The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred several times while driving on the same day. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shuddered and surged. The vehicle was taken to O'Reilly’s, where DTC code: P054B was retrieved; indicating a VANOS bolts failure. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer to be repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer charged a diagnostic fee and informed the contact that the vehicle would need to be diagnosed for 2 hours prior to the recall repair. The contact declined to pay the diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
BMW 328I shudder problems
14 of the 2,584 owner complaints about the BMW 328I describe shudder or vibration when accelerating, most of them for the 2011 model year.
- owner complaints
- 14
- worst model year
- 2011
- typical mileage
- 110,000
By model year
- 20152
- 20141
- 20132
- 20121
- 20114
- 20102
- 20081
- 20071
Often reported together
Check engine light 6Stalling 5Won't shift 2Fire or smoke 2Engine failure 2Overheating 1Misfire 1Jerking 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P054B 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and made an abnormal sound that worsened over time. The contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and discovered smoke coming from the engine compartment; moments later the engine compartment engulfed in flames. The contact was notified that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling; Electrical System). The vehicle was occupied however, no injuries were sustained and the contact's friend was able to exit the vehicle safely. The fire department came and extinguished the fire however, no report was filed. The police department was also present however, a police report was not filed. The vehicle was not totaled however, the vehicle was not drivable and was towed to an auto repair shop to get a diagnosis. The contact received a diagnosis stating that the motherboard, navigation screen, along with other unknown components needed to be replaced. The check engine warning light was illuminated and several other unstated warning lights. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated, and the brakes were independently activated. Additionally, the contact stated that the “Service Required” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that recently the transfer case was replaced by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 24V513000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle was sputtering, jerking, shuddering, and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to her destination; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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.
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, then the vehicle stalled and shuddered when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred several times. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle initially failed to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance due to an error with the VIN. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was smoke coming from the engine compartment while the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the PCV stem seals and cap needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and took the vehicle to a local dealer for the repair; however, the contact was informed he would be responsible for the cost of the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact to seek legal advice to have the repair completed. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began to overheat and started shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle however, the failure recurred several times while driving. 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 local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
While driving both in regular traffic and highway traffic the car has without warning gone into a limp mode shuddering allowing no power at all to the accelerator. A message pops up "drivetrain malfunction maximum drivetrain output not at available. If you get pulled over turn the vehicle off wait a couple minutes turn the ignition back on the vehicle runs like that never happened. This is extremely dangerous if the vehicle goes limp no power while on the freeway in front of a big 18 wheeler it happened to me the other vehicles do not understand your vehicle just died while going 75 MPH.
Related recalls
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Bmw is recalling certain model year 2011 328i xdrive and 335i xdrive vehicles manufactured from february 8, 2011, through july 29, 2011. The front driveshaft attachment bolts may not have been tightened to specification. If the bolts were not tightened to specification, they may become loose.
- Risk
- If the bolts loosen, it could lead to a loss of power to the front wheels and ultimately a vehicle breakdown, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft attachment bolts free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during october 2011. Owners may contact bmw customer relations and services at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 11V476000 · Recall details
Questions about the BMW 328I shudder
Which BMW 328I years have shudder or vibration when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2011 (4 complaints), 2010 (2 complaints) and 2013 (2 complaints).
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