Hello my name is [XXX] and I am (was) the owner of a 2013 BMW 528i VIN [XXX] . It was a secondary vehicle for me for until I sustained an injury and it being my primary vehicle. I took it through emissions, updated the registration, and I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I had driven it without a problem then in Juneit did not run at all. At that time there was a recall on the computer system and supposedly it needed a new key programmed to start. That was a 700 expense out of pocket and the car still did not even turn over. I authorized replacing the battery that was another 600, and still the car would not start or run.At this point they were just guessing at what was wrong and going though the process of elimination to try to rectify what was wrong with the car. They did not offer me any kind of courtesy vehicle or even rental discount so I was renting a car while they were trying to figure out what was wrong with the car. I am a small business owner of a non-profit company Modern Day Ministries, LLC that provides assistance to at risk youth and single mothers with disabilities and funding my own organization without loans or assistance. After three months of renting a car, the dealership at 7455 W. Orchid Lane Chandler, Arizona 85226 who had my vehicle only wanted me to keep paying for parts, which for BMW are extremely costly but could not guarantee the car was working. At that time it was known there was a recall on the fuel pump leaking, destroying the electrical system and causing smoking from under the hood or system malfunction, which in my case it fried the electrical system and the car had to be reprogrammed but I had to pay for the new key. I had incurred over 1500.00 in car repairs and another 3000 for renting a car for over 3 months waiting for a remedy. The dealership manager Shane Ohanran I had conversations with failed to take any kind of responsibility for any repairs. I am asking 5000 for out of pocket costs incurred INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FO
2013 BMW 528I: fire, smoke or burning smell
6 of the 73 complaints about the 2013 BMW 528I describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 98,000
- recalls
- 1
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump and plug connector had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine and entering the cabin through the vents. The engine warning light was illuminated. There were unknown messages displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of 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 local dealer was contacted. 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 issue. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528i. The contact received notification of 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 contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. 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 referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the engine overheated and there was white smoke coming from under the hood. The messages low coolant and engine overheating were displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to allow the engine to cool down before continuing to drive. The contact stated that while checking the coolant level, the coolant level was in the normal range. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 98,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528i. While driving approximately 55 MPH, a pungent odor was perceived in the vehicle. Approximately twenty seconds later, the transmission kicked out of gear and the parking brake warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle lost power and shut down. The contact was alerted by another driver that the vehicle was on fire. The contact opened the hood and flames shot out from the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire, but a fire report was not filed. The vehicle was damaged and towed to the contact's farm. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a representative stated that the failure was unusual. The representative informed the contact that a specialist would call within twenty-four hours. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few...
- After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes...
- The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain...
- Navigation system - reporting missing or incorrect roadmap data
- Black spot in the central information.
- RAIN/LIGHT SENSOR (RLS): OIL LEAKAGE FROM GEL PAD. ??Oil leaking from the Rain/Light Sensor (RLS). Note:...
- ?CONNECTEDDRIVE/BMW ASSIST SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS INFORMATION. ConnectedDrive/BMW Assist features are partially...
- ?BMW ONLINE NON-FUNCTIONAL: CHECK ICC-ID IN ACCOUNT. BMW Online/BMW ConnectedDrive not functional
Related recalls
Electrical system: wiring: connectors/plugs/receptacles
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
- Risk
- An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 24V608000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2013 BMW 528I fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2013 BMW 528I?
6 of 73 owner complaints about the 2013 BMW 528I (8%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 BMW 528I?
There is 1 recall and 77 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2013 BMW 528I
VIN decoder
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