The timing chain became stretched so that the valve timing with the pistons had been altered so that a valve face almost hit the top of a piston(one more tooth on the intake camshaft gear would have caused an impact between the piston top and a valve face causing the motor to stall and cease operation thereby causing the vehicle to lose power and possibly control). A timing chain should not stretch so as to cause a strike between a valve face and the top of a piston. Either the timing chain was of inferior quality or the automatic tensioner was inadequate to take up the slack as the chain wore.
BMW 528XI stalling problems
14 of the 158 owner complaints about the BMW 528XI describe engine stalls while driving, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 14
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical mileage
- 90,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Loss of power 4Fuel pump 2Check engine light 2Oil consumption 1Fire or smoke 1Engine failure 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528XI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not able to be restarted and was towed to a local dealer. The local dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a failure with the timing chain. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with an unknown Customer Satisfaction Program; however, the contact had not received the notification letter. 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 191,000.
Driving as normal, and came to stoplight at intersection of busy highway. Stopped for red light, and call stalled, and couldn't be restarted. Just as the car shut off, I got a Drivetrain Malfunction warning. Had to have a tow company tow vehicle to my BMW dealer 50+ miles away. Being at a busy intersection at night, and not being able to move the car (couldn't get it out of park), it put the driver at risk until assistance arrived because oncoming traffic wasn't prepared for a vehicle in the middle of the road, and not moving (even with 4-way flashers on) and having the driver stand on the roadside would have been just as dangerous. After running diagnostics, dealer stated timing belt snapped and caused engine damage. Cost of repair would be $13,000 which exceeded the value of the car; ended up buying new car with basically no trade-in value on this car and no financial assistance from BMW. Interesting enough, when I took delivery of my new vehicle, my sales person said there were 2 additional vehicles in their repair shop with the same issue.
Car begin to stall on traffic, drivetrain malfunction light appeared..Took it to BMW DEALER My Fuel Pump replace with new EKP module- Which is the same recall that BMW issued in 2017 which included the Model/year vehicle that i have.
in 2020 the engine started malfunctioning at 76,000 miles. I took it into the BMW dealership to get it inspected and they stated that it was a valve issue and charged replacement. After replacement, the engine lit would come on and I called the representative. He stated that it would need time to reset so I continued driving it. Eventually the light did not come on for some time. A year later in 2021 after driving to work the engine started to stall on my way to work on the highway. I since taken it back to BMW stating that it was less than 10,000 miles since the repair and I'm having engine troubles again. After talking to the BMW service representative, they stated that I will need a new engine because it is now blown. The engine only has 84,000 miles on it and I requested root cause analysis on the engine. After reviewing online, I discovered that this engine is mounted on multiple platforms BMW sold and is known to have issues since 2017 and a lawsuit in 2020, the same year I took my car to the BMW dealership for repairs. They neglected to inform me of the issue with the engine when I first took the car in and put my car back on the road with a faulty engine. Gross negligence by BMW.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528xi. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the engine suddenly failed, causing the vehicle to stall without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had experienced a catastrophic failure and needed to replaced. The local dealer bmw gallery norwell located at 1040 hingham st, rockland, ma 02370 and the manufacturer were notified of the failure however, no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
On numerous occasions after restarting the car after a short period of rest (30mins-1hr) and a couple times on extended drives(2+ hours) car stalls out the first 6 times came up with power train and fuel module codes took to dealer. Dealer replaced high pressure fuel pump and timing chain issue appeared fix till it started doing it again no longer throwing codes
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw 528xi. The contact stated that the vehicle independently shifted into neutral at any rate of speed while the gear was in drive or reverse. In addition, the vehicle lost power. The failures occurred without warning. The dealer (bmw of towson, 700 kenilworth dr, towson, md 21204, (410) 317-2237) was notified, but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact also noticed excessive smoke entering the vehicle through the air vents and thick, white smoke coming from the tailpipe. In addition, the vehicle stalled several times without warning. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the failures. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 528xi. While driving 10 MPH, the engine stalled and the "fuel supply performance not available drive moderately' warning message displayed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 bmw 528xi. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v683000 (engine and engine cooling) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair for months. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power and smoke appeared under the hood into the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle stalled and was towed. Two dealers were contacted: (bmw of charlottesville, 1295 richmond rd, charlottesville, va 22911, (434) 270-8664) and (bmw of sterling, 21710 auto world cir, sterling, va 20166, (571) 434-1944). The manufacturer was contacted to determine when the remedy and part would be supplied to the dealer but the manufacturer was unable to confirm when the parts were to become available. The failure mileage was not available. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the BMW 528XI stalling
Which BMW 528XI years have engine stalls while driving problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (6 complaints), 2012 (5 complaints) and 2008 (2 complaints).
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