About a month ago, my 2008 bmw 3 series engine stalled while driving at speed 45 MPH. I received no warning before the engine stalled. It was a miracle that I was able to move over a lane and get off the road before an impact from other vehicles. This occurs every time I drive the vehicle, multiple times and at various speeds. It's very dangerous because I receive no warning before it happens. The vehicle is always in motion when it happens and at various speeds, on highways, streets, anywhere while driving straight, turning and any other maneuvers.
BMW 3 Series stalling problems
28 of the 842 owner complaints about the BMW 3 Series describe engine stalls while driving, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 28
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 51,279
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel pump 5Loss of power 3Shudder 2Hesitation 2Won't start 1Won't shift 1Pulling 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P142E 1
What owners say
March 28, 2018 - driving on the freeway, car suddenly comes to a stop and shows message fuel pump with car on rock icon. Car gets towed. Next day mechanic says it ran out of gas, added gas started the car. March 29, 2018 car stalls after 5 miles near the ramp of exit. Get the car towed to another mechanic. Mechanic does not find any problems. April 14th, 2018 - car stops on the freeway. Tow it to mechanic mechanic says that its related to fuel tank sensor. This causes a wrong reading of level of gas in the car. Mechanic changes it and car runs ok for 2 months. June 21, 2018 - car stops on the freeway with the same message "service engine soon" with the car on rock icon. I get towing service to add gas and wait for an hour. Restart the car and it works. The message is gone, the icon is gone. This is the fourth time I was stranded on the freeway.
2003 bmw 325i low fuel stall
Vehicle completely shut down while driving on the ramp to enter a highway and service engine soon light came up. The engine has only 42000 miles. Took it to bmw and was told that the vanos system needs to be repaired because the bolts probably came off. A recall is in place for exactly the same issue for other 3 series, but my VIN is not included in the recall and bmw is not covering the repair. What is the process for a vehicle to be included on a recall given that is the exact same issue?
Power steering pulley comes into contact of axle carrier, it's a clear design flaw and this car hasn't had much research and development done, the company knowingly put an unsafe beta car on the market. My belt broke because of the pulley to frame contact and stalled on the 405 freeway and ended up getting injured when the car was rear ended at 60mph. There is a service bulletin within bmw's system describing this issue and they want consumers to pay out of pocket for repairs. I spoke to corporate and they have given me the cold shoulder so far. My mission is to get this escalated to a recall before someone gets seriously hurt.
2 complaints: 1st complaint addresses "takata recall" dated feb. 5, 2016 recall campaign no.16v‑071 driver's front air bag. *bmw service center "otto's" in west chester, pa still has not received the parts going on 2yrs. * 2nd complaint engine shut off while driving (55mph) on a busy interstate highway during heavy traffic with no warning the engine just shut off- no power! . It was a humid summer (july) morning bmw fault could have killed many, a very dangerous public safety hazard. I was stranded for hours unable to drive bmw. *adding insult to injury the high humidity could have set-off the airbag fault unresolved by bmw 18 months & counting. Otto's service center wanted almost $4k to repair plus an additional hefty sum under advisement for repairs to repair the work they completed less than a year ago (>$3k) for engine leaking oil - car over-heating
Engine suddenly shut down while driving. Had to be pushed off the road. Very dangerous.
August 6, 2016 - car stalled at about 50mph, just when about to go uphill. I wasn't able to make it to the shoulder leaving the car blocking traffic with my wife and daughter in it. Once it stops, it puts itself in park, making it impossible to push aside. We created a traffic jam and police barricaded while we were trying to move the car. Eventually, in about 30 mins, the car turns on. Happened after an hour of highway driving. Car seemed fine after that. August 17, 2016 - on another long trip, the car stalled on the highway. Would crank but not turn on. Almost exhausted the battery. Called a tow truck but by the time it got there, after about an hour, the car restarted. Had my odb-ii scanner with me and got code used my obdii reader and got code p142e - pressure too low in high-pressure system, which is consistent with not starting and the and the fuel system malfunction message. I took the car to autogermana service center, that same day. September 22, 2016 - stalled on a main road, with my daughter, on the way to the pediatrician. I was able to maneuver to the right lane and park on a gas station. Ambient temp was 94f. Waited about 30mins and the car re-started. The dealeship would not acknowledge a fuel system problem because they could not replicate the failure. Sent email to bmw customer relations but they referred me back to the dealership.
I was driving on a very busy road in downtown chicago in heavy traffic and the car just suddenly stalled without any warning middle of the road and won't move. Of course came close to being crashed from behind. I am grateful and lucky that the cars behind were able to stop in time and maneuver around me to avoid collision. The bmw dealer inspected the car and told me that the fuel pump and its control unit is faulty. I have attached their diagnosis as well. I find it hard to believe that a less than 4 year old car with under 25k miles on it has a fuel pump failure, unless it was faulty to begin with. I checked into the recalls for bmw 328i models for faulty fuel pumps and it seems bmw recalled models from 2014, but it seems the 2012 bmw has this issue as well. I was saved but I want to make sure no one else is hurt because of faulty parts that car manufacturers fail to check before selling it to unsuspecting consumers, who think they are safe when driving these expensive cars with their families and precious ones in it. I shudder to think what could have happened and I consider myself lucky to be still alive, safe and ok to write this message.
Transmission shift badly - lunges forward - tendes to stall -traveling at low speeds goes in to 5 or 6 gear step on gas paddle takes to long to shift down and jumps forward. This has been happening even when the car was new and getting worse as time goes on.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3 xDrive 30i, X5 xDrive30i, and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The aluminum bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and possibly break.
- Risk
- Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the four VANOS bolts, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed December 18, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 23V707000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control: crankcase (PCV)
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
- Risk
- An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
- Remedy
- This recall supersedes and expands previous the federal safety agency recalls 17V‑683 and 19V‑273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous the federal safety agency recalls 17V‑683 and 19V‑273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 22V119000 · Recall details
Questions about the BMW 3 Series stalling
Which BMW 3 Series years have engine stalls while driving problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (10 complaints), 2008 (5 complaints) and 2009 (3 complaints).
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