What 76 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 BMW 428i

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that an abnormal oil burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light became illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that there was oil leaking from the gasket and onto the bank 1 sensor, which caused the sensor to become corroded. The mechanic linked the failure to the recall. 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 vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired, and the engine was overheating. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11643733

The contact's daughter owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11638020

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11633749

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 428I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a smoky odor coming from the vehicle and the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled the vehicle over and turned the vehicle off. The vehicle was able to restart. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11633230

N/A

NHTSA ODI 11632015

The water pump electrical connector on my 2015 BMW 428i failed, as identified in Recall Campaign No. 24V-608. This defect caused repeated engine overheating, leading to damage to the oil pan gasket and valve cover gaskets. An independent service center confirmed the damage was due to overheating from the faulty water pump. The issue has worsened, with a visible oil leak contributing to frequent engine overheating, making it unsafe to drive long distances. Contact Timeline: 1.October 10, 2024: I received the recall notice from BMW for the defective water pump electrical connector. 2.October 24, 2024: I emailed BMW [XXX] and [XXX] ) to report the overheating and related damage, requesting a full inspection and repairs. 3.October 2024: I visited an independent body shop, which confirmed the damage, and later the BMW dealership in Pompano Beach, which also confirmed the issues but did not agree to cover the repairs under the recall. 4.November 8, 2024: BMW Recall Support Services confirmed the recall is open but did not address the additional damage. 5.November 11, 2024: Robert Pfeiffer from BMW left a voicemail, only noting a delay in parts but not addressing my concerns about the damage. 6.November 12, 2024: I called Robert Pfeiffer but was unable to reach him and left a voicemail. I followed up with an email, reiterating my request for BMW to cover the related repairs due to the worsening vehicle condition. Current Concern: The oil leak continues to worsen, increasing engine overheating risk. No warning lamps initially appeared, but symptoms began shortly after the recall notice. Both the independent body shop and the BMW dealership confirmed the overheating and gasket damage. I request NHTSA’s assistance, as BMW has not resolved the issue despite the clear link to the defective part. The vehicle is available for inspection, and this problem presents a serious safety risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11624758

Water accumulation in the rear passenger side when it rains. Can hear slushing water when driving. It accumulated all the way to the luggage compartment and caused the Control unit rear electrical and the ASD module to fail causing $2564.61 in repairs. Was wondering if this is the case of the issue [XXX] . When I read online there Is a lot of complaints about this. Has BMW ever acknowledged the issue? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11624085

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11621696

I had a flat the other day and had it replaced as they were inspecting my cars they noticed my other tire was bald. Both of these are Pirelli P7 all season and I had just bought this tire in June of 2023 and driven around 10,000 miles. Its almost totally bald after 10k miles which is crazy. Its raining and my car is not gripping on the road. My other tire blew because of this. I called and they told me there no rating for my tire and they can't replace it. They just put my life at risk because they gave me a crappy tire and they wont even replace the bald one? I could have crashed and been hurt or someone else hurt. Has not been inspected except for the tire company who installs them.

NHTSA ODI 11570543

There is a ebrake bracket made of plastic underneath the car but that sits above the drive train running from the front to the back parallel to the drivetrain. It's not protected by a heat shield and is only made of thin plastic. My has been replaced three times already and is already needing to be fixed again on a car with only 76k miles. The high temperatures from the exhaust melt the plastic and cause the cable to fall on to the drivetrain. It's only the matter of time before it gets caught in the drivetrain or wraps around causes an accident and serious bodily injury. I am shocked to see this is not recalled already to be replaced with a metal bracket. Mfg Part # 34406854898 34-40-6-854-898 34 40 6 854 898 34.40.6.854.898

NHTSA ODI 11552395

The plastic clip supporting the emergency brake line clip failed resulting in the emergency brake line guide resting on the drive shaft. This could cause a complete failure of the emergency brake. Replacing the clip requires removal of the gas tank, exhaust and heat shield to access the clip. A BMW dealer shop did the expensive repair ($3345) and told me it was common. I’ve read that the clip may have been redesigned. I believe this part should be properly designed and replaced in impacted cars and that the cost of the repair should be on BMW and not the consumer. The emergency brake/parking brake needs to be a reliable functioning part of the car to protect the safety of people in and around the vehicle. I do not have the broken clip for inspection, however, I attached photos. I realized I had a problem from the intermittent noise made from the emergency brake guide resting on the drive shaft. The vehicle inspection at the dealership identified the problem. A video of the inspection was made at the dealership. I attempted without success to gain some reimbursement and find out about the clip redesign from BMW USA.

NHTSA ODI 11544273

Parking brake cable retainer clip that extends above the driveshaft all the way to the rear wheels has broken and now cable scrapes against drive shaft causing a loud unpleasant concerning grinding noise when accelerating. The dealer were I service my vehicle is aware of issue, the part is a very inexpensive part, ranging from $12 to $50 depending ware you purchase but the dealer wants to charge $900 dollars to replace. This repair should be placed on the recall list due to the difficulty in replacing the clip, due to possibly having to remove the gas tank and drive shaft to get to the clip.

NHTSA ODI 11537387

I saw a similar NHTSA report for this car, so I will just repeat it here: <start of similar NHTSA REPORT>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NHTSA ID Number: 11440588 The door locks have become ‘sticky’. This means that when pulling on the interior door release handle, the lock is moving to a stuck position that is not permitting egress. While the solution of pushing the central unlock button is currently viable, it would not work in a total electrical failure, or a situation of a vehicle submersion in water. This is a dangerous situation, potentially leading to passenger entrapment if the motors or lock mechanism fail. <end of similar NHTSA REPORT>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back to me: I have owned the car for roughly 2 years. The car has 72,000 miles on it. At first the problem was intermittent - less than 5% of the time. Recently, it is up to over 50% of time. A quick look at the BMW message boards shows that this is a widespread problem. There should be a recall on this extremely dangerous defect.

NHTSA ODI 11511436

I was driving on the interstate and my 2015 BMW 428i suddenly went into neutral and almost got us killed. Mileage at 88k, no check engine light, rattling, or leaking of fluids and car had just been to my local shop for an oil change the week before. Towed to BWW dealership, as car was inoperable, and told the engine had seized.

NHTSA ODI 11488925

I finance my car in 2016, the car was purchased at a third-party dealership, it only one previous owner. My car has two major recalls, BMW never notified me that there were any recalls and I never got any compensation such as fixing the car. Long story I lost my car in a car fire last year. My car was completely totaled and the car caught wire out of nowhere. I put an investigation through BMW of North America but they weren’t helpful and they compensate me for all the damages and losses that I lost due to the fire in my car. I just saw a new recall for more than 900,000 cars and I wanted to make sure that A- every recalls was served or down my car and B- if there’s a new recall related to my car fire I’m entitled to repairs monetary damages since I lost my car.

NHTSA ODI 11486333

I was driving at 20mph and the brakes failed at a red light and it felt that a misfire in the engine as well I didn't have other option to force my way to the side because I could push the front car and pedestrians where crossing.

NHTSA ODI 11472578

Drivers side rear control arm snapped in half (sheered cut). The aluminum solid piece broke in half, this is to knowledge an oem original part that was not replaced. Resulted in suspension and alignment issue, uneven tread wear on all four tires (excessive wear on short amount of time causing me to replace all tires).

NHTSA ODI 11467716

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message; Electrical Malfunction. Contact Service Center was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering assist functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Electric Power Steering (EPS) had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,425.

NHTSA ODI 11465459

Rear backup camera stopped working when backing car up. Also rear tailgate electric hatchopening stopped working along with lights. Dealer troubleshot problems and couldn’t determine failure cause but stated real tail gate control module needed replacement. Picked up car from dealer and the problems resolved themselves! Been working for several weeks so far but seems this might be an intermittent problem. Contacted BMWUSA to ask for Good Will repair but was denied due to mileage being outside base warranty. This is a potential crash hazard.

NHTSA ODI 11462187

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal cracking sound. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11460809

My car stops every once in a blue moon randomly while I am driving. The engine suddenly shuts off and a warning light that says "Drivetrain Malfunction: Drive moderately. Maximum drive output not available." shows up. It is extremely dangerous for me and others, it has stopped 3 times in the middle of the freeway & 6 times on normal street. When I got my car towed the first few times to random auto body stores, they scan my car & no engine code comes up so they don't know what to do and gave me a lot of advice. They also fill my gas up and then my car runs as if it has no problems. I found that this happens always at the half gallon mark, it will again say "drivetrain malfunction" when I call Triple A towing assistance I asked for gas instead and when they give it to me, the problem is fixed again. It clearly isn't being able to use up all my gas because it cant even go past the half tank mark when it shuts down. Right now I am literally driving only when my car gas is full before it reaches the half mark because I am so afraid. I found that my car model & year has the same recall listed for fuel pump problems. I took it to auto stores and they all tell me this is a fuel pump issue and not a drivetrain issue. I also measured the amount of gas I put in which is correct so the gas gauge meter is not the issue. My car shakes a bit when its starting off and often I feel as if it is not getting the gas correctly and my car feels weak at acceleration and then random jolts of it going well, which makes the car leap forward even though my foot is at the same pressure. My car is available for inspection anytime and I have called BMW service center and they told me to contact you guys first with a report. There has been no prior issues before this started happening maybe 6 months ago. It has happened over and over and over and now I am terrified to drive my car. The independent service centers tell me I have to probably change either both the fuel pumps or something related.

NHTSA ODI 11451974

I was driving on the highway with no cars around me and my sunroof exploded outward.

NHTSA ODI 11449931

The door locks have become ‘sticky’. This means that when pulling on the interior door release handle, the lock is moving to a stuck position that is not permitting egress. While the solution of pushing the central unlock button is currently viable, it would not work in a total electrical failure, or a situation of a vehicle submersion in water. This is a dangerous situation, potentially leading to passenger entrapment if the motors or lock mechanism fail. A manual unlock MUST be possible, but as this vehicle has aged, has become problematic. I experience this most on days with significant temperature swings, and will note that I experienced the exact same problem in my 2005 BMW 3 series, which was reported and repaired at cost to me, Basic passenger safety should not require this repair or cost. The mechanism in question is flawed and deserves investigation.

NHTSA ODI 11440588

I car hit me from behind and pushed me into the car in front of me and my steering wheel came off and my air bag on steering wheel did not deploy. As a result the wheel pushed in my chest.

NHTSA ODI 11433462

The contact owned a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle drove over a pot and the air pressure monitoring system warning had displayed. After stopping the vehicle, flames and smoke were present coming from the front driver side wheel well. The fire department was called to the scene but the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames and was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined due to the extent of the fire damage. A police report was taken and the vehicle was towed away. The manufacturer was contacted regarding the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11431012