2008 BMW 328I: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Apr 9, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · TX · fire

My vehicle engine cooling fan caught fire one evening while following behind someone to make sure they made it to a parking lot safely due to their own vehicle having problems requiring them to stay under around 20mph. Once we made it to a parking lot, i exited my vehicle to check on the other person, and realized there was smoke starting to come out from under my hood. My husband waited for me to pull the hood release and then proceeded to lift the hood, only to discover my car was on fire, and it was coming directly from the cooling fan. After almost a minute we were able to put the fire out, and discovered the whole electrical area for the fan was melted and destroyed. There was never any type of warning light or any information at all that would have told me a problem was imminent. Im thankful it wasn;t myself alone or with my kids just driving down the highway because it would have taken over the whole vehicle before i would have known it was having any issues at all. The part is still on the vehicle, which has become inoperable and now any attempts to check the vehicle out have realized that another issues with BMW's is also causing problems with my vehicle. It appears an actual recall was never issued for my actual VIN, rather a collection of years and makes. Any further information or remedy that might get me the ability to actually use my vehicle again would be greatly appreciated. I can also include photos and witness statements if needed,. Thank you for your time.

Filed Apr 21, 2023 · Engine · 170,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was smoke coming from the engine compartment while the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the PCV stem seals and cap needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and took the vehicle to a local dealer for the repair; however, the contact was informed he would be responsible for the cost of the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact to seek legal advice to have the repair completed. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

Filed Mar 13, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · 114,000 miles · VA

The contact owned a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undetermined speed, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was misfiring. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the PCV valve heater was melted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the vehicle had since been sold. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

Filed Mar 7, 2023 · Engine · 130,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was a burning odor coming through the A/C vents. There was also smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off vehicle. The contact then added coolant to the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer several times. The dealer performed unknown repairs on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Filed Sep 29, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · GA

Due to the CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER problem and BMW claiming they have no remedy for it yet, this has caused my engine to overheat smelling like burning electrical, The Container holding reserve antifreeze has broken off plastic components that may somewhere be in the cooling system. The valve cover gasket that was replaced only 3 years ago is beginning to fail and is leaking oil into the brand new spark plugs and coils. This is unacceptable. They say to stop driving the car if you smell burnt electrical. Heck, I have smoke coming from the engine at times. How are people who only have this 1 car suppose to get places when BMW delays repairing people's vehicles. They are wasting our money! They should have to repair all of the parts that this issue has caused damage to while they have us wait for remedy that seems to never come!

Filed Jun 21, 2022 · Engine · CA

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact received a notification for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal plastic burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that there was white colored smoke coming from the engine while starting the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Mar 11, 2022 · Engine · 102,300 miles · CA · fire

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at 25-30 MPH for 10 minutes, the engine started misfiring, went on overheating mode and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that he turned off the vehicle for some time; however, when he restarted the vehicle, the coolant temperature warning light was still illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact drove back to his residence. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and he could smell a burning odor . The contact became aware that his VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), which he associated with the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,300.

Filed Nov 18, 2021 · Engine · 127,000 miles · WA · fire

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the radiator would overheat as the temperature gauge would indicate that the engine was hot. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it was discovered that plastic parts inside the reservoir including the head gasket had melted and entered the radiator, which caused the failure. The contact also stated that while driving at 35 MPH, a greyish smoke began to emit from both the undercarriage and the engine of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle with his children as he witnessed flames emitting from underneath the vehicle. A motorist behind him was able to pour a jug of water onto the fire which extinguished the flames. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to his home. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle would not be covered under warranty. The contact had made minor repairs to the vehicle but the vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Filed Nov 10, 2021 · Engine · 129,000 miles · CA · fire

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated that he had parked and turned off the vehicle, but about 20 minutes later he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that as he opened the hood of the vehicle he saw flames of fire and was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. The contact stated that he removed the battery from the vehicle. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to their location for diagnosis. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, however, the dealer informed the contact that they could not diagnose the vehicle as the vehicle had caught fire. The dealer referred the contact to the federal safety agency. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.

Filed Nov 20, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 120,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 328i. Less than an hour after the contact parked and exited the vehicle, it caught fire under the hood. When the contact returned to the vehicle, the key fob failed to unlock the vehicle and the key had to be manually used to open the driver's side door. The interior of the vehicle was filled with white smoke. Upon further inspection, it was noticed that an extensive fire erupted from the driver's side near the engine. The fire department extinguished the flames and provided a fire inspection report. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. After the failure, the manufacturer did not send the recall notices concerning the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 17v676000 (electrical system) and 17v683000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the fire department mentioned that these models have recalls. The contact verified the recall information directly from the internet. The manufacturer was contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed Oct 9, 2018 · Electrical · 59,000 miles · CA · fire

Pulling into a parking space, smelled electrical burning. Stopped & getting out the car, saw flames coming from inside the car under the glove box. Had a fire extinguisher near by so we we're able to keep the flames from burning the entire car and the cars next to us. Insurance company says its the result of 10/25/17 blower motor wiring recall.

Filed Oct 5, 2018 · Electrical, Seats · 128,000 miles · MI · fire

Passenger side front seat caught fire.