What 33 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 BMW 320i Xdrive

The fuel system was causing my engine to shut down, and I got it replaced at a mechanic. About some time later, after fixing the fuel system, I received a letter from BMW telling me that they had extended the warranty on the Fuel tank, but when I took it in, they said that there was no such extended warranty. The letter is from April 2022, but I just recently found it.

NHTSA ODI 11730837

My 2015 BMW 320 is having a performance issue. After I diagnosed this is due to corrosion on the wastegate actuator and has failed. The bushing and part corroded and the rod is dangling. This should be covered by the extended warranty on the part as it’s a known defect failure by BMW

NHTSA ODI 11698420

Vehicle continues to have lighting and electrical issues. Particularly, the left rear turn signal. I’ve repaired it 5 times and it burns out immediately. Dealer assured me they would find issue. Still burned out next day again. Notified dealership and they just want you to keep bringing it back but won’t issue a recall despite the plethora of complaints online about the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11695627

The gas tank on my BMW 320i 4 door sedan is leaking gas. Yes; it is available for inspection upon request. I had picked up my son from school and ran an errand. We stopped for gas when we noticed the gas was leaking as soon as we filled up the tank. We were around the corner from our home and drove home very slow. We were prepared to stop and pull over if necessary as we were afraid of the vehicle catching fire. I have an appointment with Niello BMW at 8am on 9/22/25 in Sacramento, CA on Fulton Ave. There were no warning lamps/messages or other symptoms prior to the issue. I never received any recall notification.

NHTSA ODI 11688784

I have barely driven this BMW 320i from 2015. It is a well taken car parked in the garage. It has 33,000 miles on it. The check engine light came on so I brought it in for a diagnostic. The error is N63R Engine - Replace Wastegate Actuators and Program the Vehicle. The mechanic told me most BMW's in 2015 had a recall for this issue and this car should have a recall. So, I called BMW and they said it does not have a recall. I checked on the NHTSA site and the car does not have a recall. However, after some research, I found that many models from this year have a recall for this exact issue. This BMW320i from 2015 should also have this recall! There is no coincidence that the Wastegate failed in several models in the same year. To exclude this model from the recalls is unfair.

NHTSA ODI 11641147

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 320I. The contact stated that after his wife had refueled the vehicle, he noticed that the vehicle was leaking fuel on the driver's side rear. There was a puddle of fuel on the ground. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was due to the pressurized fuel system. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

NHTSA ODI 11618829

Fuel tank leaking, matches previous service bulletin for other models build in this year range [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11590007

Timing chain guide failure, causing engine to stop working

NHTSA ODI 11588305

The engine would completely shut down while driving you had to completely take foot off gas petal because it would not excellent to make the car run it would almost come to complete slow down and stop you could then push gas and it would pick up and start running again.was worse when raining. Then the brakes got to where they would not stop and would lock up.Iwas on busy road and on interstate when it happened several times I could have been hit in the rear end and it would have caused a major collision. There was no warning lights come on at any point and timethen the brakes started where they would get hot and start smoking and eventually they locked up could not even drive the car . I didn't have the money to try to get it fixed so my 2015 BMW 320i sit for months before I could get it looked at had to replace frount and back rotors,calipers and brakes, ABS system replaced. When they checked it out the man at KADENZA AUTO REPAIR SHOP said that was only the second BMW that they had worked on that had this problems and didn't know why or what caused the problem. They did the repairs but couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen again said it could be a manufacturer defects. It was really dangerous when it started doing it because I could have been hit in the back of the car and it would have caused a major car pile up accident. It started doing it several months back because I wasn't able to drive it for several months had to tow it in when I took it to KADENZA AUTO REPAIR .They specialize in foreign and domestic cars.

NHTSA ODI 11588074

I have been getting P0420 code over 2 years now. Loss of power while driving caused multiple times sudden stop and slow speed. I328 has recall but mine is not on the recall list. I tried everything to fix it but the light still comes on. And also my car is having the Navigation display delaminating. It seems like common problem for bmw owners. There are no recalls.

NHTSA ODI 11579138

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 320i. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH the passenger side headlight stopped illuminating the road. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that about one month later the driver's side headlight stopped illuminating and the "headlight" symbol illuminated on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that the headlights illuminated when she used the high beam setting but would not function on the low beam setting. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact had replaced both headlamp bulbs and the low beams would not illuminate. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA ODI 11578710

My car shut off on the highway due to my fuel pump delivery system . My gauge is not reading I have enough gas leading me to believe I had gas in my car until it completely shut off . I was able to safely get my car out of the road due to the fact it was early morning and very minimal cars were on the road . I also now currently as well have an issue with the engine,coolant and oil having a leak . According to bmw I need to completely change my intake manifold there is too much leakage and just changing certain components won’t fix it . The whole things needs to be removed and replaced. Once I crank my car up within 10 seconds you can see the smoke start to build up under the hood . I’m pretty sure if I leave it running it will catch fire it’s thick white smoke and it has melted something silver inside as u can see the silver is now black due to it burning .So I write this due to me doing research as to what could have caused these issue and I see there is a recall for the same vin but my not specific car . I anm having the EXACT same issues with my car as the recall. I have 3 of the issues that the recall is for but my model I guess is not included. also have lighting issues .. my back lights tend to work when they want according to pep boys a board of some sort needs to be replaced because the bulbs will not stay in place . Is there a way to add my model to the recall list as it needs to be fixed my car is not operational at this time due to the risk of a fire under the hood

NHTSA ODI 11575192

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the front driver's side airbags and passenger side airbags deployed unintendedly, causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel and drive over the curb. The contact stated that there was no crash to cause the airbags to deploy. During the failure, the rear driver’s side and passenger’s side tires became deflated. The vehicle was later towed away from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11562032

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 320I. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started overheating. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected. The contact stated that he observed a burning odor coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the thermostat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,588.

NHTSA ODI 11545840

On 7/25/2023, I left my car keys inside the trunk. The 2015 BMW 320i xDrive does not have access from the cabin passenger to the trunk to open manually. Even the locksmith cannot open it. This is the bad design and may create safety issue. I called BMW road assistance and they cant help me instead told me to tow my car to dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11535066

On July 4, 2023, my kids and I were in Tifton, GA shopping. My car just cut off in the middle of the road. The only way I could get it to turn back on was by turning the car completely off and then turning the car back on. I was in the middle of the road and almost got run over. My car had gas in it and wasn't acting up prior to this happening. I believe that this problem has to do with the fuel pump which causes an engine failure. Also, my parking sensors are not working properly anymore as well.

NHTSA ODI 11530936

The screen in the car faded all of a sudden. I cannot view my backup camera due to this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11530942

Timing chain failure: vehicle is in a “do not drive” state due to impending timing chain failure. Component failure would result in catastrophic engine failure, with potential for collision, thermal event, or personal injury. No warning lights. Inspected by OEM Dealership, who confirmed potential for catastrophic engine failure.

NHTSA ODI 11511390

Back light malfunction numerous repairs

NHTSA ODI 11459634

Clear Coat on car is peeling everywhere. Car manufactured in 2015 and purchased from Carmax in Doral, Miami.

NHTSA ODI 11453348

CAN NHTSA ENFORCE A RECALL ON THE WELL-KNOWN 'TRUNK OPENS ON ITS OWN' DEFECT ON BMW 3 SERIES, WHICH MY 2015 320I ALSO HAS SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 2016? PLEASE SEE ATTACHED 'TO NHTSA ON BMW SERIES 3 DEFECT.PDF'.

NHTSA ODI 11413623

WHILE DRIVING TODAY I SEEN SMOKE COMING OUT THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. I THEN PULLED OVER THERE WAS MELTED PLASTIC AND FIRE DRIPPING. WITH IN SECONDS THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE.

NHTSA ODI 11343754

THE MOTOR IS LEAKING IN A STATIONARY SETTING , THIS IS NOT WEAR AND TEAR THE BMW OF MONTGOMERY STATED THEY ARE RECALLS ON THE MOTOR . *TR

NHTSA ODI 11321162

THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY HAS LEFT REAR BREAK LIKE/TURN LIGHT MALFUNCTION WARNINGS. IN RESEARCHING THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL DUE TO THE GROUND WIRE OVERHEATING AND MELTING THE PLASTIC IN THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR AND BULB CARRIER. THIS COURSES THE CONNECTOR PIN IN THE CONNECTOR TO MELT AND BREAK OFF. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THESE PARTS TWICE IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS. THE ISSUE SEEMS TO BE THAT THE GROUND WIRE IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE CURRENT.

NHTSA ODI 11312036

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT APPROX. 70 MILES AND HOUR, A LOUD CRASHING SOUND HAPPENED IN THE CABIN OF MY CAR. A FEW SECONDS LATER, GLASS STARTED RAINING DOWN ON MY HEAD AND BODY. THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION. THERE WERE NO CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME AT THE TIME AND THE TOP LOOKED LIKE IT WAS BROKEN AND PUSHED UPWARD. IT WAS A MILD TEMPERATURE, 70 ISH DEGREES AND LIGHT CLOUD COVER DAY.

NHTSA ODI 11306394