2009 BMW 328I: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jan 12, 2026 · Electrical · 132,150 miles · MI · fire

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination, which was nearby. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was displayed at 240. The contact stated he went inside the friend's residence, and when the contact walked back outside five minutes later, the entire front hood was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was unoccupied. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The contact was informed of the loose wires; however, the cause of the fire had not been confirmed. The contact stated that the vehicle was consumed in the fire. The contact stated that the trunk of the vehicle was the only part left. The vehicle was not towed away. The remains of the vehicle were still in the contact friend's driveway. A fire report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was a total loss; however, the insurance company had not confirmed. The contact stated that his insurance did not cover fire insurance. No injuries were sustained. No Police report was filed. In addition, the contact stated that the fire caused the contact's friend's residential window to shatter. The contact received a recall notification: the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) and the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the local dealer was contacted several times to schedule an appointment; however, the contact stated that the dealer informed the contact that he would receive a call back to schedule the appointment. The contact stated that he never received the call back to schedule the appointment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 132,150.

Filed May 31, 2023 · Engine · 58,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Filed May 7, 2023 · Engine · DE · fire

Unknown/ Had recall on pcv heater control valve done by authorized BMW DEALER about 2 weeks ago. On date May 5 2023 Parked car, shut of engine,a smell of plastic and smoke started coming from hood area, flames erupted right away . Total loss

Filed May 4, 2023 · Engine · 58,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence. Later when the vehicle was started there was a large white cloud of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was driven to his spouse's medical appointment; however, the vehicle could not be started, and the contact had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact made several attempts to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The contact had experienced a similar failure several months prior and had taken the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Nov 14, 2022 · Engine · GA

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued driving to her nearby residence. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and she could smell a strong burning odor inside the vehicle while driving. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was associated with the recall. 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 failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Oct 31, 2022 · Electrical · TX · fire

vehicle caught on fire while no one was driving and the engine was not on. It was parked for approximately 45 minutes. The fire started at the front under the hood. It destroyed melted the engine parts

Filed May 25, 2022 · Engine · NC

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light, the brake warning light, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon turning on the air conditioner, smoke would come inside the vehicle through the vents. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where an unknown repair was completed; however, the failure persisted. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). 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 not made aware of the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Oct 24, 2018 · Driver assistance, Engine · 155,000 miles · GA

My car has been having serious issues. Over heating, smoking uncontrollably,unable to use air/ heat conditioning due to toxic smoke coming through vent. Lights signal, check engine light, and brake light will not turn off. I fear for my life and have been car pulling due to my car issues. I feel as though, my car is at risk of catching on fire. The car has even shut off 5 times due to the excessive smoke. In was told by mechanic that I would only need to pressure wash the engine and it should be fine. I have had to pull over by the highway. I have wasted several dollars due to this matter with my car. Its pains me deeply that I'm having these issues with my car. I have worked very hard to get it. I'm at a loss for words with this matter.

Filed Mar 19, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · NJ · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2009 bmw 328i. Shortly after parking and exiting the vehicle, the contact was informed that a fire started under the hood. The flames entered the vehicle and caused catastrophic damage. A fire inspector extinguished the flames and determined that there was an electrical failure that caused the fire, which originated on the driver's side. The vehicle was destroyed and towed from the scene. The dealer (bmw of bloomfield, 425 bloomfield ave, bloomfield, nj 07003, (973) 233-5147) serviced the vehicle in january of 2018 and made no mention of the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 17v683000 (engine and engine cooling) and 17v676000 (electrical system). The contact was uncertain if the recalls were associated with the failure. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.

Filed Feb 22, 2018 · Engine · GA · fire · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 bmw 3281. While the vehicle was idling, smoke and flames emerged from the hood. The air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained injuries to the shoulder and knees; however, medical attention was not provided. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Dec 26, 2017 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · CA

2 recalls needed: 17v‑676: blower motor wiring and 17v‑683: pcv valve heater. Got a letter from bmw saying these recalls are not ready but my car has a really bad burning smell from the air vents and need it fixed as soon as possible.

Filed Dec 31, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 50,000 miles · CA · fire

Tl* I was driving on when my car caught fire. The fire broke out inside the cabin, directly behind the rear passenger-side seat. I believe this fire could have been easily avoided if the sonnen bmw service department had performed their job more diligently. A week before the fire, I began to smell a burning rubber odor when I turned on my heater/defroster. I immediately drove the car to sonnen bmw. The service advisor responded that it was not bmw's problem. I brought the car back into bmw for service. I also mentioned repeatedly that I smelled burning rubber whenever I turned on the heater/defroster. Bmw kept the car for a week. Apparently, because I mentioned the heater, bmw got fixated on looking for the problem within the heating ducts and never thought to check the electrical system. After having the car for a week, they told me that they had determined that the cause of the odor was a leaf that had gotten sucked into the blower assembly. They charged me $320 to open the assembly and clean out the leaves. When I picked up the car I insisted to speaking with one of the service managers, as this made no sense to me. I pointed out that burning leaves do not smell like burning rubber, and I doubted this was the cause of the problem. The service manager insisted that they were unable to find anything else wrong with the vehicle and that, after cleaning out the blower assembly, they were unable to duplicate the issue. It is apparent to me that bmw never once turned on the defroster during the whole time they had the car'even though I indicated that this was part of the issue. If they had, they would have immediately replicated the issue and known that it had nothing to do with leaves in the blower. Rather then apologizing, the assistant manager immediately tried to shift the blame be stating that we told them the odor was coming from the heating ducts.