2011 BMW 328I: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Electrical · TN · fire

VIN [XXX] 2011 BMW 328i 4dr. Disabled widow, and on [XXX] while driving with my 3 minor children in vehicle, vehicle attempted to stall/loss of complete electrical power, smoke from trunk/rear seat. After stopping, got the trunk opened and discovered that the Battery Safety Terminal (BST) box and Battery Distribution Box in my trunk was on fire. After researching, it came to my attention that this incident matches the federal safety agency Recall 13V‑044 (positive battery cable to fuse box stall/loss) and 2012 battery cable fire recall (1.3M BMW 5/6/3 series - BMW stated "can result in electrical malfunction, failure to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire") re-expanded 2019. Obviously, I contacted BMW, and to say I was surprised at the complete lack of support, respect and help with this incredibly important and serious matter, would be an understatement. BMW NA rep 'Eddie' closed my case on Oct 21 (after telling me 2 days, yet waiting over a week, mind you) citing salvage/total loss, absolutely refused inspection and then with attitude, REFUSES to give me a supervisors info, told me he’s not allowed to give me any info in order to speak to anyone higher up, that he can pass along my info and if they WANT to, then THEY can contact ME. TN Certificate of Title [XXX] issued 07-31-2026 shows CLEAN title Remarks: Actual Mileage only, no brand. IF the title is/was salvaged, it was absolutely not disclosed by private seller at sale [XXX], nor stated on my title. Retaining burnt BST box and battery distribution box. Safety fire with children. Request investigation. Absolutely disgusted with the behavior from the BMW rep, ‘Eddie’ 🙄 Just completely careless and not even acknowledging how terribly close this came to ENDING THE LIVES of my 3 children and I. This has completely traumatized my daughter, as she felt the heat through the right of the backseat. Literal nightmares for her and crying if I even mention the car now. Incredibly difficult. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)

Filed Jan 29, 2026 · Engine · CA

Engine lost all oil pressure, smoke came through vents with the smell of burnt oil. Engine stalled, intake camshaft no longer moves when the engine is trying to turn over. Vanos system failed.

Filed Mar 11, 2024 · Engine · 120,000 miles · NC · fire

The contact owned a 2011 BMW 328i x Drive. The contact stated her son was driving home from a friend's house and refueling the vehicle. The contact stated when the son parked the vehicle at the residence, the son noticed smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The son attempted to open the hood of the vehicle but saw flames coming from the front hood of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A report was filed by the fire department. No one was injured during the fire and the vehicle was destroyed. The contact referenced the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) as a possible solution. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000

Filed Feb 9, 2024 · Engine · 60,000 miles · MD · fire

The contact owned a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the vehicle was at an independent mechanic having minor body repairs completed; however, while the vehicle was being test driven, the engine caught on fire. The independent mechanic extinguished the fire. The contact was no Police or Fire Department report filed. The contact reported the failure to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and deemed the vehicle a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Filed May 2, 2023 · Engine · 150,000 miles · CT · fire

The contact owned a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's son noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact's son exited the vehicle. The engine exploded and caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance. 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 150,000.

Filed Jan 16, 2023 · Electrical · OH · fire

Passenger door handle with comfort access shorted out and nearly caught fire. I was trying to get my comfort access working again after it suddenly stopped and I discovered that the fuse (#61) was blown. A couple minutes after replacing the fuse, the door handle let up a large plume of smoke and made a popping sound. I immediately powered down the car and removed the fuse and the smoking stopped. The door handle was hot to the touch and the rubber gaskets on the door handle appear to have melted (see attached photo). Upon further research, this appears to be a common problem with these cars.

Filed Jan 12, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · AZ

My Vehicle has been on Recall since March 2, 2022. There are increasing problems and an occasional smoke and burning smell. This is effecting me getting an inspection and registering my vehicle.

Filed Oct 27, 2022 · Engine · 141,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2011 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 30 MPH, there was white smoke coming through the HVAC vents. The contact pulled over, stopped, and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that after turning the vehicle on, smoke was coming from the vents. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle failure had reoccurred. The contact stated that she smelled burning plastic inside the cabin of the vehicle. 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 failure mileage was approximately 141,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Aug 16, 2022 · Engine · 170,465 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2011 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 that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle would fail to start immediately and approximately 5 minutes after turning the vehicle on there was a burning plastic and rubber smell. While driving at highway speeds when there was smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact had pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The smoked dissipated on its own in about half an hour. The contact then turned the vehicle back on and drove home. The vehicle's service engine light had illuminated approximately 5-6 days later. The vehicle had been inoperable since. The approximate failure mileage was 170,465. Vin tool confirms parts distribution disconnect. The consumer stated a burning smell comes from underneath the car and turns off. The car was taken to be repaired. The vehicle doesn't shutoff any longer but still exhibits smoking and burning smell.

Filed Aug 4, 2022 · Electrical, Lights · CA

Prior to this incident with my car i was having alot of power issues,the car was giving me alot of issues starting up or after being parked it sometimes wouldnt want to turn on i took my battery to get checked and battery had no issues and i continued to start to have electrical issues with my turning signals my lightning and windows stopped working until January 7 as i was driving my car just began to slowly slow down and completely stopped working that not even a jump start would help it turn on and it lost complete power and function and 2 months after i was contacted about its most recent recall and prior to that i also remember that my coolant wasnt lasting me as usual After being affected by the pandemic and loosing my job while being pregnant and finding out about my cars recall i was afraid of my safety and my kids safety that i havent felt safe to take to a mechanic out of fear that our lifes can be danger if the vehicle catches on fire the way the recall stated that it could happen and its brought major stress and trouble since nothing has been done because i havent had a vechile since

Filed Jul 18, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · MO

Upon starting my vehicle there is a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin. The car was making a noise that has been diagnosed by a mechanic as engine failure and this vehicle is only 10 years old. This car is my only means of transportation. I need someone to help figure out what to do with it. These cars are too costly to consumers to be just be dead in a year span. There is no possible way the manufacture is unaware of these issues. My car has had a burning smell that could never be located by the dealer. Though it all there are still zero safety lights to point me in any direction.. how can it be possible that something seeming so unstable have no warning lights to give indication that something is wrong with it . I’m just tired of all these entities being able to deliberately falsify information to entice me to purchase a vehicle knowing it has failures and safety issues. I don’t have another car. I want to use the one l already paid for. I need someone who cares to help me. I shouldn’t be fearful for my life driving a vehicle on the road. If someone can please look into what can be done by the manufacturer, I would appreciate it. The dealer deems this vehicle inoperable.. where do I go from here???

Filed Apr 19, 2022 · Engine · 173,000 miles · FL · fire

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the vehicle and a burning rubber odor was detected. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with engine failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 173,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. (RECALL RELATED INCIDENT) TS