2011 Bmw 528i problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (27) · Power Train (18) · Engine (17)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw 528i model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
68 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:crankcase (Pcv) 2017-10-30 · campaign 17V683000 · 740,561 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/Control Module-Inactive 2016-11-17 · campaign 16V832000 · 91 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011 BMW 528i, 528xi, 535i, 535xi, 550i and 550xi vehicles manufactured March 1, 2010, through August 31, 2011. The affected vehicles may have received a replacement Sensor Cluster Unit (SCU) during a service visit. These SCUs have an acceleration sensor that may have been incorrectly programmed and, as a result, the SCU may not accurately determine if activation and deployment of the air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and head
Risk: Depending on the severity of the crash, inadequate activation of the driver and/or passenger air bags, safety belt pre-tensioners and active head restraints may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the SCU, free of charge. The recall began on December 16, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2016-10-17 · campaign 16V746000 · 136,188 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 BMW X5 3.0si, X5 4.8i, X5 M, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i and X5 xDrive50i, 2008-2011 X6 x Drive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 535i xDrive Gran Turismo, 535i Gran Turismo, 550i xDrive Gran Turismo and 550i Gran Turismo, 2011-2012 528i, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i and 550i xDrive and 2012 535i ActiveHybrid, 640i Convertible, 650i Convertible, 650i xDrive Convertible, 650i Coupe and 650i Coupe
Risk: The loose wires may cause the connector to melt, resulting in a fuel leak. Additionally, the fuel pump may stop working, possibly causing an engine stall and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2014-04-10 · campaign 14V176000 · 156,137 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and
Risk: If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Service bulletins (341)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2023-12-20 · B160623 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
engine will crank but not start. there is no communication with the integrated fuel module (tfe) whendiagnosing with ista. the following two fault codes will be stored in the dme: 032b43 - low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low cda594 - message (- 0x33e) missing, rec
Equipment 2023-11-22 · B653423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers may state that the alarm system (dwa) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. depending on the vehicleã¢ââs equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. additionally, the red anti-theft alarm led in
Wheels 2023-06-01 · B340914 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the dynamic stability control (dsc) warning light comes on while driving. the following dsc fault codes for the wheel speed sensors are stored: 480712 and/or 480715 and/or 480718 and/or 48071b they cannot be cleared, even though the wheel speed sensors work correctly and no problem can be found
Electrical System 2023-05-01 · B651523 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
after programming the head unit (hu-h2), activating the fsc (german word freischaltcode) enabling codes repeatedly fails.
Showing the 6 most recent of 341 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-15 · Unknown Or Other“1. vanos bolts recall. nhtsa recall 23v-707. cause the car the have a rough idle, check engine light, car to stall, and cut off in traffic all with seconds. dealership says it was not the vanos bolts that cause the shutdown, but it is the dme and icm. 2. the safety of myself and my 15 year old daughter was at risk, along with the drivers on the hi…”
2025-11-17 · Power Train“i am filing a complaint regarding the recall work performed on my 2011 bmw 528i for the vanos bolt safety recall. the recall notice stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive until repaired. i arranged towing to jackie cooper bmw in edmond, oklahoma because of this safety warning. the dealership performed the recall repair and released the vehicle bac…”
2025-10-22 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 528i. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v707000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and conf…”
2025-09-24 · Power Train · 80,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 528i. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. the contact pulled over, and after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. the contact was able to restart the vehicle, and the message "drivetrain malfunction" was displayed. the contact sta…”
2025-05-29 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 123,568 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 528i. the contact received notification of nhtsa recall campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling), and the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the recall repair. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the message "drive train malfunction - drive moderately" was displayed. the vehicle was towed to …”
2025-02-22 · Power Train“it feels like someone is hitting me from behind when it downshifts from i believe 2nd into 1st gear. its a hard down shift. i was told by a mechanic at bavarian auto in bakersfield ca. his name is sal and he is the owner. i told him when i took my car in that i wanted the transmission fluid changed. he told me it's a lifetime transmission and it ne…”
2025-02-12 · Electrical System:starter Assembly · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 528i. the contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the starter was replaced; however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the starter was replaced; however, the failure persisted. the contact stated that while stopped at a tra…”
2025-02-11 · Structure:body:trunk Lid“on february 1,2025 pushed the trunk release at autozone to take battery out of vehicle. and, trunk spring/release was so strong the trunk broke my back windshield again. this would be the second time i've had this happen. the first was on august9.2023. ever since i've purchased the vehicle the trunk ring/release has been real strong. this really ne…”
2025-02-10 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 112,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 528i. the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling); however, following the recall repair, the vehicle was stalling with the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle was towed back to the same dealer. the contact stat…”
2024-11-04 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2011 bmw 528i. the contact stated that while her husband was driving at or above 50 mph on several occasions, the vehicle began shaking and running rough. the check engine warning light flashed on and off during one occasion and then remained illuminated. additionally, on two occasions while stopped at a red light and a stop sign…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.