FaultScore

BMW 328XI electrical problems

146 of the 672 complaints filed about the BMW 328XI are about the electrical system — 22% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2007.

146

Complaints

22%

Share of all complaints

2

Crashes

26

Fires

Electrical System complaints by model year

2006 328XI 1 0.7%

Median failure at 18,000 miles

2007 328XI 61 41.8%

Median failure at 84,000 miles

2008 328XI 46 31.5%

Median failure at 80,000 miles

2009 328XI 5 3.4%

Median failure at 94,000 miles

2010 328XI 7 4.8%

Median failure at 76,500 miles

2011 328XI 17 11.6%

Median failure at 83,479 miles

2013 328XI 2 1.4%

Median failure at 19,070 miles

2014 328XI 3 2.1%

Median failure at 148,000 miles

2015 328XI 4 2.7%

Median failure at 8,508 miles

What owners said

2007 BMW 328XI Coal City, IL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Keeps dying out. Can't drive it at all.

NHTSA complaint #11680290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI at 200,000 miles Waterbury, CT

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was smoke and a burning odor entering the cabin of the vehicle. There was a smoldering sound coming from the dashboard. The contact turned off the vehicle; however, the vehicle remained hot, and the smoke started to increase as if the vehicle was not turned off. The contact disconnected the battery to get the smoke to settle and get the engine to cool down. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint #11659207 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 BMW 328XI Edgewood, MD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328XI. 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11646698 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 BMW 328XI Apple Valley, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11628689 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 BMW 328XI Merrick, NY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328XI. 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA complaint #11621445 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 BMW 328XI at 148,000 miles Middletown, DE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328XI. 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 contacted and confirmed that parts were available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine coolant pump and connector had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11614794 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 328XI Deltona, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Wiring inside headlamp is not up to Standards. For the cost the replace the headlight the wiring should not be falling apart causing shorts. One night I was driving and got a warning on my dash for my headlights and noticed it was a bit harder to see. Pulled over and noticed the headlight was out. Went to replace the bulb and noticed the wires have zero protection on them and are all touching.. this is not safe as wire shorts can cause a fire and not to mention the visibility issues. The driver side is not the bright at all and flickers while I’m driving. Both sides are having this issue and that’s unacceptable saying the headlights are over 800 dollars EACH and that’s used.. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle knowing that the wire short can cause a fire while I’m driving.

NHTSA complaint #11603501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI Tacoma, WA Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I was driving to my appointment about 3 weeks ago. When all of a sudden I start to smell smoke. I started to brake at the light when I seen flames coming from underneath my glove box. I pulled over as fast as I could by that time my entire glove box with my documents were on fire.The only thing I had was a gallon of apple juice so I put that on the fire to put it out. That was the only I could contain the fire. From that point my car wouldn't turn back on. So I had to pay to get my vehicle to my home.

NHTSA complaint #11518100 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 328XI Guttenberg, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BMW Bi Xenon Headlights wires harness. Insulation on wires peels off and start touching each other. Malfunction high beam, low beam, turning light.

NHTSA complaint #11504077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 328XI Stanardsville, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The positive battery fuse cable under the glovebox is placed into a plastic space causing melting. This leads to the vehicle going dead and not even emergency lights will work. This recall has been placed on very few BMWs however it is affecting way more then they are saying. You can see in UK where a man was killed for the vehicle going dead in the middle of the road and emergency lights cannot be used to warn other drivers. How has their not been taken car of already. I am extremely disappointed in our system, and in BMW. My mind is completely blown that this is not cared about.

NHTSA complaint #11487711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI Lorain, OH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced an unstated failure and was no longer driving the vehicle. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was unknown

NHTSA complaint #11475970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI Rego Park, NY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Possible Class Action Law Suit knowingly neglect, mislead, purposely avoiding known recall & obvious risks of possible LIFE / PROPERTY LOST 08/2012, NYS Bear Mt Parks Camp ground Unknown reason Low battery resulted locked steering, stranded tow $450 /park+$450 tow truck to Shop E141st Bronx Friend a Westchester BMW dealer mechanic 1988~2019 (Will testify): official instruction to replace Steering column $2000-3000 job, replaced on the street, can't start w dealer computer+ $300 towed to Bronx BMW specialist & reset/ started for $450 2012 not much info online As my VIN isn’t on the recall list, I was not aware of the other identical recalled issue til it happened again in 2015(?2016, can confirm w the NY Westchester BMW dealer parts receipt) Paid another $2000+ much nightmare only to realized the issue can easily be reset by any mechanic computer then restarted. BMW dealer still maintain its instruction to their dealer mechanic to replace knowingly HIDING the fact that it should have been recalled & avoided 2016 (have receipt) At 70k Miles Transmission rebuilt, specialist said broken fragments of gears resulting in irreparable damages 2017 Corroded Fuse box nr passenger side replaced $680 2019 After stopping, car barely cranks over & white smoke observed under hood in front of passenger waited 30 minute to start Days later car won’t start, the wire leading to fuse burnt off, lost all power $300 tow home +$350 replace wire $4580 since 2020 low battery all year, car sluggish due to sudden lost of power. 2021 Engine shaking violently, drives shaky & unstable jerks, pulled over Towed $280 steering lock symbol shown Car on driveway realized my VIN was not included in this 2013 recall of 570,000 cars for the same defect numerous reported URGENT life/ Property threats to highway safety for years: sudden lost of power (No hazard light) on LEFT Lane of Highways Entire car engulfed in flames in minutes w toddlers inside car barely escaping Air bags popping while in motion..

NHTSA complaint #11445440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI East Meadow, NY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My car is experiencing electrical failures explained in this recall: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 13V044000 There is a complete loss of power to the vehicle, I need to manually open the trunk, wiggle the positive terminal of the battery to get the power back. This seems to be known issue as identified in the NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 13V044000 When reported to the dealer, they declined to fix the issue as part of recall for the reason my VIN number does not show up in the system for this specific electrical issue. The only way the dealer would address is through charging me for diagnostics and fixing.This seems to be a widespread issue with the model year of the car I own, I expect BMW to fix this as part of the existing recall campaign.

NHTSA complaint #11428461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 328XI at 250,000 miles Brooklyn, NY Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON SMOKE CAME OUT FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTS AND ALL DOORS LOCKED FROM INSIDE. THERE WERE 2 OCCUPANTS INSIDE THAT NEEDED ASSISTANCE TO GET OUT WHILE THE CAR WAS CATCHING FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED.

NHTSA complaint #11337419 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI at 110,000 miles Mulvane, KS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AS WELL AS STATIONARY THE WINDOW PINCH PROTECTION LIGHT FLASHES AT 30 SECOND INTERVALS ALONG WITH AN AUDIBLE NOISE. THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING AND THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF THE NOISE OR NOTIFICATION. ONCE THE WINDOW PINCH PROTECTION HAS BEEN RESET ON EACH WINDOW THE NOTIFICATION REMAINS FLASHING EVERY 30 SECONDS WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING. THIS AUDIBLE NOISE IS HEARD WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND CREATES AN UNSAFE DISTRACTION.

NHTSA complaint #11329493 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI at 98,000 miles Pataskala, OH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE CAR HAS A SHORT DRAINING BATTERY ALL THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON THE BLOWER MOTER SMELT LIKE FIRE WHEN TURNED ON. SCAN TOOL WONT CONNECT TO OBD2 SAYS NO COMMUNICATION AIR BAGS RESTRAINT LIGHTS CAME ON . I BELEIVE YOUR RECALLS WERE NOT DONE AND CAUSE A MASSIVE FAILURE THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS CONDITIONS TO OPERATE VEHICLE UNDER.

NHTSA complaint #11320272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 328XI Bellerose, NY Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT AND A FIRE STARTED UNDER THE DASHBOARD

NHTSA complaint #11301519 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI at 104,000 miles Fair Lawn, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A RECALL FOR ELECTRICAL FAILURE ON CERTAIN BMW'S. RECALL 13V044. MY VEHICLE BAD A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN EARLY DECEMBER 2019. IT NOW SITS IN MY GARAGE. APPARENTLY MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL WHICH I CANNOT UNDERSTAND. IT EXHIBITS ALL THE FAILURES INDICATED IN THE ORIGINAL RECALL. PLEASE HELP

NHTSA complaint #11291817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 328XI at 140,000 miles Bonney Lake, WA Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE CAR WAS PARKED IN A STRIP MALL PARKING LOT AND SHUT OFF, CAR IGNITED IN FLAMES AND IS NOW A TOTAL LOSS

NHTSA complaint #11291770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 328XI Middleboro, MA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VACUUM PUMP RECALL . TAKATA RECALL ELECTRIC RECALL

NHTSA complaint #11253093 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other BMW 328XI problems