2012 BMW 328I problems
Owners have filed 198 complaints about the 2012 BMW 328I with NHTSA. Engine accounts for 27.8% of them — the clear leader, ahead of air bags at 15.7%.
Complaints198
Crashes5
Fires2
Injuries1
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine 27.8% · 55
Air bags 15.7% · 31
Electrical system 11.6% · 23
Power train 10.1% · 20
Engine and engine cooling 8.1% · 16
Unknown or other 5.6% · 11
Fuel/propulsion system 5.1% · 10
Seats 4.0% · 8
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 1 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 11 model years of the BMW 328I in this data, 2012 draws comparatively few complaints; 2011 is the outlier year.
Filings are rising — 46 in the last three years against 32 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 69,000 miles.
In owners' own words
I was about a quarter mile from my home when my 2012 328 n20 began to make a loud sound coming from engine. The car also started to idle very rough. Check engine lights went off. I had the car towed to my BMW mechanic and they diagnosed an issue with the timing chain. They verified a noise and a very loose timing chain. Timing chain and guide repair was performed at a high cost. Mileage is 127500. Engine · reported at 127,651 miles
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,263. Engine · reported at 99,263 miles
I just recently had to take my 2012 BMW 328I convertible in because of the engine was making a loud noise plus loss of hp. The technician informed me that the vanos solenoid bolts had broken off into the engine after doing more research into this I find that there was a recall on the vanos gear bolts. My question is do I pay for this repair? Engine · reported at 69,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…