2013 Bmw 528xi problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (21) · Power Train (14) · Engine And Engine Cooling (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw 528xi model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
30 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting 2015-03-31 · campaign 15V188000 · 13,443 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2013 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, and ActiveHybrid 5 vehicles. The rear reflex reflectors may not reflect enough light. As such, the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: The vehicle may be less visible to other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear reflex reflectors, free of charge. The recall began July 28, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Service bulletins (11)
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
Electrical System 2018-08-01 · B170318 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
butt connector for repairing a plug connection. the ?top up coolant? message is displayed in the central display (cc message id 166). when checking the cooling system there are no leaks found and the expansion tank is filled to the proper level.
Equipment 2017-06-01 · SIM010917 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
shipping specific non-deployed vehicle safety devices to lighting resources, llc. this service information bulletin provides information on shipping "specific" noin-deployed vehicle safety devices that are classified as dangerous goods (dg) to lighting resources, llc
Showing the 6 most recent of 11 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-24 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528xi. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system). the contact stated that due to an unrelated failure with the steering column, the vehicle was towed to a dealer for service. the contact stated that the tow truck driver disconnected the battery p…”
2026-07-29 · Engine“i am submitting this report to notify the national highway traffic safety administration of a safety‑related defect involving the bmw n20/n26 engine timing chain assembly. my vehicle experienced a sudden and complete engine failure at highway speed due to a timing chain malfunction. this failure occurred without warning and created an immediate sa…”
2026-03-20 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 117,217 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2013 bmw 528xi. the vehicle was a dealer sale. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the messages "drivetrain malfunction - drive moderately" and "contact the service center" were displayed. the vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it was purchased; however, the dealer refused t…”
2025-09-08 · Power Train“my 2013 bmw 528i was serviced under recall 24v-608 (coolant pump electrical connector / dme). after the recall was marked complete, the car developed several serious failures: coolant pump / connector (recall item) – the dealer refused to replace the coolant pump even though the recall notice from the government includes both the pump and connecto…”
2025-08-08 · Power Train“both of my headlights had moisture. i replaced the driverside first because you could literally see water sitting in the headlamp. then i replaced the passengerside a year later because it was doing the same thing that the driver side started doing. i have not had any accidents nor has there been any damage to the front of the car. it appears that …”
2025-06-14 · Exterior Lighting“the head lights are frequently burn out although there is no break in the light covers. it is unpredictable and unsafe especially because alot of my driving is at night. …”
2025-05-20 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528xi. 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 rep…”
2025-04-28 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528xi. 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 conf…”
2025-04-25 · Engine“the timing chain became stretched so that the valve timing with the pistons had been altered so that a valve face almost hit the top of a piston(one more tooth on the intake camshaft gear would have caused an impact between the piston top and a valve face causing the motor to stall and cease operation thereby causing the vehicle to lose power and p…”
2025-04-22 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2013 bmw 528i. 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.