NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
30 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Jan 31, 2025
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
After purchasing this vehicle from my aunt and uncle my one headlight when bad after purchasing the headlights I replaced both the right and left one while removing the old headlights the insulation from the wires just crumbles off casuing a short bc the wires are zip tied several times together and causes my lights to flicker o…
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After purchasing this vehicle from my aunt and uncle my one headlight when bad after purchasing the headlights I replaced both the right and left one while removing the old headlights the insulation from the wires just crumbles off casuing a short bc the wires are zip tied several times together and causes my lights to flicker or not work at all while the the car keeps notifying me that there is an issue never couple seconds
NHTSA ODI #11640016
Mileage unknown · Nov 17, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineFire
I bought a 2008 528i July 2024. Got Emissions & Tag at the end of August. Oct 5 2024. My car was on Fire. Drove the car 11 mins got out for a few mins got bk in crunk the car and a flame shot out of what I'm assuming is a fuse box on the driver side. The car had flames coming from under the steering wheel area in the dash. When …
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I bought a 2008 528i July 2024. Got Emissions & Tag at the end of August. Oct 5 2024. My car was on Fire. Drove the car 11 mins got out for a few mins got bk in crunk the car and a flame shot out of what I'm assuming is a fuse box on the driver side. The car had flames coming from under the steering wheel area in the dash. When we crunk the car we could smell wire burning at first. Then flames..The vehicle has an active recall that clearly says A Pcv heater valve will cause the vehicle to over heat and short circuit causing a fire. Wiring harness needs to be replaced by adding a fuse to keep this from happening. The car was having issues passing the emissions. It was throwing a code something to do with the crankcase positioner something to do with Emissions. The car started running rough and idling rough before the fire happened.I sent bmw pics and the fire report. The fire report states it was an electrical fire. I never looked under my hood bc I was afraid I'd get burned. Not sure if anything else was damaged under the hood.Bc my vehicle is 16years old Bmw will not even send an inspector out to the garage where the vehicle sits just a month after getting it on the road..They first said it had aftermarket lights on the right side of the car by looking at pics I sent. That is false it's not even a light bmw placed a reflector sticker cc when they made the vehicle it peeled off after the first wash. This same technician that doesn't know a light from a reflector then claimed my wiring harness is aftermarket bc he says he can't see bmw sticker. It was a fire the car is damaged the sticker prolly melted along with the fuse box..I ask that bmw respect my vehicle that I just saved my $ to purchase 107,000 miles on it should hv never caught on fire..I need an inspector to go out and check my vehicle in person..Not guess and claim aftermarket parts. I'm not the only person this has happened to. Someone is gonna get killed bc of BMWs manufacturing company. This is serious.
NHTSA ODI #11625751
Mileage unknown · Nov 29, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine
Been smelling burning plastic/or oil thru air vents. as if the pvc valve was melting per recall description on probles, it fits the description, the only thing that happened to the car recently is one of the windows regulator anti trap functions it says antitrap function window disabled, then slowly started noticing burning sm…
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Been smelling burning plastic/or oil thru air vents. as if the pvc valve was melting per recall description on probles, it fits the description, the only thing that happened to the car recently is one of the windows regulator anti trap functions it says antitrap function window disabled, then slowly started noticing burning smell for the first 10 minutes of everyday drive, my safety and many others could be very compromised , as I live on a mobile home community, and these properties have a high risk of fire hazard, and the fumes I am smelling, also I dont wanna get caught in a vehicle fire anywhere, much less on traffic, freeway or cause an accidents because of disabled vehicle, - the list goes on . thanks For allowing me to make a complaint and bring awareness for many other owners
NHTSA ODI #11495394
Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingPower TrainFire
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward and jerked significantly. The contact released the accelerator pedal and the failure stopped temporarily. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The …
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The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward and jerked significantly. The contact released the accelerator pedal and the failure stopped temporarily. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The contact stated that whenever the failure occurred, she would veer to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle would restart on some occasions and would fail to restart on other occasions. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where the battery was replaced. However, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on two occasions. The independent mechanic replaced the battery and fuses. However, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled a strong burning odor and she noticed smoke in the rear of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road, where she noticed flames on the rear driver's side of the vehicle where the gas tank was located. The contact immediately exited the vehicle. The contact also saw flames underneath the hood. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of fire extinguishers and the fire department. A fire department was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic. The independent mechanic jumpstarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence. The contact later received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine And Engine Cooling), which she associated with the failure. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ODI #11487074
198,460 miles · Dec 21, 2020
Electrical SystemSeat BeltsUnknown Or Other
FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES ON AND IT PULLS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE IT FEELS LIKE THE WHEEL IS GOING TO COME OFF AND THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT IS LOCKED WHERE IT WON'T EXTENDED OUT TO BUCKLE AND THE CAR DOG WALKS BACK AND FORTH WHILE DRIVING
NHTSA ODI #11384325
140,000 miles · Oct 14, 2020
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, SO I AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMED THAT THE BULL WAS BLOWN. WENT AND BOUGHT $100 BULL THAT CONTROLS THE HIGH BEAM AND THE LOW BEAMS, REPLACE THE BULB, AND THE HEADLIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. TOOK THE BALL BACK AND GOT ANOTHER BULB, AND THE HEADLIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. AS I WAS REPLACING THE BULB I NOTICED …
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DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, SO I AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMED THAT THE BULL WAS BLOWN. WENT AND BOUGHT $100 BULL THAT CONTROLS THE HIGH BEAM AND THE LOW BEAMS, REPLACE THE BULB, AND THE HEADLIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. TOOK THE BALL BACK AND GOT ANOTHER BULB, AND THE HEADLIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. AS I WAS REPLACING THE BULB I NOTICED BARE WIRES SHOWING, ON MULTIPLE WIRES, AS FAR AS I COULD SEE. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE , AS IT COULD CAUSE MY CAR TO CATCH FIRE.
NHTSA ODI #11364401
124,000 miles · Mar 18, 2019
Electrical SystemEngineSteeringFire
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 528I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED, THE BATTERY AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS FLASHED, AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY FOR DIAGNOST…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 528I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED, THE BATTERY AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS FLASHED, AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THE RESULTS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), BUT THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE A RECALL NOTIFICATION. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN DUE TO THE FAILURES. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000.
NHTSA ODI #11189704
124,000 miles · Feb 4, 2019
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
ALL OF THE INTERNAL HEADLIGHT WIRING INSULATION ON BOTH HEADLIGHTS IS CRUMBLING OFF WHICH IS EXPOSING THE COPPER WIRE, CAUSING SPARKS AND SHORTING OUT. I HAVE PERFORMED MUCH ONLINE RESEARCH AND APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW. CURRENTLY IT'S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S UNPREDICTABLE WHEN HEADLIGHTS WILL SHORT OUT …
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ALL OF THE INTERNAL HEADLIGHT WIRING INSULATION ON BOTH HEADLIGHTS IS CRUMBLING OFF WHICH IS EXPOSING THE COPPER WIRE, CAUSING SPARKS AND SHORTING OUT. I HAVE PERFORMED MUCH ONLINE RESEARCH AND APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW. CURRENTLY IT'S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S UNPREDICTABLE WHEN HEADLIGHTS WILL SHORT OUT WHILE DRIVING, LOSING SIGHT OF THE ROAD AND POSSIBLY INCREASING RISK OF ACCIDENT.
NHTSA ODI #11174372
95,000 miles · May 20, 2018
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
HEADLIGHT WIRING INSIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY IS DETERIORATING BADLY. THE PROTECTIVE COATING IS CRACKING AND FLAKING OFF LEAVING THE EXPOSED COPPER CORE WHICH IN TURN SHORTS OUT THE LIGHTS. POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD AS WELL.
NHTSA ODI #11096951
140,000 miles · Dec 8, 2017
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel/propulsion System
CAR POWER SUDDENLY STOPS WITHOUT WARNING. USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN I'M EITHER DRIVING OR WHEN I AM IDLE; WHEN DRIVING IT JUST STOPS, AND WHEN I AM IN IDLE, IT VIBRATES VIGOROUSLY AND THEN STOPS.
NHTSA ODI #11053530
Official recalls
2Oct 30, 2017
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Sep 11, 2013
BMW is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2010 528i, 535i, 550i, and M5 passenger cars manufactured from March 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009. Over time, increased resistance at the taillight electrical contact points may cause damage to the ground terminal and housing of the connector resulting in an intermittent or permanent loss of functionality of one or more rear lamp functions (tail, brake, turn-signal, reverse).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Intermittent light operation reduces the ability to warn other motorists of the driver's intentions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear lamp bulb carriers free of charge. Owners may contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗