2012 BMW 528I Engine Problems

Vehicle has oil leak bad

NHTSA ID

11711212

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

I had just purchased a car but a month ago I was driving to lunch and I was at a stop sign when the light turned green I started to go the car started shaking and smoke was coming out of the front under the hood I had just an oil change so I took it back to the oil change shop. They could not figure out why the engine blew and I had to take it to a different BMW shop where I have to purchase a rebuilt motor and pay for the repairs. I can request all records from the automotive shop if needed.

NHTSA ID

11655338

Incident

Oct 12, 2018

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528I. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to start. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle. After several attempts, the vehicle failed to start. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's office. An independent mechanic arrived and diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11652391

Incident

Apr 2, 2024

Mileage

160,000 mi

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Engine Malfunction" message was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted 20 minutes later after several attempts. The failure reoccurred several times until the vehicle was taken to the residence and parked. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the control unit seal pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the same independent mechanic on several occasions where it was diagnosed that the ignition coil and timing chain had fractured into the oil pan valve cover, and the oil pan gasket, oil pan, and spark plugs needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,898.

NHTSA ID

11646791

Incident

Aug 15, 2022

Mileage

136,898 mi

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started, however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated the vehicle eventually started. In addition, the contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the parts were not available. In addition, the contact stated that previously the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed coolant pump and unknown sensor. The contact was informed that the coolant pump and the unknown sensor needed to be replaced. The unknown sensor was replaced, however the contact was informed that the coolant pump was unavailable. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was offered to have the vehicle towed to the dealer, however the parts were not available. The failure mileage was 111,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11628884

Incident

Nov 11, 2024

Mileage

111,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

11624225

Incident

Nov 8, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528I. The contact stated that there was water leaking from the vehicle. There was an undisclosed electrical failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11624188

Incident

Oct 25, 2024

Vehicle leaked oil to where it caused an engine fire.

NHTSA ID

11624165

Incident

Nov 8, 2024

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

NHTSA ID

11622315

Incident

May 28, 2024

N20 引擎 汽油泵浦故障

NHTSA ID

11588383

Incident

Apr 14, 2024

Picked up from a stop light no aggressive but normally and a few seconds after going around 20-30ish mph the car stalls and goes into neutral. I was really confused and panicking of what happened, the cars behind me almost crashed into me and I was trying to manage to pull the car over to the side of road and thankfully I did. This could have caused a serious injury to me and others. As I was able to pull off to the side of the road I try to start my car back up and it cranks and cranks for a few seconds which it normally never does and finally when it starts back up the car just starts miss firing like crazy and the check engine light comes on and the car is throwing codes all over the place like drive train malfunction, engine malfunction, low oil pressure, check engine oil, auto stop start malfunction. I was super confused so I shut it off and tried to start it again but it didn’t help at all. I drove slowly into a parking lot and got it towed to a independent repair shop to which they diagnosed the timing chain guides breaking and falling into the oil pump, clogging the oil pump then causing further damage due to no oil going to the top of the motor. I was very confused how all of this could have happened since I took care of my car . If the car had given me a service warning light I would have went and got my engine serviced for this job. Now The thing is these timing chain jobs aren’t cheap and replacing the oil pump chain is even more expensive since it requires lowering the sub frame. Now In my case the timing was so bad to where the engine did something to the cylinders as of what my mechanic said. So my engine is toast and I need a new engine. Car has a hunk of metal parked in my driveway now that I’m still paying off. Good job BMW. I really want to sue bmw for this bs. The car is poorly designed and I’m super thankful this issue did not occur on the freeway because I could have died. I looked into the bmw warranty and it’s only covering up to 100K.

NHTSA ID

11474223

Incident

Sep 12, 2021

Car engine caught on fire while driving today and stopped. No smoke or other issues prior. Worried this is related to the recall issued by BMW recently, however my car is not covered under the recall yet. The car is currently located in Vancouver Canada. It was purchased in Tulsa, OK

NHTSA ID

11473963

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The drivetrain malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a defective oil pump. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 14V176000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.

NHTSA ID

11464973

Incident

May 1, 2022

Mileage

109,000 mi

Casually picking up from a stop light when my car just randomly decided to turn off on the middle of the road and go into neutral. I lost power steering and brakes. I was able to manage to pull over and restart the car and I was welcomed with a bunch of check engine lights and many other malfunctions. Got the car towed and comes out that the timing chain has failed as well as the oil pump and resulted in damage to the camshaft and cylinder head of the motor. This is just insane how all of this happened in just a few seconds. I took care of my car did oil changes on time, coolant, brakes, transmission fluid. I took care of my car. Bmw put me in a very unsafe condition that day and I’m very upset because that could have ended very bad for me. The n20 motor has been very well known to fail at any time without any warning and bmw has yet to recall this motor. It became very bad to the point to where they even got sued but only limited the warranty up to 100K miles. Many people experienced this problem before 100K and some experienced it earlier. Their is no given time when this timing chain can fail on you. In my case so many things were damaged in the engine and I even contacted bmw NA and they didn’t even care to help. Bmw put me in a very bad spot and they want me to replace the engine and pay labor and pay more than what the cars worth! Bmw is crazy for this and I hope all of these engines get recalled and get replaced free of charge without worrying about how many miles you got on the car.

NHTSA ID

11452012

Incident

Sep 14, 2021

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.

NHTSA ID

11451630

Incident

Sep 15, 2021

THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, WHILE IN MOTION, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AFTER ACCELERATING. THE CAR GAVE AN ERROR CODE OF DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. MY CAR LOST POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY CITY STREET, AND IT COULD HAVE EASILY LED TO A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. POSSIBLY RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V746000 BUT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11366619

Incident

Oct 27, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

I WAS GOING ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN I HEARD LIKE A POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR, AS SOON AS I HEARD THE NOISE MY CAR LOST ALL ITS POWER, ABOUT 2 MINUTES AFTER I NOTICED MY CAR WAS LEAVING A CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST.

NHTSA ID

11343967

Incident

Aug 5, 2020

Mileage

1 mi

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND MY CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED RUNNING AND SHUT DOWN ON ME MID FREEWAY! I STEPPED ON GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING! IT TURNED OFF ON ME AND WOULDN'T TURN ON! NOW IT TURNS BUT GAS WON'T WORK! I BELIEVE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE GAS PUMP OF SOMETHING REGARDING GAS FUEL! I HAD TO CALL MY CAR INSURANCE TO TOW MY CAR WHEN I BECAME STRANDED ON THE FREEWAY. *TR

NHTSA ID

11326433

Incident

May 4, 2020

Mileage

122,600 mi

MY CAR WAS HAVING A WHINING NOISE AND DURING THE DIAGNOSIS IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC GUIDES WITHIN THE ENGINE BLOCK THAT KEEP THE TIMING CHAIN INTACT IS BAD. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO FOUND THAT THE GUIBO (AKA UNIVERSAL JOINT) WAS CRACKED. FROM MY RESEARCH ON THE MATTER, I READ THAT NHTSA HAD ISSUED A LETTER PERTAINING TO OTHER MAKE AND MODEL ON FAULTY OR POORLY DESIGNED GUIBO. I PRESUME THAT THE AFFECTED MODELS BE INVESTIGATED AND COVERAGE BE EXTENDED TO OTHER LINES OF BMW. THIS IS THE DIRECTIVE FROM NHTSA I AM REFERRING TO: RCAK-17V067-6564.PDF RCRIT-17V067-9870.PDF MY CURRENT MILEAGE IS ONLY ABOUT 55,000 MILES AND MAYBE THERE WERE OTHER OWNERS WHO DEVELOPED THIS FAULT WITHIN THE STANDARD OR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE PRODUCT LINE THAT WAS OUTSIDE THIS RECALL. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION.

NHTSA ID

11309674

Incident

Jan 22, 2020

Mileage

54,497 mi

WHEN DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY, A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING WOULD APPEAR FREQUENTLY ON THE DISPLAY PANEL. I TOOK THE CAR TO VALLEY BMW IN MODESTO, CA, ON NOVEMBER 2018. AFTER ON EXTENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION, THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE ONLY SUGGESTION WAS TO REPLACE THE CAR'S BATTERY. I TOOK THE CAR TO BATTERIES PLUS BULBS FOR A SECOND OPINION. THEY DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY WAS STILL IN GOOD CONDITION AND DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION CONTINUED TO APPEAR WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. IN A SUBSEQUENT VISIT TO THE DEALER, I AGAIN MENTIONED THE ISSUE WITH THE DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING STILL APEARING ON THE DISPLAY PANEL. OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS, SAID THEY COULDNT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR,THEREFOR, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. ON A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO, WE EXPERIENCED A MAJOR ENGINE BREAK DOWN. THE CAR HAD COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. FORTUNATLY,WE HAD JUST EXITED THE HIGHWAY. WE THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO PETTER PAN BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONCLUDED THAT INDEED THE ENGINE HAD EXPERIENCED A MAJOR BREAKDOWN, IN THEIR EVALUATION, THEY ALSO NOTED THE BATTERY WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. THIS COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS THE CLAIM BY VALLEY BMW THAT THE BATTERY WAS THE ISSUE. SINCE THEN, I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST BMW FOR A DEFECTIVE N20 ENGINE WHICH IS THE ENGINE IN MY CAR. I ALSO WENT AS FAR AS CONTACTING THE CEO OF BMW NORTHAMERICA REGANDING THIS DEFFECTIVE MOTOR. AS EXPECT BMW REFUSED TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSABILITY FOR THE DEFFECTIVE ENGINE. ONCE I BROUGHT UP THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, BMW CUT OFF ALL COMMUNICATIONS WITH ME. MY FAMILY AND I ARE ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN INVESTIGATING BMW ON THIS DEFFECTIVE MOTOR AND HOLDING THEN ACCOUNTABLE FOR SUCH POOR AND NEGLIGENT BEHAVIOR, PLEASE HELP ALL AFFECTED CUSTOMERS WITH THIS TERRIBLE AND DEVESTATING SITUATION.

NHTSA ID

11307945

Incident

Jun 29, 2019

Mileage

93,915 mi

MY 2012 BMW 528I STALLED TWICE 2 WKS AGO WHEN I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. THE DISPLAY SHOWED EITHER "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION" OR "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION". IMMEDIATELY I TURNED ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS, SLOWLY CHANGED LANES SLOWLY AND COME TO A HALT, BY WHICH THE WARNING WAS GONE AND I DROVE HOME AT LESS THAN 15 MPH. THE NEXT MORNING THE CAR SEEMED FINE AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO ADVISED A BMW SERVICE. I TOOK THE CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER (ASC) FOR VERIFICATION AND WAS DIRECTED TO COME BACK IN FEW DAYS; WITHIN THAT WEEK IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I WENT TO ANOTHER ASC TO HAVE IT FULLY DIAGNOSED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT FAULTY GUIDES IN THE TIMING-CHAIN CAUSED IT. I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS DESIGN FLAW UNTIL I READ ABOUT IT IN ONLINE. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO SAID THEY HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN IN MANY CARS AND SOMETIMES UNDER 30K MILES AND IN FEW INSTANCES NEEDING ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR $15000. I SEE SEVERAL CUSTOMERS WITH N20 AND N26 ENGINES HAVING THIS ISSUE SAME AS WITH N63 ENGINES. I CONTACTED BMWUSA AND LODGED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS FOR REIMBURSEMENT REFERRING TO NHTSA TSB 110614, BUT WAS DENIED. I WAS TOLD BMW KNEW OF THIS ISSUE AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 7Y/70K. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS AND MYGARAGE ON BMWUSA IS NOT SHOWING IT. I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL MARKETING INFO ON NEW BMW AND LEASES INSTEAD. CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE BEEN LODGED IN NORTH AMERICA AND DEATHS IN IRELAND REQUIRING A COURT ORDER FOR MANDATORY RECALL. 1) WILLIAMS, ET AL. V. BMW OF NORTH AMERICA LLC, ET AL., CASE NO. 2:17-CV-1156. 2) GELIS, ET AL. V. BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, ET AL., CASE NO. 2:17-CV-07386 3) WWW.STROSBERGCO.COM/CLASS-ACTIONS/BMW REFERENCE: INVOICE, BMW MYGARAGE PAGE, BLOG, NJ LAWSUIT ETC. WWW.BMWBLOG.COM/2013/09/29/BMW-RECALL-2012-14-MODELS-N20-N26-ENGINE WWW.THEJOURNAL.IE/CARS-SOLD-IRELAND-BMW-RECALL-4002999-MAY2018

NHTSA ID

11302908

Incident

Jan 10, 2020

Mileage

54,300 mi

SIX MONTHS I STARTED HEARING A HIGH PITCH NOISE AND IT ONLY GOT WORSE OVER THE FEW MONTHS. TWO WEEKS AGO (01/10/2020 AND 01/17/2020), IN THE NIGHT AROUND 8PM, MY BMW 528I CAR STALLED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN CULVER CITY, CALIFIRNIA. IT FLASHED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON THE DISPLAY VERY BRIEFLY AND IT APPEARED TO BE "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION". STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, MY FIRST REACTION WAS TO TURN ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND HOPE NOBODY HITS ME FROM THE BACK, AS I WAS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE FORWARD. BEFORE I COULD TAKE MY PHONE OUT AND TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SCREEN, THE ERROR SCREEN VANISHED. I PRESUMED THE "ERROR" WOULD BE SAVED IN THE SYSTEM AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, RESTARTED AND STARTED TO DRIVE AND PROCEED. AT BOTH THESE TIMES THERE WERE CARS BEHIND ME AND I TURNED ON THE HAZARD LIGHT TO WARN THE OTHER DRIVERS OF MY INABILITY TO DRIVE. I TOOK THE CAR TO TWO BMW SERVICE CENTERS. ONE OF THE SERVICE MANAGERS SAID HE CANNOT SAY WHAT THE ISSUE IS WITHOUT DOING A DIAGNOSIS, BUT THE PROBABLE CAUSE IS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THA OIL-PUMP OR THE CAM-SHAFTS AND RELATED TO TIMING. I TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER SERVICE CENTER AND HERE I LEFT THE CAR BEHIND FOR A SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS. I WAS TOLD THE ISSUE IS RELATED TO TIMING CHAIN AND PLASTIC PARTS THAT HOLD THE CHAIN IN PLACE, DETERIORATE OVER TIME. I WAS TOLD THAT IT IS A COMMON ISSUE AND IT IS MY LUCK THAT THE TIMING CHAIN DID NOT RIP APART AND CAUSE AN ENGINE SEIZURE, WHICH WOULD HAVE COST ME $15000 IN REPAIRS THAN WHAT I WAS BILLED AROUND $6000. INCIDENTALLY, FEW MONTHS AGO THERE WERE OTHER PLASTIC PARTS THAT HOLD THE ENGINE IN PLACE ALSO DETERIORATE AND IT WAS SHAKING THE CAR. I HAD REPLACED THEM AT A CERTIFIED MECHANIC. THIS HAD COSTED ME ANOTHER $2000 PLUS IN REPAIRS. I HAVE MAINTAINED THE CAR IN GOOD CONDITION AND NEVER MISSED ANY SERVICE APPOINTMENTS. I HAVE BILLS OF ALL THE SERVICES PERFORMED ON THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11302614

Incident

Jan 10, 2020

Mileage

54,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE 95 HIGHWAY MY CAR SHOWED A FUEL SUPPLY ERROR THEN POWERED DOWN AND STOPED AND WOULDN'T RESTART. I HAD IT TOWED TO A HOTEL AND THE FOLLOWING MORNING IT STARTED WHILE THE TOW TRUCK LOADED IT TO TAKE TO THE DEALER. I HAD A FULL TANK OF GAS AT THE TIME. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED WITH MY KIDS. TOWED IT TO BMW AND ALL THEY TOLD ME WAS TO REPLACE MY BATTERY EVEN THOUGH I HAD A PERFECTLY GOOD BATTERY AND THE AND EVERYTHING REQUIRING A BATTERY WORKED LIKE RADIO, LIGHTS ETC. I BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY FROM THEM AND THE TECH DROVE THE CAR FOR 30 MILES. WITHIN 2 HOURS AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP MY CAR DID THE SAME THING WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY AND SLOWING DOWN AT A STOP LIGHT. A DIAGRAM FLASHES ON THE CONSOLE AND THEN A MESSAGE ABOUT THE FUEL SUPPLY. I WAS ASSISTED BY CALLING 911 TO GET MY KIDS AND I TO SAFETY AND MY CAR OUT THE WAY. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE FUEL MODULE OR PUMP FOR MY YEAR AND MAKE BUT BMW CLAIMS MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED. THIS IS DANGEROUS, PEOPLE CAN GET KILLED IF THE CARS ARE STALLING WHILE IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11292369

Incident

Dec 29, 2019

Mileage

83,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY CERTIFIED 2012 BMW 528I, WHICH HAS AN N20 ENGINE, THE "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION, MAXIMUM OUTPUT NO LONGER AVAILABLE, DRIVE MODERATELY" WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON MY DASH AND ALERTED ME THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE ALERT SIGNALING MY ATTENTION, I WAS DRIVING ON A HEAVILY TRAFFICKED HIGHWAY WITH SPEED LIMITS RANGING FROM 35 MPH TO 60 MPH. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES / 13 MILES TO MY DESTINATION BEFORE THE "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION" INDICATOR LIGHT ALERTED ME. LUCKILY, I WAS NEAR A DRIVEWAY TO PULL OFF INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN THE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED. AS SOON AS THE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED MY CAR IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO IDLE ROUGHLY, AND MY ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING AT FULL CAPACITY. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO PULL INTO A PARKING STALL AND MOMENTS FOLLOWING THE "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION" ALERT, AN OIL LIGHT ALSO ALERTED ME ON MY DASH. MY CAR IS UP TO DATE ON ALL REQUIRED SERVICES. I HAVE SERVICED MY VEHICLE AT MY LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP. AT ALL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS I REQUESTED CURRENT BULLETINS. MY VEHICLE HAD NO KNOWN PROBLEMS, OR WARNING INDICATORS OR ALERTS THAT I WAS MADE AWARE OF. WHEN I SAFELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT MY CAR SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY, WOULD NOT RESTART, AND LOCKED UP. I WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT MY CAR IN NEUTRAL. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP WHERE THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND ALERTS. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AND SAID THAT THE TIMING AND OIL PUMP CHAIN MALFUNCTIONED AND THE TOTAL COST ESTIMATE WOULD BE 13,651 + TAX. AFTER RESEARCHING SEVERAL ONLINE BULLETINS, BMW FORUMS AND NEWS ARTICLES, THE "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION" HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH OTHER BMW CUSTOMERS, AND BMW NORTH AMERICA ISWAS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HAZARD. EXPERIENCING THIS MALFUNCTION COULD HAVE POSED A RISK TO MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGER SINCE THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND LOCKED UP.

NHTSA ID

11281799

Incident

Nov 12, 2019

Mileage

123,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 528I. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED, THE DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN BMW DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

11279842

Incident

Oct 31, 2019