Home · 2011 BMW 528i · Complaints

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)

2 of 198 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 3, 2016Steering1 injury

WE BOUGHT A 2011 BMW 528I WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. WE STARTED TO HAVE ISSUES RIGHT AFTER THAT. PULLING RIGHT, ELECTRONICS FREEZING, CAN NOT UNLOCK THE DOORS WITH KEY FOB, CAN NOT GET OUT FROM CAR BECAUSE DOOR HANDLES DO NOT WORK TIME TO TIME AND OUR 2 YEAR OLD SON GOT LOCKED INSIDE(CAR LOCKED BY IT SELF) AND WE HAD TO BREAK THE WINDOW WHICH TOOK ALMOST 30 MINUTES. BMW SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM AND WENT EVEN FURTHER SOME OF THE ISSUES ARE FEATURES OF THE CAR. OUR KIDS GETTING LOCKED IN THE CAR IS A SERIOUS ISSUE, CAN NOT GETTING FROM THE CAR IS ANOTHER SERIOUS ISSUE. WHAT IF CAR CATCHES A FIRE IN AN ACCIDENT AND WE GET STUCK IN THE CAR. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT IT. I DO HAVE VIDEO RECORDINGS IN MULTIPLIABLE OCCASIONS. EVEN BMW SERVICE TOOK THE CAR FOR THE SAME ISSUES AND CONFIRM IT WAS AN ISSUE. BUT COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY SOLUTION. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO SOMEONE BECAUSE OF THE ISSUES, IT WILL BE ON YOU GUYS IF YOU DO NOT TAKE ACTION IN THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 10872459

Aug 6, 2011SteeringTransmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

THERE ARE 3 MAJOR ISSUES. 1. VEHICLE TENDS TO VEER TO THE RIGHT. FEELING IS QUITE LIKE A VEHICLE THAT HASN'T BEEN ALIGNED FOR A WHILE. 2. THE MOST DANGEROUS. UPON ACCELERATION AND/OR AT LOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY JERKS FORWARD WITHOUT ANY NOTICE- MAKING IT TOO LATE FOR THE DRIVER TO SLAM THE BRAKES. IF YOUR VEHICLE IS STANDING THREE FEET BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, YOU CAN EASILY CRASH AND REAR END INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU. AND OF COURSE, YOU WILL BE SUED FOR NOT KEEPING YOUR DISTANCE. THIS CAN EASILY CAUSE SOME SERIOUS INJURIES. 3. VEHICLE WOBBLES AS IF THE TIRES WERE NOT BALANCED. THERE ARE CLEARLY UNKNOWN DEFECTS THAT CAN NOT BE LOCATED. TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL BMW DEALER, THEY KEEP ASCRIBING IT TO "NORMAL" CHARACTERISTICS AND THEY KEEP INFORMING ME THAT BMWS ARE BUILT THAT WAY, THEY ARE NOW SPORTIER. HOWEVER, TO ANY NEW OWNER, IT IS NOW DEADLIER. THE LOCAL BMW DEALER ALSO STATE UNLESS THEY VEHICLE DOESN'T INFORM THEM ABOUT THE ISSUE THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. ITS MORE LIKE, UNTIL SOMEONE DOESN'T SUE THEM IS WHEN THEY WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. BMW SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BEGINS AGAINST THEM.

NHTSA ODI 10418816

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 →