I was driving down the road at 60mph the computer flashed low oil pressure, then drive train malfunction. The engine started making a loud noise and most complete power to car. Car had to be towed.
2012 BMW 328I engine complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 71, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Timing chain problems, the car stop in the middle of the road
I was about a quarter mile from my home when my 2012 328 n20 began to make a loud sound coming from engine. The car also started to idle very rough. Check engine lights went off. I had the car towed to my bmw mechanic and they diagnosed an issue with the timing chain. They verified a noise and a very loose timing chain. Timing chain and guide repair was performed at a high cost. Mileage is 127500.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 328i. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated after 30 minutes the vehicle restarted and he drove to his destination. The contact stated 2 weeks later, he was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v044000 (electrical system), however the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
I was cruising on the highway when my idrive displayed 'low oil pressure warning' and 'drivetrain malfunction,' the engine weird noises before it shutdown and went into neutral while I was still around traffic. I barely made it a safe place to stop as I had to coast up a hill and then turn with whatever momentum I had. The steering wheel and brakes were extremely hard to move. I got my car towed and had a diagnostic test for codes shown in the attached screenshot. Had a certified mechanic take a look and was told by several other mechanics as well that oil starvation destroyed the engine as a result of oil pump failure. No sign or premature wear with a very generous 5,000 mile oil & filter change interval and been in the hands of bmw dealerships for all it's life.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 328i. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to roadshow bmw (405 n. Germantown pkwy #6207, cordova, tn 38018, (901) 365-2584) for an oil change. The contact was informed of an oil leak at the oil filter housing gasket. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was then informed that the vacuum pump also showed evidence of a leak. The contact referenced the failure to the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 13v454000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 14v627000 (service brakes hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000. *ln*dt
Timing chain (n26 engine) is loose. Mechanic recommended changing timing chain and engine pump before destroying the engine.
Bmw refused to recalls 2012 to 2014 vehicles with faulty timing chains, oil chain, and tensioner. When I contacted bmw they stated it was only covered to 70,000 miles. I purchased a 120,000 miles warranty , I was never informed by bmw west the service center about this recall. At a 120,000 miles took my car into be serviced and was told the timing chain, oil chain and tensioner needed to be replaced at the cost of 4,400.00, if the the chain had came off of the tensioner and ruin it motor that could be from 12,000.00 to 22,000.00. So many are experiencing the same problem. My car has been sitting for 6 months unable to drive it due to the danger . Car makes I high pitch whining sound and jumps out of gear, check engine light states on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 328i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, when the low oil pressure warning light and the drive train malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to reduce in speed. The contact got off the freeway and when doing so they noticed a clicking noise coming from the under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle then turned off completely. The contact had the vehicle towed. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle's engine locked and needed to be replaced. The contact contacted the dealer (long beach bmw located at 1660 e spring st, long beach, ca 90755 phone number 877‑514‑7977 ) who agreed with the certified mechanic. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
Stalled on busy express highway, almost resulting in crash. Towed to shop. Fuel pump was defective and it costed 729.86 dollars plus 140 dollars towing. This occurred at 60 MPH on express highway.
Hello I own a bmw 328i with a n20 engine, while driving down the highway I got an alert come across my screen saying that the oil pressure low and to stop immediately or engine failure may occur. I don't have to tell anyone how scary it is to be driving down the highway and think that your timing chain may break off and you are still in the middle of the road ,but I stopped and turned the car off. After doing some research and getting the car diagnosed I ran into the timing chain guide and timing chain issue of failing on these cars way before they hit any high miles my car currently has 81k miles on it and this issue has immobilized my car to prevent further damage I will not drive that car, when talking to bmw about the issue they told me that they do know about the issue but will not fix it for free.
I just recently had to take my 2012 bmw 328i convertible in because of the engine was making a loud noise plus loss of hp. The technician informed me that the vanos solenoid bolts had broken off into the engine after doing more research into this I find that there was a recall on the vanos gear bolts. My question is do I pay for this repair?
I started my car and got a drivetrain malfunction warning. Drove it straight to the dealership where they told me my timing chain was stretched, which caused a vanos fault. They suggested replacing the timing chain and oil pump ($5500 repair). The car had 90k miles.
I noticed that there was white smoke coming from my hood and air vents while driving. I took my car to the bmw dealer where they said that there's a a leak coming from my valve cover onto my exhaust that is causing the smoke.parts and labor came to roughly $1500 dollars. I got a second opinion from my mechanic and he stated that my valve cover may not be defective but it may be my gasket and I just need the gasket changed. Bmw stated that even though the gasket may not be the issue, they wanted to change the whole cover because they're known to break. They refused to change just the gasket. They are well aware of the issue and that it can cause my car to catch fire. They said that it was a quick fix and all the parts are available because they've had countless customers with the same issue. I am reaching out because I feel bmw is aware of the potential danger this issue can cause.
I was driving normally when a light came on saying drivetrain malfunction. The engine started to stall I pulled over on the side of the road and the car just turned off and never turned back on. Had a mechanic check and told me that the engine seized/locked up on me. I have serviced my vehicle at the bmw dealer & have all the receipts. I bought this car used one year and five months ago & I have properly maintained it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 328i. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle seized without warning. The contact managed to veer to the shoulder of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle, but it lost power. The vehicle was towed by the contact's insurance company to bmw of beaumont (1855, I-10, beaumont, tx 77701, (409) 840-3585) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
Was driving on the highway when the computer advised to pull over in a safe place. I did and ended towing the car to the dealer for a diagnostic. Was told that the engine had to be replaced because the housing around the timing chain broke free obstructing the oil flow. The compression was good but they recommended that I replaced the engine at a 23344.20 plus taxes. Needless to say I towed the car home without repair. This is a manufactured defect because regular maintenance could not prevent this engine defect.
Driving at normal highway speeds approx. 55 MPH, when low oil pressure warning came on and drive-train malfunction lights flashed on screen. Car stalled out and was almost unable to get to side of road. Car was towed to bmw dealer, cause of engine failure was due to the timing chain and guide. Will require new engine (out of warranty - bmw will not provide assistance). After additional research it has LED to my conclusion that this is a common problem and a class action law suite has been submitted in regards to early model n20 motors. Premature engine failure due to timing chain defect. Car was well maintained with regularly serviced oil changes, etc. I have all parts receipts for all service done.
I was driving on a busy highway and the vehicle randomly stalled and lost power. Drivetrain malfunction trouble lights lit up the dash. I was barely able to get out of traffic before coasting to a stop. I had the vehicle towed to bmw south austin and it was diagnosed with a faulty fuel transfer pump, and a faulty fuel tank. Essentially I had run out of fuel with 1/4 tank showing on the gauges. Bmw denied my request to repair the vehicle under warranty, even though there is an extended warranty on the "in tank fuel pump". I guess people need to die in traffic when they run out of fuel unsuspectingly for bmw to care or issue a recall.
Was driving on highway when suddenly car stopped and was not able to put on neutral I almost got rear ended by several cars had to be towed car still doesnt start
Faulty timing chain guide broke on the interstate at 70mph causing sudden loss of speed, completely ruining the engine. Wife was luckily able to safely merge out of traffic.
The bmw 2012 328 xit (xi wagon) had had stumbling issues for months and the dealer wasn't able to diagnose. While driving, the oem bosch #5 cylinder coil pack finally went causing the car to have to limp home. The car was "repaired" no questions asked by the dealer and the bosch coils were replaced with delphi coils as an upgrade. Others have complained about coils going bad on a newer car.
While driving in the evening I started to accelerate from a stop light and the car just stuttered out of no where and had trouble accelerating. A warning popped up that said drivetrain malfunction. The car is still not outputting enough power and the warning is still up. It goes away and then pops up after drivi g 40mph. I have done ,plenty of research on this and there are a ton of hits and complaints on this. Bmw needs to figure out what is wrong with their vehicles and send out a recall. Its scary knowing a luxury car does this not just with me but with hundreds of otherw going through this and there is no answer.p
While driving this afternoon I started to accelerate from a stop light and the car just stuttered out of no where and had trouble accelerating. A warning popped up that said drivetrain malfunction. I took it to the closest repair shop and they ran diagnostics on it and cannot figure out what is wrong. The car is still not outputting enough power and the warning is still up. I have done research on this and there are a ton of hits on this. Bmw needs to figure out what is wrong with their vehicles and send out a recall.
Came out of the parking lot into a busy main road and engine suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. There was no indication before engine stopped. Tried to restart the engine (the car has keyless push button start) but did not start. When tried to restart, the dashboard message said something like "engine will not start". There was no indication before the problem occurred. I was on the busy highway in chicago area an hour before the incident. The car was serviced in maryland dealership two days before the incident and drove to chicago from maryland and the incident happened in chicago. The car was then towed to the nearest dealership in chicago and after two days they said the fuel pump broke/burned out and have to be replaced and will take 3-4 days to fix it. Note that the car is less than two years old, under full warranty and at around 30800 miles. Also note that the scheduled 30,000 mile service was done the day before the incident happened and the car was inspected and cleared for any issues/problems. An incident like this can be dangerous if the vehicle stops like that on a highway or a busy road with no apparent signs. After this incident I lost confidence in the vehicle and also do not want something like this happen to anybody else. I would like the company/manufacturer to take serious note of this incident so that it does not happen to anybody else. I was also stranded in chicago for 3-4 days with family and three small kids. As the part was back-ordered the dealer in chicago was not sure when it will be ready and I and my wife had to get back to maryland for work and school for kids. So I rented a car and drove back to maryland. The car is now in chicago and have to figure out a way to get it back to maryland. Bmw is saying that they can only haul it for 250 miles.
Driving my 2012 bmw 328i on the interstate I-10 in arizona mm163 at approx. 80mph and I get an error code "drive train malfunction, drive moderately" after this message I was not able to accelerate as the power train was nonexistent. Had to coast through heavy traffic in a construction zone to get my family to a safe area. I just bought the vehicle from the dealership 4 months prior as it was cpo'ed and I have the extended warranty. Vehicle mileage at time of incident was 49990 (still under full bmw warranty).
In march, 2013 service engine soon light would go on and off and engine idle would suddenly surge. Made service appointment with dealer where I purchased the car and service department diagnosed the issue as a faulty secondary air valve, fc 2a00, dc d1170-000 07-001, and secondary air valve was replaced. Parts replaced: 11-72-7-506-214 and 11-72-7-557-909. Car was purchased on 10/8/2012 and had 5,333 miles when it required repair. After the repair was done, the service engine soon light was no longer on, but the car continued to experience engine idle surges, but they were not as abrupt and significant as before the repair and a lot less frequent. However, in july, 2014 the car started to experience issues relating to the engine overheating, and the engine began to have frequent and sudden surges both while at idle and while driving. In addition, the car's A/C was no longer providing cold air, and the car's performance was erratic. When max cool was engaged, the car's engine would surge loudly until the A/C was turned off. The car became increasingly difficult to steer and drive. During the time the car was experiencing these issues, no warning light was illuminated and the on board system check indicated that there were no issues with the car. At this point the car had been driven14,000 miles (approx). Service appointment was scheduled and according to service department, the A/C system was leaking and there was very little refrigerant left, and the A/C compressor was replaced. However, the service department stated no other issues were found with the car and when the service tech test drove the car it performed without any issues and they did not observe any sudden surges with the engine.
Unable to accelerate safely, engine gives out intermittently at varying speeds. Called every dealership around alpharetta, ga; gwinnette bmw told me they wouldn't work on it or help me and then hung up-all on a recorded line. Still waiting for a manager to call me. Called another dealer and they said to wait a few hours and try again meanwhile I can only hope my car doesn't shut off on my during rush hour or on my way to work. This has been on ongoing issue with the f30 bmw 3 series as many customers indicated this issue for at least two years.
Bought brand new 2012 328i. Within 2 months engine malfunction warning would show up and car would go into "limp mode" and barely drive able. Sometimes could be reset by turning off, then back on. Happened multiple times, and every time the dealer told me no one else was having this problem. They blamed the fuel injectors and replaced them multiple times. It was in the shop a total of 6 times for same "drive train malfunction" warning. I made them buy the car back from me, assuming it was a fluke with the car, because they continued to assure me that no one else was having this problem, anywhere, I bought a brand new 2013 328i. Within a month I had the same problem. Except this time it was worse. It couldn't be fixed by turning it off then back on. Every time it happened, 3 times now, it has required a trip to the dealership for the exact same "drivetrain malfunction" warning. They still say there's no problem. When it happens the engine shakes violently and the car will barely run 55mph if pushed. This is a consistent problem that is being ignored by bmw. Every time I have to take the car in they say their "guidelines" just call for a computer reset, and that it has been fixed, only to leave me on the side of the road a month later.
Went to start car and got a drive train malfunction message. Had it towed to a bmw dealer to diagnose the problem. They will replace the intake vanos solenoid sensor.
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