2013 BMW 328I problems
Owners have filed 392 complaints about the 2013 BMW 328I with NHTSA. Engine accounts for 23.5% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 15.6%.
Complaints392
Crashes42
Fires12
Injuries38
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine 23.5% · 92
Electrical system 15.6% · 61
Air bags 11.2% · 44
Engine and engine cooling 11.2% · 44
Service brakes 7.9% · 31
Power train 5.9% · 23
Fuel/propulsion system 4.6% · 18
Unknown or other 4.6% · 18
Severity
Of those complaints, 42 describe a crash, 12 describe a fire and 38 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 11 model years of the BMW 328I in this data, 2013 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2011 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 130 in the last three years against 68 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 63,079 miles.
In owners' own words
Replaced an about to blow timing shaft and timing belt for a n26 f30 BMW 328I. Will cause catastrophic failure of engine in case its blows up. I had it happen to me when I had 74k miles. BMW extended warranty until 70k but since my incident happened at 74k BMW refused to offer any help. This is a manufacturer defect as the composite material used to make the timing chain was brittle and was replaced in 2015. Engine · reported at 74,000 miles
The turbo charger electric waste gate actuator lever fell off the vehicle from rust. It disconnected at the two locations where it is installed. This caused an immediate loss of power at highway speeds. It is related to this issue where the the clip/link that holds the lever rusts off. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Engine
Travelling at 60 mph on the highway I got a message "drivetrain malfunction". Before I was able to stop, the car shut down. It was towed to the dealer and they told me the plastic timing chain cover broke off and permanently damaged the engine. It will cost me $8300 to repair. After some research, I found others have had this happen and that BMW has since changed the design. Engine · reported at 80,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…