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What 198 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 BMW 528i

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (198)Crash / fire / injury (9)Engine (36)Engine & cooling (36)Transmission & drivetrain (35)Tires (31)Fuel system (26)Steering (26)Electrical system (14)Speed control (9)Suspension (6)Airbags (5)

1 of 198 complaints match · Fuel system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

May 21, 2014Engine & coolingFuel system1 injury

PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 528I BMW AND WITHIN MONTHS I HAD A COOLANT SIGNAL INDICATING LOW COOLANT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE COOLANT SIGNAL CAME ON EVERY SIX WEEKS, DESPITE HAVING IT TOPPED OFF AT DEALERSHIP. CAR HAD INADEQUATE POWER AND FELT LIKE IT DRAGGED. BMW SERVICE CENTER REPEATEDLY FAILED TO IDENTIFY A PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY, THE SIGNAL CAME ON AND AN INTOLERABLE FUEL ODOR EMERGED UPON TURNING ON THE CAR. FUEL AND CHEMICAL ODORS REMAIN. I HAVE READ OF OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE AND BELIEVE THERE IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE. THE EXPOSURE TO CARCINOGENIC COOLANT FUMES AND THE GAS FUMES ARE DANGEROUS. COOLANT MAY BE LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE. OTHER MECHANICAL ISSUES MAY BE CAUSING THE DRAG AND CONTINUED LOSS OF POWER. IN ONE INSTANCE I LEFT THE VEHICLE AT THE BMW SERVICE CENTER WITH A FULL TANK AND WHEN IT WAS RETURNED TO ME, THE FUEL LEVEL HAD DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY DESPITE HAVING BEEN DRIVEN A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF MILES BY THE SERVICE PEOPLE. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THESE PROBLEMS POSE A SAFETY HAZARD TO NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND OTHER BMW OWNERS WHO MAY BE UNAWARE OF THESE ISSUES. I FEEL THE CAR IS COMPROMISED BY THE MANUFACTURING DEFECTS AND THAT EFFORTS TO REPAIR THE PROBLEMS CONTINUE TO EXIST. I FEEL THE CAR IS UNSAFE AND POSES A SAFETY AND HEALTH HAZARD AND THAT BMW IS UNWILLING TO INVESTIGATE HOW PERVASIVE THE PROBLEM MAY BE. I WANT AN INVESTIGATION AND FEEL THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THIS IS NOT "THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE." PLEASE INVESTIGATE THESE PROBLEMS AND HELP PREVENT OTHERS FROM BEING UNNECESSARILY SUBJECTED TO TOXIC FUMES AND CHEMICALS WHICH MAY COMPROMISE THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH AND THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI 10594058

Working with the data? Download all 198 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 BMW 528i verdict →