2012 BMW 328I Power Train Problems

INCIDENT SUMMARY: On January 9, 2026, at approximately 1:30 PM, while traveling at 50 MPH in North Carolina, the vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic engine seizure without any prior "Limp Mode" warning or Check Engine Light. This resulted in an immediate, total loss of motive power in active traffic. I was forced to navigate a dead multi-ton vehicle across lanes without power steering or vacuum-assisted braking, narrowly avoiding a high-speed collision. TIMELINE & NEGLIGENCE: This vehicle was purchased from an independent retail dealer on December 20, 2025—less than 21 days prior to this life-threatening failure. The vehicle was sold with an "Open" status for Safety Recall 23V-707. The failure occurred exactly as described in the recall’s warning: a catastrophic stall at speed. TECHNICAL EVIDENCE: A non-invasive borescope inspection of the cylinders has confirmed the presence of metallic "silver chunks" (sheared bolt heads) and "half-moon" impact marks on the piston crowns, indicating a total timing failure and internal mechanical collision (piston-to-valve contact). REQUIRED REMEDY: This incident is a direct manifestation of the safety risk documented in Recall 23V-707. Per BMW Service Bulletin SIB 11 09 23, the presence of sheared bolt heads and seized internals constitutes "Catastrophic Consequential Damage." I am filing this report to ensure federal oversight of BMW North America’s obligation to provide a complete engine replacement, as the safety defect was present at the time of sale and resulted in a near-fatal incident within 300 miles of ownership.

My car lost power. It would come and go. Now it's gone. The codes that come up pertain to the wheel speed sensor and timing.

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated, and the brakes were independently activated. Additionally, the contact stated that the “Service Required” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that recently the transfer case was replaced by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Mileage: 110,000

The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I.The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated at high speed before the vehicle shut off with the message “Transmission Not in Park” displayed. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road, and after the vehicle cooled down the contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the fuel pump was replaced but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

Mileage: 117,000

While driving car at speeds <30 mph, on hitting a minor bump on the road, car engine suddenly stopped with a "Drivetrain malfunction" error. The car lost all power within a few seconds, including power steering. The instrument cluster was off except for error message. Transmission shifted to Neutral automatically which I believe is by design. On somehow maneuvering in traffic and coasting to a stop, and waiting a minute and pressing the ignition start button, car powered on immediately and was driveable. The same incident repeated within 30 miles of driving. A local authorized service center found no existing problems although there are several error messages logged by the on board computer. The safety is severely compromised and the car can be easily rear-ended since hazard light signals also failed. The vehicle has otherwise been regularly maintained at authorized service centers.

WHILE IN MOTION ON A COUNTY ROAD, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR STARTED RUNNING VERY ROUGH. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE TIMING CHAIN. WORN CRANKSHAFT SPROCKET. HAD TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN AND OIL PUMP DRIVE CHAIN.

Mileage: 74,054

FAILING TIMING CHAIN. MANUFACTURING DEFECT BUT NOT COVERED BY BMW BECAUSE "THE VIN DOESN'T SHOW AS COVERED IN OUR SYSTEM". SOME OTHER VEHICLES HAD EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE UNTIL 70,000 MILES BUT FOR SOME REASON NOT ALL VIN'S ARE COVERED. PLEASE SEE OTHER ISSUES WITH THE N20 ENGINE ACROSS THE 3 SERIES, 5 SERIES AND X3 AND YOU WILL SEE MANY PEOPLE REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE. THIS NEEDS A RECALL. NOT FAIR TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FOR SO MANY CUSTOMERS

Mileage: 100,000

TIMING CHAIN PROBLEMS, THE CAR STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

Mileage: 56,000

I WAS CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY IDRIVE DISPLAYED 'LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING' AND 'DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION,' THE ENGINE WEIRD NOISES BEFORE IT SHUTDOWN AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE I WAS STILL AROUND TRAFFIC. I BARELY MADE IT A SAFE PLACE TO STOP AS I HAD TO COAST UP A HILL AND THEN TURN WITH WHATEVER MOMENTUM I HAD. THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES WERE EXTREMELY HARD TO MOVE. I GOT MY CAR TOWED AND HAD A DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR CODES SHOWN IN THE ATTACHED SCREENSHOT. HAD A CERTIFIED MECHANIC TAKE A LOOK AND WAS TOLD BY SEVERAL OTHER MECHANICS AS WELL THAT OIL STARVATION DESTROYED THE ENGINE AS A RESULT OF OIL PUMP FAILURE. NO SIGN OR PREMATURE WEAR WITH A VERY GENEROUS 5,000 MILE OIL & FILTER CHANGE INTERVAL AND BEEN IN THE HANDS OF BMW DEALERSHIPS FOR ALL IT'S LIFE. *TR

Mileage: 103,000

WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE COMPUTER ADVISED TO PULL OVER IN A SAFE PLACE. I DID AND ENDED TOWING THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE HOUSING AROUND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE FREE OBSTRUCTING THE OIL FLOW. THE COMPRESSION WAS GOOD BUT THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACED THE ENGINE AT A 23344.20 PLUS TAXES. NEEDLESS TO SAY I TOWED THE CAR HOME WITHOUT REPAIR. THIS IS A MANUFACTURED DEFECT BECAUSE REGULAR MAINTENANCE COULD NOT PREVENT THIS ENGINE DEFECT.

Mileage: 124,000

DRIVING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS APPROX. 55 MPH, WHEN LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING CAME ON AND DRIVE-TRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHTS FLASHED ON SCREEN. CAR STALLED OUT AND WAS ALMOST UNABLE TO GET TO SIDE OF ROAD. CAR WAS TOWED TO BMW DEALER, CAUSE OF ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN AND GUIDE. WILL REQUIRE NEW ENGINE (OUT OF WARRANTY - BMW WILL NOT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE). AFTER ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IT HAS LED TO MY CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND A CLASS ACTION LAW SUITE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED IN REGARDS TO EARLY MODEL N20 MOTORS. PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO TIMING CHAIN DEFECT. CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED WITH REGULARLY SERVICED OIL CHANGES, ETC. I HAVE ALL PARTS RECEIPTS FOR ALL SERVICE DONE.

Mileage: 107,000

I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY STALLED AND LOST POWER. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION TROUBLE LIGHTS LIT UP THE DASH. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC BEFORE COASTING TO A STOP. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO BMW SOUTH AUSTIN AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY FUEL TRANSFER PUMP, AND A FAULTY FUEL TANK. ESSENTIALLY I HAD RUN OUT OF FUEL WITH 1/4 TANK SHOWING ON THE GAUGES. BMW DENIED MY REQUEST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE "IN TANK FUEL PUMP". I GUESS PEOPLE NEED TO DIE IN TRAFFIC WHEN THEY RUN OUT OF FUEL UNSUSPECTINGLY FOR BMW TO CARE OR ISSUE A RECALL.

Mileage: 68,000

WHILE DRIVING IN THE EVENING I STARTED TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST STUTTERED OUT OF NO WHERE AND HAD TROUBLE ACCELERATING. A WARNING POPPED UP THAT SAID DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. THE CAR IS STILL NOT OUTPUTTING ENOUGH POWER AND THE WARNING IS STILL UP. IT GOES AWAY AND THEN POPS UP AFTER DRIVI G 40MPH. I HAVE DONE ,PLENTY OF RESEARCH ON THIS AND THERE ARE A TON OF HITS AND COMPLAINTS ON THIS. BMW NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR VEHICLES AND SEND OUT A RECALL. ITS SCARY KNOWING A LUXURY CAR DOES THIS NOT JUST WITH ME BUT WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHERW GOING THROUGH THIS AND THERE IS NO ANSWER.P

Mileage: 57,000

WHILE DRIVING THIS AFTERNOON I STARTED TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST STUTTERED OUT OF NO WHERE AND HAD TROUBLE ACCELERATING. A WARNING POPPED UP THAT SAID DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. I TOOK IT TO THE CLOSEST REPAIR SHOP AND THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS ON IT AND CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG. THE CAR IS STILL NOT OUTPUTTING ENOUGH POWER AND THE WARNING IS STILL UP. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THIS AND THERE ARE A TON OF HITS ON THIS. BMW NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR VEHICLES AND SEND OUT A RECALL.

Mileage: 58,000

SUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE UNDERWAY ON INTERSTATE 476 NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA. CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF 4 LANES OF HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC AT 4:10 PM.IT WOULD NOT RESTART. THERE WAS NO WARNING OF AN ISSUE PRIOR. I AM SOLE OPERATOR OF CAR. CAR WAS IN DEALERS SHOP FOR 7 DAYS. NO OBVIOUS CAUSE FOUND, BUT BOSCH COILS REPLACED AS A PRECAUTION. 300 MILES LATER ON MAY 26, AT APPROX 5:20 PM THE CAR AGAIN W/O WARNING HAD SUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER; WOULD NOT RESTART.

Mileage: 38,478

DRIVING MY 2012 BMW 328I ON THE INTERSTATE I-10 IN ARIZONA MM163 AT APPROX. 80MPH AND I GET AN ERROR CODE "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION, DRIVE MODERATELY" AFTER THIS MESSAGE I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE AS THE POWER TRAIN WAS NONEXISTENT. HAD TO COAST THROUGH HEAVY TRAFFIC IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE TO GET MY FAMILY TO A SAFE AREA. I JUST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM THE DEALERSHIP 4 MONTHS PRIOR AS IT WAS CPO'ED AND I HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. VEHICLE MILEAGE AT TIME OF INCIDENT WAS 49990 (STILL UNDER FULL BMW WARRANTY). *TR

Mileage: 49,990

UNABLE TO ACCELERATE SAFELY, ENGINE GIVES OUT INTERMITTENTLY AT VARYING SPEEDS. CALLED EVERY DEALERSHIP AROUND ALPHARETTA, GA; GWINNETTE BMW TOLD ME THEY WOULDN'T WORK ON IT OR HELP ME AND THEN HUNG UP-ALL ON A RECORDED LINE. STILL WAITING FOR A MANAGER TO CALL ME. CALLED ANOTHER DEALER AND THEY SAID TO WAIT A FEW HOURS AND TRY AGAIN MEANWHILE I CAN ONLY HOPE MY CAR DOESN'T SHUT OFF ON MY DURING RUSH HOUR OR ON MY WAY TO WORK. THIS HAS BEEN ON ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE F30 BMW 3 SERIES AS MANY CUSTOMERS INDICATED THIS ISSUE FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS. *TR

Mileage: 18,000

BOUGHT BRAND NEW 2012 328I. WITHIN 2 MONTHS ENGINE MALFUNCTION WARNING WOULD SHOW UP AND CAR WOULD GO INTO "LIMP MODE" AND BARELY DRIVE ABLE. SOMETIMES COULD BE RESET BY TURNING OFF, THEN BACK ON. HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES, AND EVERY TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME NO ONE ELSE WAS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. THEY BLAMED THE FUEL INJECTORS AND REPLACED THEM MULTIPLE TIMES. IT WAS IN THE SHOP A TOTAL OF 6 TIMES FOR SAME "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" WARNING. I MADE THEM BUY THE CAR BACK FROM ME, ASSUMING IT WAS A FLUKE WITH THE CAR, BECAUSE THEY CONTINUED TO ASSURE ME THAT NO ONE ELSE WAS HAVING THIS PROBLEM, ANYWHERE, I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2013 328I. WITHIN A MONTH I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. EXCEPT THIS TIME IT WAS WORSE. IT COULDN'T BE FIXED BY TURNING IT OFF THEN BACK ON. EVERY TIME IT HAPPENED, 3 TIMES NOW, IT HAS REQUIRED A TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE EXACT SAME "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION" WARNING. THEY STILL SAY THERE'S NO PROBLEM. WHEN IT HAPPENS THE ENGINE SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND THE CAR WILL BARELY RUN 55MPH IF PUSHED. THIS IS A CONSISTENT PROBLEM THAT IS BEING IGNORED BY BMW. EVERY TIME I HAVE TO TAKE THE CAR IN THEY SAY THEIR "GUIDELINES" JUST CALL FOR A COMPUTER RESET, AND THAT IT HAS BEEN FIXED, ONLY TO LEAVE ME ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD A MONTH LATER. *TR

Mileage: 8,000

WENT TO START CAR AND GOT A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION MESSAGE. HAD IT TOWED TO A BMW DEALER TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY WILL REPLACE THE INTAKE VANOS SOLENOID SENSOR. *TR

Mileage: 8,682