2013 BMW 328I: engine stalls while driving

Filed Sep 5, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · CA

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the message "Top Off Coolant" was displayed several times while there was sufficient coolant in the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway. An unknown message was displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Feb 19, 2024 · Engine · TX

Timing chain in engine failed while the vehicle was going 70 MPH on a busy highway. Vehicle had 96,054 miles. “Low oil pressure” warning came on and immediately the engine lost compression and car had to be pulled over to side of the highway. The spot the car stalled was in a dangerous curve of the highway making the towing process dangerous. Vehicle does not switch into neutral when the engine isn’t on. Vehicle had to be dragged onto tow truck ruining the tires. Quoted the repairs at 6 different shops and they were all very familiar with this issue. All estimates for engine repair exceeded the value of the vehicle. Additional costs may have also been incurred as oil pump may have been damaged from timing chain failure. BMW never notified me of the timing chain issues and no dealership I had prior work at ever mentioned the issue.

Filed Aug 19, 2022 · Engine · 121,360 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The drivetrain malfunction message was displayed. The contact was able to pull into a driveway. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a faulty oil pump which caused damage to the camshaft. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,360.

Filed Jun 23, 2022 · Engine · 75,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 60 mph the vehicle suddenly began to lose automotive power and stalled. During the incident, the warning message "battery discharge and start engine had displayed. After replacing the battery the engine eventually was restarted but the next day the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The cause of the engine failure was not explained. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 75,000.

Filed Oct 17, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · NV

i was told by couple shops the my timing chain as a problem. Car will not start.....stalled out on a major intersection while my son was driving.... the car just stop working had to get it towed back to the house another expense...the car has been parked for four months and still paying the car note ..I see a drivetrains malfunction on the display... Please help me and keep my son safe.. BMW the ultimate driving machine plz make the safest driving machine.

Filed Jul 19, 2021 · Engine, Transmission · OH

Car stalled while driving on highway due to drivetrain error code. Once stopped, oil pressure loss light came up. No warning lights prior to issue presenting itself at highway speeds. Initial technician belief is timing belt guide failure per other similar reports.

Filed Jul 1, 2021 · Engine · 121,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 5 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact also stated that the vehicle would not shift gears correctly. The contact stated that the ignition start malfunction warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

Filed Jun 17, 2020 · Engine, Fuel system · 82,000 miles · NY

I bought the 2013 bmw 328xi brand new in 2012. Last year, I spent $2,000 replacing the high pressure fuel pump after my car stalled in the middle of driving. When I was going in for a routine inspection, my mechanic informed me that the timing chain needs to be replaced and the cost is very expensive. Upon further research, I found out that this is a prevalent issue with bmw owners, especially with the n20/n26 engine. I even found out that there is a pending class action lawsuit claiming that the timing chain bmw used was knowingly defective! As of now, my car is worth about $10,000 and the cost to fix this issue is almost half the value of the car. I have not gotten the timing chain repaired yet.

Filed Mar 31, 2020 · Engine · 108,000 miles · MA

Was driving my bmw 328i on a highway when a 'check oil' light came on. A few minutes later, a 'drivetrain failure' light came on. I took the next exit and within 3 minutes the engine failed. I was able to coast over to the breakdown lane. I had the car towed to the nearest bmw dealership. They checked out the vehicle and said there were 'metal fragments' in the oil, but could not explain what caused that without disassembling the engine. They said the only way to repair the car would be to spend $15,000 to have the engine replaced. I did a google search and discovered that hundreds of bmw owners have had similar experiences, and the cause was a timing chain failure. I had my car serviced just 5 weeks earlier at my local bmw dealership, and they either didn't check the timing chain or didn't notice it was close to failure. I was lucky that I was able to get off the highway before my engine stalled, or I could have been injured or killed in high-speed traffic. Since this is a known problem, bmw should repair the defective timing chain in all the affected vehicles, and immediately notify owners about the danger.

Filed Jun 19, 2018 · Engine, Transmission · 67,000 miles · NY · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 328i. While driving 50 MPH, the oil pump and drivetrain warning indicators illuminated. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle violently jerked and stalled. As a result, the contact sustained injuries to the breast, but did not require medical attention. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The contact was in heavy traffic and was not able to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to rallye bmw (1 brush hollow rd, westbury, ny 11590, (516) 393-0000) where it was diagnosed that the oil pump and drivetrain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Apr 25, 2018 · Airbags, Engine · 79,000 miles · CA · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 328i. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and failed to shift into neutral. Additionally, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The driver sustained injuries to the neck and back, a head concussion, ruptured blood vessels, and a face contusion that required medical attention. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. There was no update on the status of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed May 23, 2017 · Engine · 71,000 miles · GA

Timing chain is making a whine and a rattle sound when engine is running. The n20 engine (twin turbo 4 cylinder) in this car any many other bmw vehicles timing chains are known to stretch and break along with the original brown/dark orange color plastic timing chain guard rail. The timing chain guard rail was made out of a defective plastic until around 1/1/15 when bmw realized there were owners having catastrophic engine failure not if the chain breaks, but when. The only repair if the engine fails is to replace the engine at a cost of approx. $12k and $8k in labor totaling about $20k which exceeds the value of my vehicle. Vehicles with this engine manufactured after 1/1/15 have the redesigned more durable white plastic timing chain guard rail allowing the engine to run smoother and without the risk of engine catastrophic failure. There is a grave safety risk for owners with this engine with the original pre-2015 timing chain & guard rail design because if you are traveling in normal traffic or attempting to cross a train track or other dangerous intersections, occupants can be killed as a result of the vehicle stalling. Contacted bmw north america on 5/19/17 regarding the issue and had the vehicle inspected by my local bmw dealership who indicated there was nothing wrong. The total cost to replace my original timing chain and timing chain guard rail with the re-designed version would cost $4600 with parts & labor. Bmw USA and the dealership refused to cover the cost and denied this important safety defect. I also provided them a copy of a web link with a youtube video of the issue narrated by an independent bmw technician explaining the defect. See the link below which contains photos and the youtube video related to this issue. Https://bmwtechnician.com/2016/08/07/n20-timing-chain-issue/