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

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 (33)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (11)Fuel system (9)Electrical system (5)Lights (4)Body & structure (3)Wheels (2)Airbags (1)Backup camera & sensors (1)Brakes (1)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)

1 of 33 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · clear filters

Sep 13, 2019Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Engine

MY 2015 BMW 320I GAVE ME A WARNING OF CHARGING MALFUNCTION WARNING SO I TOOK MY CAR TO BMW SERVICE FOR AN INSPECTION. THIS WAS IN APRIL 2019. THE SERVICE ADVISOR LET ME KNOW I COULD NEED A NEW BATTERY SO I APPROVED NEW BATTERY IF THAT'S WHAT IT NEEDED. ONCE INSPECTED FURTHER I WAS TOLD THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK AND THAT CAUSED MY DRIVEBELT TO DETERIORATE AND SLIDE OFF BELT TENSIONER. THE OIL LEAK WAS DUE TO NEEDING A NEW OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET, SO I REPLACED THAT AS WELL. I WASN'T WHAT CREATED THE OIL LEAK ISSUE ONLY THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE BELT TENSIONER, HOUSING GASKET AND DRIVE BELT. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS WHY MY CHARGING MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME ON. MY BATTERY WAS FINE, NO NEED TO REPLACE. 3 MONTHS LATER SEPTEMBER 12TH 2019 THE CHARGING MALFUNCTION WARNING COMES ON AGAIN. THIS TIME I'M TOLD THEY'RE 80% SURE I NEED A NEW BATTERY. SO I APPROVE THE BATTERY AND I RECEIVE A CALL THAT MY CAR NEEDS A NEW ALTERNATOR. THE ALTERNATOR IS NOT CREATING CHARGING VOLTAGE WHICH MAKE MY BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW CAUSING THE CHARGING MALFUNCTION. MY CAR A 2015 BMW, IT IS 4 YEARS OLD. IN THIS LAST YEAR I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE CHARGING MALFUNCTION AND STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11255354

Working with the data? Download all 33 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 2015 BMW 320i Xdrive verdict →