my Torque Converter and Mechatronik are covered under the SULEV warranty. I was simply kicked to the curb. This is unethical and my car is not passing smog due to this issue which is illegal. Please help resolve my issue.

Check Engine light is illuminated. VANOS exhaust warning codes are stored. Other vehicles with the same N52 engine are subject to recall 23V707. BMW indicates that this vehicle is not included but could be in the future. In the interim, we are faced with a $3500 - $4500 out-of-pocket expense (which will probably never be reimbursed) or the possibility of the events described in the recall, which include a crash. For the safety of drivers of other vehicles in this same series with this same engine, it is imperative that the recall be extended to all potentially affected automobiles. Thank you for your assistance. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fuel Pump Control Module and Fuel Pump Failed at highway speeds. There was a notification warning for a failed fuel pump and then the engine shut down and stalled at highway speeds within seconds.

Water pump and Thermostat failure at 60,000 miles even after a replacement.car continues to overheat

Unknown

Engine is making weird noise and a mechanic told me it’s related to this recall that still has “no remedy” when it should’ve been a recall YEARS ago when the cars first came out and this issue became more apparent. I do not want to keep driving the car I paid hard earned money for just for a manufacturer defect to destroy it

Footwell module (FRM) module went out after negative battery disconnect to change fuse. Module being inoperable is causing windows to not operate,interior lighting not working, headlights stay dim (not good for nightime driving), blinkers inoperable (not good for driving with windows not working- no arm signals), dash light also inoperable.

Previously reported on February 20, 2024. NHTSA #1157301 RDC failure caused complete loss of all dashboard functions except the radio - loss of lights/turn signals/ speedometer/ tachometer/ HVAC etc. Received a call from BMW customer service today February 26,2024 at 4:38 EST duration 17 minutes. BMW informed me the conversation was recorded. I request that NHTSA obtain the transcript for that telephone call. This note will be sent to BMW with request to send a transcript of the call to NHTSA. BMW Custom Relations representative was polite. Her purpose for the call - "to inform me that BMW is cooperating with NHTSA".The person assigned had no useful information nor could she obtain any information to answer questions. Though BMW documents all reported parts failures and complications, she had no ability to provide information relevant to the RDC module problems.The call was useless from an owners viewpoint. It did not improve Customer Relations. The VANOS recall was also discussed.NHTSA: #23V-707 Recall notification October 2023 BMW has not provided a date when the repair will be available. Vanos Bolt problems were identified for my vehicle in 2014!!! A 10 year warranty without mileage limitation was created but BMW owners were not notified - unless engine failure occurred and the car presented to a BMW dealership. I am more than frustrated that repairs have not been initiated. The local BMW dealership would like to repair the car but cannot proceed without corporate approval. Parts are indeed available locally. BMW has been aware of the problems for a DECADE. Furthermore, the valve cover gasket has been replaced twice since 2014. The VANOS bolts were never inspected. The valve cover was replaced last at 149,000 miles. A mechanic advised replacing the VANOS bolts but did not inspect them. Cost of repair $1500. I declined. Abysmal customer service!

The the OC3 MAT on the passanger car just showed up faulty which causes the air bag light to also come on. I have seen a lot of others posting they are having the same issue. Can you help me find out if this has already been recalled but not replaced on my car or if it hasn't even been recalled yet this is a safety issue. Because the airbags will not function if the oc3 mat is not functioning properly. There wasn't anyone in the seat and the car had not been in an accident when the lights for the seat and airbags came on I took it in for a diagnostic and they said it was the passenger OC3 mat . I have read some of the same modle had already had recalls just trying to find out if this was one that should have been because the rep at the dealer ship said this was the first one he's ever seen go bad on any car since he's been there. The big problem I'm having is the warranty I bought with the car won't cover this repair either and I'm a disabled veteran so I can't afford it at this moment.

Passenger restraint system malfunction alert when car is turned on. Air bag and passenger seatbelt warning lights are on. Passenger seat belt light will never turn off even with no passengers in the car. Air bags for passenger are off when there is a passenger in the car causing a safety concern. BMW wants $1000 to diagnose what the issue is for the airbag light only but not to fix it or check the seat belt light. Already paid them $100 just to tell me exactly what the message said on the car screen. Seeing the same issue all over the internet with flaws in the passenger restraint system for this model and similar models but no fix. Found an extended warranty but does not list the E92 model, all other models are listed.

Previously reported on February 20, 2024. NHTSA #1157301 RDC failure caused complete loss of all dashboard functions except the radio - loss of lights/turn signals/ speedometer/ tachometer/ HVAC etc. Received a call from BMW customer service today February 26,2024 at 4:38 EST duration 17 minutes. BMW informed me the conversation was recorded. I request that NHTSA obtain the transcript for that telephone call. This note will be sent to BMW with request to send a transcript of the call to NHTSA. BMW Custom Relations representative was polite. Her purpose for the call - "to inform me that BMW is cooperating with NHTSA".The person assigned had no useful information nor could she obtain any information to answer questions. Though BMW documents all reported parts failures and complications, she had no ability to provide information relevant to the RDC module problems.The call was useless from an owners viewpoint. It did not improve Customer Relations. The VANOS recall was also discussed.NHTSA: #23V-707 Recall notification October 2023 BMW has not provided a date when the repair will be available. Vanos Bolt problems were identified for my vehicle in 2014!!! A 10 year warranty without mileage limitation was created but BMW owners were not notified - unless engine failure occurred and the car presented to a BMW dealership. I am more than frustrated that repairs have not been initiated. The local BMW dealership would like to repair the car but cannot proceed without corporate approval. Parts are indeed available locally. BMW has been aware of the problems for a DECADE. Furthermore, the valve cover gasket has been replaced twice since 2014. The VANOS bolts were never inspected. The valve cover was replaced last at 149,000 miles. A mechanic advised replacing the VANOS bolts but did not inspect them. Cost of repair $1500. I declined. Abysmal customer service!

Tire pressure yellow warning light on. RDC module ordered but repair not completed. After starting the car at a gas station, multiple warning lights appeared in red including "car on a raised lift in red" which signifies car is to be taken directly for service. Drove to local mechanic one mile away. While observing the car with engine running at idle, ALL dashboard lights and functions stopped: No speedometer, No tachometer, No warning lights, No turn signals, No headlights, RDC module subsequently replaced with resolution of the problem. Opening the old RDC module demonstrated significant green corrosion - likely occurred over a long period of time. IF the loss of all dashboard function had occurred while driving, it would have presented very dangerous safety issues. Situation reviewed with local BMW dealership and BMW corporate customer relations. No recalls or warnings have been issued. Expressed my concerns in detail. This is a potentially dangerous problem for the BMW E90 models. The RDC module is located in the passenger rear wheel well and repeatedly exposed to wet/ snow/ slush conditions. This is a dangerous location outside the vehicle for the RDC module. The Tire pressure monitor system is a non-critical function. Repair of the RDC module is considered optional - yellow warning light. This event demonstrates that there is a serious risk when the RDC module is not functioning properly. BMW should make owners aware and offer replacement before dangerous events occur.

Passenger restraint system malfunction alert when car is turned on. Air bag and passenger seatbelt warning lights are on. Passenger seat belt light will never turn off even with no passengers in the car. Air bags for passenger are off when there is a passenger in the car causing a safety concern. BMW wants $1000 to diagnose what the issue is for the airbag light only but not to fix it or check the seat belt light. Already paid them $100 just to tell me exactly what the message said on the car screen. Seeing the same issue all over the internet with flaws in the passenger restraint system for this model and similar models but no fix. Found an extended warranty but does not list the E92 model, all other models are listed.

I had my passenger in the car driving 30mm and then I got a “restraint system warning ⚠️ “ illuminating the seatbelt light and seatbelt with airbag light. This is a safety concern as it is still on without a passenger. This affects the passenger airbag so in the case of fatality this would fall on BMW NA for neglecting to fix this issue. The car was fine before and this came out of no where

Door handle plastics are disintegrating in to a soft sticky matter. Please advice as this seem to a poor decision on the type of material need in the door handles.

While driving at city speed limit the headlights started flicking on-off very difficult to see in the dark. I pulled over to the side of the road for safety but now realized the turn signals not working and also the hazard lights are not working either. I was in a very dangerous situation sitting on the side of the road without any warning light on. Not only for mine safety but also dangerous for other drivers passing by without seen my car in the dark. Its due to well known BMW FOOTWELL MODULE that has high failure incidents rate but BMW refused not to do a recall. Since this a safety issue NHTSA should request BMW to do a recall instead of just extended the warranty to 10/150K miles which my car is not qualify for. I've contacted BMW customer care but they refused to offer any assistance. I feel that BMW has deserted their customer and leaving a high cost burden on their customers although failure/flaw was directly from BMW.

BMW issued a recall 10/23/2023 for VANOS Assembly (Engine) Bolts and I have been trying to get my vehicle repaired since January 2, 2024 when my care started having a rough running engine with the Check Engine lamp illuminated and the car was barely maintaining speed on the interstate. I was fearful of having a wreck or being run over by the other cars since my car was not responding to giving it gas to accelerate on the road. I have contacted BMW on 1/2/2024, 4/15/2024, and gain today 5/21/2024 and they are telling me the remedy is still not available. I had Groves Automotive, a certified BMW repair shop, who are my automotive repair shop call for the repair too. My car was just serviced at Groves in the last 3 weeks and passed inspection. The Check Engine warning lamp came on again this morning while driving to work and again the vehicle was not able to accelerate and was running very rough. I am fearful of my safety and the safety of others when I have to drive back and forth to work.

I got up to leave my house and entered my vehicle and proceeded to start my car. I started it and moved the gear shift so that I can reverse out my driveway. With my foot on the brake I attempted to put the car in reverse and soon as I took the car out of park, my car accelerated forward and the brakes completely locked up. It accelerated so hard and fast that it broke through my gate and knocked down my other gate. I turned the car off when it accelerated because the brakes locked and even with the power off the car accelerated. There is no possible way my foot was on the gas because I was pulled in my driveway facing my house and had that been the case I would’ve went backwards not forward. The very second I took the car out of park it accelerated forward and would not stop. Luckily I thought to turn it off as a last resort and even then it continued to accelerate and knock down my second gate as well. I was very scared and as a safety precaution, I will no longer drive the car. Had I been anywhere but home this could’ve caused serious injury to myself or others and had it been parked a few feet over it would’ve accelerated into my living room where my son was sitting.

I got up to leave my house and entered my vehicle and proceeded to start my car. I started it and moved the gear shift so that I can reverse out my driveway. With my foot on the brake I attempted to put the car in reverse and soon as I took the car out of park, my car accelerated forward and the brakes completely locked up. It accelerated so hard and fast that it broke through my gate and knocked down my other gate. I turned the car off when it accelerated because the brakes locked and even with the power off the car accelerated. There is no possible way my foot was on the gas because I was pulled in my driveway facing my house and had that been the case I would’ve went backwards not forward. The very second I took the car out of park it accelerated forward and would not stop. Luckily I thought to turn it off as a last resort and even then it continued to accelerate and knock down my second gate as well. I was very scared and as a safety precaution, I will no longer drive the car. Had I been anywhere but home this could’ve caused serious injury to myself or others and had it been parked a few feet over it would’ve accelerated into my living room where my son was sitting.

My driver and passenger airbags deployed because my car all of the sudden lurched forward on it's own and I bumped the car in front of me and when it happened my car started accelerating and revving all on it's own into the car ahead and I was trying to make it stop by pushing the brakes but the brake pedal wouldnt move it was hard and wouldnt move so my car kept accelerating bumping the car in front of me over and over and I was stomping down on the brake pedal to make it stop but it wouldnt. After about 30 seconds of this it just stopped. The airbags were blowing out very hot air that burned and bruised my left arm very badley and myself and my minor passenger were choking from it. My driver side window and windshield were both broken from the explosion of the airbags but the body of my car wasn't damaged. I had noticed that sometimes the display in my car wouldnt show all the car controls but never imagined the car would malfunction like this. Now the repair shop wants the same amount of money that I initially paid for the car to repair it and my insurance is not covering it. Please help because this was not my fault the car malfunctioned.

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE AND MY 3RD TOP CENTER BRAKE LIGHT HAS NEVER WORKED. MY TIRES THE TREAD SEEMS LOW AND I SHOULD HAVE HAD NEW TIRES ON THE CAR WHEN I PURCHASED IT. THE STEERING SEEMS MORE DIFFICULT WHEN TURNING THAN IT SHOULD BE. ALSO I DIDN'T RECEIVE 2 KEYS. MY OWNERS MANUAL SAYS I SHOULD RECEIVE 2 KEYS. I ALSO HAD TO ORDER MY OWNERS MANUAL AND MY CAR DIDN'T COME WITH IT'S OWNERS MANUAL.

VIBRATION STARTING FROM 60MPH, RUMBLING, DRONING NOISE AND VIBRATION COULD FELT THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. SPENT 4 OR TIME TIMES ROADFORCED REBALANCING TIRES, TWO SETS OF OE CONTINENTAL SSR TIRES AND REPAIRING WHEELS BUT NO CHANGE WITH THE UNPLEASANT AND ANNOYING VIBRATION. COULD BE A DEFECTS WITH THE DRIVELINE/DRIVESHAFT? I WANTED TO REPLACE THE U-JOINT BUT IT IS NON SERVICEABLE DRIVESHAFT. REQUESTING BMW TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AS OTHERS BMW MODELS HAVING RECALL ON DEFECTIVE DRIVESHAFT. CAR HAS JUST 80K MILES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE TURN SIGNAL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER - BMW OF PALM SPRINGS (3737 EAST PALM CANYON DR, PALM SPRINGS, CA 92264, (760) 699-2500) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 131,782.

I HAD INSTALLED 4 NEW TIRES [P225/45R-17 MICHELIN PRIMACY MXM4 ZP TPC SPEC, RUN FLAT] IN NOVEMBER 2017 ON MY 2011 BMW 328I. ONE YEAR LATER I STARTED TO GET TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT ON MY REAR RIGHT TIRE. WHEN I WENT TO CHECK THE AIR, I NOTICED BOTH OF MY REAR TIRES WERE BOLD LIKE RACE CAR TIRES. I CALLED TIRE RACK TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE WARRANTY, THEY ASKED ME TO BY NEW ONES AND SEND THE OLD ONES BACK. I AM JUST CONCERN WITH THE CONDITION, IF THE TIRES SHOULD GET THIS BAD BEFORE ANY WARNING. I HAVE INCLUDED THE PICTURES OF THE TIRES THAT I PLAN TO RETURN TO TIRE RACK.

2011 BMW 328I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO AIR BAG MALFUNCTION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, SHE NOTICED WHEN DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 10 MPH OR LOWER, APPLYING THE BRAKE, OR PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE SAME SURGING FOR A SECOND TIME, AS SHE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A CURB AND INTO SOME BUSHES. AS A RESULT, SHE RECEIVED WHIP-LASH TO HER NECK AND SLIGHTLY BRUISED HER ELBOWS, KNEES AND HURT HER CHEST ON THE STEERING WHEEL. BMW SENT AN ENGINEER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND CONCLUDED NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE A WEEK LATER, THE CONSUMER AND HER HUSBAND CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME ISSUE. A MONTH LATER, THE CONSUMERS HUSBAND PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY SURGED FORWARD AND HIT A PARKED SUV IN FRONT OF HIM, WHICH CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMPER. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY KEPT IT FOR TWO WEEKS. THE DEALER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS FINE AND IT WAS READY FOR PICK-UP. HOWEVER, TWO DAYS LATER, THE VEHICLE SURGED AGAIN, AS THE CONSUMER WAS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED THREE TIMES, WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS OF FINDING THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANISM/GEAR WOULD SHIFT WHEN DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED OR RIDING THE BRAKE AT A LOW SPEED WHEN COMING TO A STOP. ALSO, THE VEHICLE SAGGED ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WHICH HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE MECHANICS, BUT IT CANNOT BE FIXED. UPDATED 05/13/14. *JB UPDATED 06/10/14