2008 BMW 528I: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Nov 17, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · GA · fire

I bought a 2008 528i July 2024. Got Emissions & Tag at the end of August. Oct 5 2024. My car was on Fire. Drove the car 11 mins got out for a few mins got bk in crunk the car and a flame shot out of what I'm assuming is a fuse box on the driver side. The car had flames coming from under the steering wheel area in the dash. When we crunk the car we could smell wire burning at first. Then flames..The vehicle has an active recall that clearly says A Pcv heater valve will cause the vehicle to over heat and short circuit causing a fire. Wiring harness needs to be replaced by adding a fuse to keep this from happening. The car was having issues passing the emissions. It was throwing a code something to do with the crankcase positioner something to do with Emissions. The car started running rough and idling rough before the fire happened.I sent bmw pics and the fire report. The fire report states it was an electrical fire. I never looked under my hood bc I was afraid I'd get burned. Not sure if anything else was damaged under the hood.Bc my vehicle is 16years old Bmw will not even send an inspector out to the garage where the vehicle sits just a month after getting it on the road..They first said it had aftermarket lights on the right side of the car by looking at pics I sent. That is false it's not even a light bmw placed a reflector sticker cc when they made the vehicle it peeled off after the first wash. This same technician that doesn't know a light from a reflector then claimed my wiring harness is aftermarket bc he says he can't see bmw sticker. It was a fire the car is damaged the sticker prolly melted along with the fuse box..I ask that bmw respect my vehicle that I just saved my $ to purchase 107,000 miles on it should hv never caught on fire..I need an inspector to go out and check my vehicle in person..Not guess and claim aftermarket parts. I'm not the only person this has happened to. Someone is gonna get killed bc of BMWs manufacturing company. This is serious.

Filed Mar 8, 2023 · Engine · 115,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning plastic odor throughout the vehicle and a dark gray cloud of smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) indicating that the remedy was available; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was notified of the recall notification and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Filed Nov 29, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · NV

Been smelling burning plastic/or oil thru air vents. as if the pvc valve was melting per recall description on probles, it fits the description, the only thing that happened to the car recently is one of the windows regulator anti trap functions it says antitrap function window disabled, then slowly started noticing burning smell for the first 10 minutes of everyday drive, my safety and many others could be very compromised , as I live on a mobile home community, and these properties have a high risk of fire hazard, and the fumes I am smelling, also I dont wanna get caught in a vehicle fire anywhere, much less on traffic, freeway or cause an accidents because of disabled vehicle, - the list goes on . thanks For allowing me to make a complaint and bring awareness for many other owners

Filed Sep 29, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · CA · fire

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward and jerked significantly. The contact released the accelerator pedal and the failure stopped temporarily. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The contact stated that whenever the failure occurred, she would veer to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle would restart on some occasions and would fail to restart on other occasions. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where the battery was replaced. However, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on two occasions. The independent mechanic replaced the battery and fuses. However, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled a strong burning odor and she noticed smoke in the rear of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road, where she noticed flames on the rear driver's side of the vehicle where the gas tank was located. The contact immediately exited the vehicle. The contact also saw flames underneath the hood. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of fire extinguishers and the fire department. A fire department was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic. The independent mechanic jumpstarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence. The contact later received a recall notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine And Engine Cooling), which she associated with the failure. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed May 13, 2022 · Engine, Seat belts · 111,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was overheating. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure recurred and the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where the battery and spark plugs were replaced however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times. The solenoid and the PCV valve were replaced. The contact stated that the seat belt and driver's side headlight harness connector were replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal to the floorboard and the vehicle surged. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift into drive and there was smoke coming out from the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light and the warning message "Transmission Malfunction" illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Hendrick BMW Certified Pre-Owned South Charlotte (9029 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273) where the gear shifter was replaced however, the failure persisted. The second dealer informed the contact that the transmission, the solenoid, and the mechatronics unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). 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 but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Apr 8, 2022 · Engine · 210,000 miles · OK · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2008 BMW 528I. The contact stated that after parking, the vehicle flames were suddenly present coming from under the hood. The contact attempted to extinguish the flames but was unsuccessful and the vehicle was destroyed along with a second vehicle parked nearby. The fire department and police were called to the scene and reports were taken. During the incident the contact suffered smoke inhalation which required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact later received a recall noticed for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 210,000.

Filed Nov 3, 2019 · Engine · 117,000 miles · MA · fire

I was driving in the highway when my bmw started shaking and when I pulled over to the side and opened my hood the engine was on fire.

Filed Mar 18, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 124,000 miles · MA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 528i. The contact stated that there was an oil leak, the steering wheel seized, the battery and check engine indicators flashed, and the vehicle stalled. In addition, the contact noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair facility for diagnostic testing, but the results were unknown. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v683000 (engine and engine cooling), but the contact did not receive a recall notification. The vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failures. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

Filed Mar 2, 2018 · Engine · 86,000 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 528i. While driving 65 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood and a loud cracking noise. The check engine indicator illuminated before and during the failure. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v683000 (engine and engine cooling) and was informed by bmw of bayside (266 e shore rd, great neck, ny 11023) that parts were not available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available. - (recall related incident) ts

Filed Nov 30, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 120,000 miles · MS

Insulation covering headlight wiring cracks off leaving large amounts of bare areas. This resulted in electrical shorts, draining battery, erratic electrical system behavior, blown headlight bulbs, and an intermittent burning smell in my car.

Filed Sep 16, 2015 · Fuel system · 16,500 miles · SC

Hello I'm reporting in regards to an issue with my vehicle. For approximately the past month I have an issue with a gasoline smell coming from my vehicle. I first thought I was over filling so changed the amount of gas I put in the vehicle. That still didn't stop the smell from coming back. So I decided to schedule my vehicle for an appointment. As a result the service advisor stated they smelled it but was not able to find a leak. I drove home without a strong smell but by the time I arrived to the destination it was evident again. I contacted a few other bmw authorized dealers and talked with service advisors and they said they never heard of such issue/concern. At one dealership the advisor hung up on me while I was explaining it. I read a few articles where other bmw owners experienced the same issue, some who cars caught on fire. This made me believe there is a defect that causes this issue. So I contacted bmw of north america and was told by joey there is nothing they could do. I explained to him that I can't keep paying diagnostic fees for them to determine nothing is wrong. I had it escalated and was told by kayla that I need to take it to a dealership. Never was I offered to have it checked for free. I understand I'm out of warranty but to be responsible for paying for diagnostic procedures without being told an issue exists is robbery. I just want my car concern resolved before anyone is injured or harmed as a result of the issue.

Filed Jan 22, 2013 · Seats · 84,500 miles · NC

Upon turning the seat heater on I noticed a burning smell and smoke inside the car. The seat was unusually hot. I felt a burning sensation and pulled over to find that the seat heating element had burned through the leather and two layers of a heavy duty winter coat. When I turned it off the smoke stopped. We took the car to the bmw dealership and was told it is not part of a safety recall or under warranty. Refused any monetary consideration and wanted $1400 to repair. Considering the car could catch on fire the repair should be considered a safety issue and repaired for free.