Owners have filed 63 complaints on the BMW 328xi, covering 2011–2011. The system named most often is Electrical System (16 reports). Worst years by volume: 2011; cleanest: 2011. 5 reports describe a crash, 5 a fire. On average the car was 7.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on BMW 328xi
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 63 328xi complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 16 Read
For several months my air conditioner had been blowing warmer air than normal but was tolerable. A week ago, while driving on the interstate I smelled a burning plastic smell. Almost immediately my air conditioner shut off. Following that the radio and display shut off as well. I pulled over to the shoulder of the…
The contact owns a 2011 bmw 328xi. While the vehicle was parked, the blower motor and wiring harness became overheated, melted, and caused damage to the glove box and the passenger side carpet. A fire report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that…
"bmw blower motor recall". On saturday 1/13/2018. My car caught fire while it was parked at my office. 1 mountain rd suffield, ct. The fire dept. Responded after I called 911 to report the fire and that I could not get the unlock button to work from my key remote. The fire damage was from an electrical fire that…
Engine 13 Read
The contact owns a 2011 bmw 328xi. While driving various speeds, the vehicle overheated, and the check engine and oil indicators illuminated. On august 26, 2019, the vehicle was towed to rick hendrick bmw (1518 savannah hwy, charleston, sc 29407, (843) 261-5760) to be repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 17V683000…
Aluminum bolts on vanos intake actuator/phaser snapped. Caused internal engine damage. Had repaired, engine light remains, engine is in timing. Called bmw dealership in pa. They stated no recalls for issue, no TSB's. I found a NHTSA campaign that matches the description of what happened 14V76000, bmw dealer did not…
Vehicle showed check engine light and was idling rough during commute. Engine shutoff/stalled while stopped at a stoplight. Was able to restart and return home, but idle remained rough. Attempted to drive to repair shop on another day, idle was rough upon engine start and check engine light remained on. Car again…
Air Bags 11 Read
2011 bmw 328i. Consumer writes in regards to faulty airbags. *smd the consumer stated he his wife hit another vehicle at 40 mph, after that vehicle ran a stop. None of the air bags deployed. There was considerable damage to the entire front bumper, passenger side door, panel and hood. The repair shop determined the…
I was driving at a slow speed during heavy traffic in town at 4 pm on a sunny day. The car ahead of me slowed down even more and when I was trying to slow my car too, it did not slow down at all. I did hit the car ahead of me at a slow speed and the air bag deployed causing severe injury to my right wrist and to the…
The contact owns a 2011 bmw 328xi. The contact stated while driving 2 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate independently and crashed into some stone/brick stairs, upon enetering a short driveway. The vehicle was not destroyed but the driver sustained a bruise to the ribs and face. The vehicle was taken to the dealer…
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 Read
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328XI. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, an odor appeared from the exhaust pipe and under the hood where the engine was located. The contact mentioned that every year the oil was changed at an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the valve…
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time…
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact…
Fuel/propulsion System 4 Read
Hi I have a bmw 2011 328xi, recently I was driving the car on the freeway when the car completely shut down on me and literally left me 10 secs to get on the shoulder. Mind you this is busy traffic hour coming back from chicago. I replaced the fuel pump last year, and bmw takes no owner ship of the problem. I called…
Driving down highway auto suddenly stopped running luckily no accident considering heavily travel road auto wouldn't start again had auto towed off road to nearest garage safety hazard.bmw has special warranty for super low emission vehicles 15yrs or 150000 miles this auto fits that description in certain states pa is…
Today I was almost killed, and caused many other motorist a great deal of panic. Driving in the left lane at about 65-70 mph my 2011 328xi suddenly started to loose power. As I attempted to get across five lanes to the shoulder, I was nearly hit numerous times as drivers around me had brake hard or make rapid moves…
Vehicle Speed Control 3 Read
I was backing my car into a garage - car was in reverse - I put my foot on the brake pedal and my foot went to the floor - the car lunged backward at top speed and crashed into the rear wall of garage
The contact owns a 2011 bmw 328xi. While making a right turn at 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently onto the sidewalk. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000
After the car is stopped at a stop sign and when I try to accelerate the car, it hesitates to move even after I push the gas pedal. The car struggles to move forward and after pressing in hard it moves. The initial delay or the initial response time is huge. The time lag is large. The engine makes noise and will…
Power Train 3 Read
Cam bolts shear off and fall into engine resulting in complete loss of power on the freeway while in drive, extended warranty should fix this however all they did at bmw tri cities was put new bolts on and there are massive issues happening related to bolts failing, they will do nothing about this
The contact owns a 2011 bmw 328xi. While driving at a low rate of speed, the vehicle stalled and shut off without warning. Also, the service engine indicator illuminated. The contact associated NHTSA campaign number: 13V044000 (electrical system) with the failure. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the…
My vehicle is experiencing the same symptoms and is reporting the same trouble codes related to recall number: 17V683000. However, my vehicle is not included in this recall. I would appreciate it if this matter could be investigated and my vehicles VIN included in this recall
Tires 1 Read
I have bridgestone driveguard run flat tires ... Just had my 3rd blow out of a front tire in the last 18 months. Only 3 blow outs I've ever had in 48 years of driving. The blow out today was the replacement tire for the blow out 18 months ago ... So quite new with little wear. In all 3 cases the tire blew out…
328xi years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Air Bags | 5 | 5 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 43 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 3 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.0 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 3. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 328xi?
By complaint volume, 2011 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 328xi years are the cleanest?
2011 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the BMW 328xi have?
63 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2011–2011. Of those, 5 describe a crash and 5 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.