2014 BMW 328I: sudden loss of power

Filed Dec 17, 2024 · Engine · CA

What Happened: The issue involves a recall on the engine coolant system of my BMW. The car is currently unsafe to drive, and BMW has not provided a timetable for fixing the problem or offering a solution. The last time I drove the car, I experienced a dangerous malfunction. While driving slowly to the end of my street, I pressed the gas pedal, but the engine did not respond at all. The car essentially lost power, leaving me in the middle of the street. I was able to roll the car in front of a neighbor’s house, turn it off, and restart it. After restarting, I managed to drive it back up the street to my house. I have not driven the car since, as I do not want to put myself or others in danger. Safety Risk: The engine failure occurred while I was driving, which could have put me at risk of being struck by other vehicles. A sudden loss of engine power while driving, especially at higher speeds or in traffic, could cause a serious accident. Inspection/Confirmation: The recall has been acknowledged by BMW, but there is no timetable for when parts will be available to resolve the issue. I have contacted the corporate office and the local dealership. The dealer refuses to provide a rental car, leaving me without a viable transportation option. Warning Symptoms: No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms appeared before the failure occurred.

Filed Mar 25, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · 62,000 miles · MN

2014 BMW 328i Xdrive, 62K miles. Routine oil change and filter change serviced at BMW dealership Feb 2022. March 2022 (<30 days later), suffered catastrophic engine failure related to camshaft oil starvation and sudden loss of power while driving on highway at 60 mph. Dealership investigation unable to determine the cause, ruled out N20 timing chain and oil pump chain issues. Neither BMW NA nor dealership would stand behind engine failure - BMW NA stated the "car is too old." Full engine replacement completed at the expense of the customer ($11K). Very disappointing that an engine would suffer catastrophic failure related to oil starvation within one month of dealership oil service with multi-point inspection. BMW F30 N20 engines have numerous reports of failures.

Filed Dec 8, 2021 · Engine · VA

Timing Chain Guide failure after 75k miles resulting in catastrophic engine damage. I was in heavy traffic at 60 mph when the engine began to knock loudly, just as quick the drivetrain malfunction warning came on along with the oil pressure warning light. Immediately lost power & the vehicle went into “Limp Mode” and within a 3 seconds it completely shut down causing a plethora of problems that made it a nightmare to get off of this busy highway. Vehicles were narrowly missing me & blowing their horns while I was trying to coast off of the side of the roadway. All this happened in about 20 to 25 seconds.The car has been in the garage for 6 months & a confirmation was made on the timing chain guide failure. The inlet screen to the oil pump has pieces of the broken guides stuck in it which restricted the oil flow to the entire engine. Both front & rear crankshaft bearings were seized up & spun inside the engine block. Upon inspection of the top end of the engine, indicators suggesting extreme heat resulting in damage to both camshafts, connecting rods, rocker spring retainers, rocker arms, valves, & piston rings. The VIN number of the vehicle is amongst the ones included in the Class Action Lawsuit against BMW regarding the malfunction of the timing chain guides. I still haven’t heard back from BMW’s representatives to date. My vehicle needs fixed whether it’s beyond the mileage of the extended warranty or not!!

Filed Mar 13, 2018 · Engine, Transmission · 20 miles · CA

Car stalled on the freeway. Drivetrain malfunction error appeared on the car's info displayed and then the car stopped completely. It would not start after several attempts. My life was in danger since my car lost power in the middle of the freeway at night. Gas tank was above one quarter.

Filed Jul 6, 2017 · Brakes · 23,000 miles · NY · crash · 1 injury

We were driving down a 35 MPH rd..I slowly began to brake as we were approaching a stop light when the brakes did not hold, I hit the brake harder, the car began to buck forward, I hit the brake as hard as possible but the brakes failed to hold and only stopped when it hit the car in front of us. The police came and an accident report was made. I described the brake failure to the officer but they only seemed interested in writing up the accident report. We had the car towed to our body shop as we were afraid to drive in case the brakes failed again. Our insurance company was made aware of the accident and brake failure and a task force is looking into it. When we returned home we looked up the possible problem with brakes failing on the year and model of my car. We immediate found three articles listing my exact car having "restricted oil supply from the intake camshaft to the brake vacuum pump,which may cause the brake vacuum pump to fail, resulting in a loss of power brake assist." it also said in the article, bimmerfest, that bmw notified the federal safety agency of its intention to voluntarily recall more than 75,000 3 series cars due to a possible loss of power brake assist that could result in the vehicles failing to stop. A mandatory recall was never issued and so this problem still exists. This is exactly what occurred when trying to stop our car. We have reported the problem to our insurance co and bmw corporate. We are awaiting an answer and solution regarding our brake issue and hope bmw will finally realize there is a major problem and will address it properly. As of now I will not drive my 2014 328i xdrive sedan until I am comfortable that bmw corrects the issue to my satisfaction and safety.

Filed Jun 4, 2017 · Electrical · 52,187 miles · NV

I have recently started to experience a significant safety concern. The doors will not always open with the double handle pull and will require that I hit the power unlock button. I've found several sites and blogs discussing this known issue. I would hope that bmw addresses this as it is a significant safety issue in the event I'm in a crash with lost power.

Filed Oct 28, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 10,000 miles · NV

On interstate 10, during the acceleration, the engine completely lost its power. I had to immediately pull over before I lost the momentum.the ca highway patrol pushed me to a safe place. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer replaced the entire fuel tank. The second incident was almost 20 days after again during the acceleration on freeway at the speed of 70, the engine lost its power in a way that the car did not proceed for a while. The dealer advised that it was nothing wrong with engine because they could not read any error in the system and ii had to wait till I receive an error on the lcd. I notified them that it is a serious problem specifically on the freeway because loss of power can cause an accident, but to no avail.

Filed Nov 4, 2013 · Transmission · 2,200 miles · IN

I was merging onto the interstate and got into the passing lane. I then shifted from 3rd gear to 4th and the car started to shake and lose power (limp home mode). The display said drivetrain malfunction, drive moderately, etc. And the check engine lamp came on. I shifted to 5th gear to see if it would help and had the same low power issue. I then changed two lanes to get onto the shoulder. I turned the car off and waited briefly and restarted the car. The lamps were off and there was no issue. I phoned the dealership and they stated they get this type of call often and it is a 'normal glitch.' I should drive it and see if it happens again as it usually doesn't or I could bring the car in.