What 198 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 BMW 528i

I was driving on a windy road and my car started making noise from the engine. The car stalled and would not start again, so I had to get a shop to tow my car. BMW has not fixed my car and it’s been broken for 4 1/2 months.

NHTSA ODI 11579400

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11578087

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made a ticking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was shaking and then stalled. The vehicle failed to restart immediately. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11577118

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11574534

As I was driving, my car started making a loud clicky noise and then stalled in the middle of the road and I had to call a shop to come and get it into neutral so it could be moved. My car has been broken since November because the engine bolts are unavailable. BMW has taken too long to get this easily fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11573435

My car started to make a loud clicky sound from under the hood then the car completely stalled and died in the middle of the road and would not restart and had a lot of difficulty moving the car due to not being able to put it in neutral. I have now been without a car since November and BMW has taken way too long to fix this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11573163

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11572071

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic signal, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the "Loss of Engine Power" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11569265

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the VIN was included but parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 200,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11569315

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated while receiving an oil change by an independent mechanic at the residence, the mechanic became aware of bolt fragments in the oil pan. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

NHTSA ODI 11569365

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH in a parking lot, the vehicle shutoff inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that two of the VANOS bolts were fractured, causing the engine to fail. The dealer determined that the bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11569106

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and made unusual sounds. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift as intended and was seized in park(P). The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,582.

NHTSA ODI 11566331

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11563758

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11560073

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 5 Series. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as a camshaft failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number- 14V176000 ( Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11512985

I have a 2011 SIX-cylinder BMW 528i. I was driving down the road and had a yellow engine light come on and my car lost all power and I coasted into a parking area and then had my vehicle towed to the BMW Service Center. They determined the problem was that the VANOS UNIT BOLTS had broken off and they repaired the vehicle charging me $6678.11. I found out about a recall for 2010-2012 5 series BMW’s and my service advisor told me that I didn’t qualify for is because the recall had expired in 2021. I called BMW North America and they referred me to NHITSA. I have a video sent to me from the service technician showing me where the bolts had sheared off. I feel that this should have been repaired by BMW at no charge to me.

NHTSA ODI 11505458

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 20 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that her son saw the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her son was afraid to drive the vehicle and had the vehicle towed back to his parent's residence and then towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed and determined that the VANOS housing bolts and PVC cover needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V176000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11503440

I noticed all of a sudden when I would turn my steering wheel it would make a clicking sound. Then none of my controls were working on the steering wheel. The horn wouldnt work none of the buttons and the air bag malfunction light was on. I researched and quite a few people had the same problem and I found out it was the ribbon wire inside the steering wheel had snapped and broke. The clock spring i guess might have failed or something. So now i have no horn or airbag and it's very dangerous. To ha e it replaced will be a few hundred dollars. This car just keeps having one problem after another. This seems like a really bad design and it is easily broken. I think they should recall this.

NHTSA ODI 11492924

275R70/20

NHTSA ODI 11467911

SUBJECT: Recall Campaign 14V-176: N51, N52K and N52T Engine – Replace VANOS Gear Bolts, (This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B11 07 14 dated September 2014). My 2011 BMW 528i has around 279000KM and Vanos Gear bolts are broken that Could Lead to Engine Stall and although NHTSA has issued recall campaign but BMW dealers are refusing the repair by saying that no such recall is showing against my vin [XXX]. As per online research this is a known issue in my car model and NHTSA has already issued a recall campaign#14V-176 as showing at the top of this statement. I had this issue with VANOS for almost 3 yrs as car was throwing error message once in a while and engine hesitates and bogs at lower RPM. Rough idling/ increase in engine misfires, Increase in fuel consumption. I changed several parts to troubleshoot but could not figure out the actual root cause of this problem, until recently an independent shop opened the engine to change the Engine valve cover/PCV valve, when they noticed that 2 VANOS Gear bolts are broken. That mechanic advised me to contact BMW immediately and stop driving the car as this can lead to permanent serious damage to my engine and car will stall immediately that may cause an accident or a crash. I have always taken good care of this car and hoping BMW to cover the parts/labor cost under recall campaign. I would really appreciate your help is getting this matter resolved with BMW Canada. [XXX] . [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11463701

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528i. The contact stated that the driver’s side headlight housing had an excessive amount of moisture inside. The vehicle failed to start. The daytime and parking light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11421045

I HAVE A F10 2011. I HAVE BEEN WAITING ON SOME REIMBURSEMENT FROM BMW SINCE 2017! NOW I CAN'T FIND ANY RECORD OF THEIR PROMISES M. I BOUGHT MY 528I IN 2015. REPLACES WATER PUMP TWICE, PULLY, TENCH-NOR, MORE THAN 5 TIMES, AND SOME BELTS. IT LAGGED ON THE FWY AND OTHER TIMES IT ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. EVERY TIME I DROVE IT, IT SMELLED LIKE IT WAS ON FIRE. OH, LET'S NOT FORGET THE FAULTY CRANK SHAFT AND THE AIRBAG ARE BOTH BROKEN. AND NOW, SINCE 2018 IT SITS IN THE DRIVEWAY LOOKING BRAND NEW. STUCK PAYING MY NOTE @ $700. AND HAVE TO RENT FROM AVIS $1,000 A MONTH. THIS IS NOT FAIR. THE LAST TIME I HAVE HEARD FROM BMW NORTH WAS OVER A YEAR AGO.

NHTSA ODI 11405485

WAS AT MY FIANC GRANDADS FUNERAL SATURDAY 02/06/2021 AND THE CAR STARTED ACTING STRANGE IMMEDIATELY I HEARD STRANGE NOICE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE GOT A DIAGNOSIS AND MECHANIC TOLD ME VVT ISSUES GOT IF FIXED AT A CERTIFIED BMW TECH AND ON HIS BULLETIN I SEEN THE RECALL AND HE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS RECALL AND THAT HE GETS MANY CARS EVERY WEEK FOR THIS JOB HE TOLD ME I WOULD BE REIMBURSED FROM BMW OF NORTH AMERICA I HAVE ALL THE RECITES FOR THE LABOR AND PARTS AND I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP IN GETTING THIS RESOLVED

NHTSA ODI 11396026

I I SAW THERE WAS A RECALL A WHILE AGO ON 2011 5251 HEATER BLOWERS STARTING FIRES AND I KEEP SMELLING BURNING SMELL INSIDE MY CAR WHEN HEAT IS ON.

NHTSA ODI 11388184

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS BMW TRANSMISSION. THEY ARE VERY NOT RELIABLE, MY CAR WON'T GO REVERSE OR PARK. INVESTIGATING THIS WILL MAKE BMW LEARN FROM HOW TO MAKE RELIABLE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11375484