KnownCarProblems2012 BMW 528i Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 90 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 BMW 528i, most often about the engine (53% of complaints, typically around 83,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about 528i model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2012 BMW 528i problems
Engine
48 complaints · 53%Half of these problems showed up before 83,000 miles.
Last week I was on the nj turnpike when all of a sudden my car stall and lost power, I barley got off the turnpike when the car came to a completely stop. No warning messages or noises just stopped. Fortunately no accident occurred due to this but could have been an ugly one. The car would not start and was towed to…
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528i. The contact noticed that the vehicle was included in several technical service bulletins. He was concerned that BMW had several lawsuits regarding the timing belt. The manufacturer extended the warranties from 50,000 to 70,000 miles related to the timing chains, sprockets, oil pumps…
Fuel system
29 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
Car was on while parked and just shut off would not start back up . Took it to the dealership found out that the fuel pump and module needs to be replaced
While driving, my car stalled suddenly without giving me a prior warning. It put me in an extremely dangerous situation. BMW diagnosed it: failure in the fuel supply system. This must be investigated. This problem has also seen in other BMW models. I have 80000 miles on my car. The car is always serviced by BMW…
Transmission
20 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline.
Defective drive train - on march 11, 2019 my drive train malfunction and which damage my engine. This is an safety concern because my car stop on the freeway while I was driving. BMW mfg knew about the defective drive train prior to me purchasing car from fields BMW on july 2013. BMW north america offer to pay 21,000…
Last week I was on the nj turnpike when all of a sudden my car stall and lost power, I barley got off the turnpike when the car came to a completely stop. No warning messages or noises just stopped. Fortunately no accident occurred due to this but could have been an ugly one. The car would not start and was towed to…
Electrical
12 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 69,000 miles.
Last month my car was approximately 52,200 miles (out of warranty) and leaking oil all over my driveway and under the hood. It cost me $1570 to fix by replacing the fiter casing. Luckily that the oil leak was in my driveway. What if I was on the freeway? This is totally unsafe car to drive. The local shop told me that…
While driving, the car started to hesitate, didn't accelerate, and shut down. While turning out of the gas station onto the major road, it stalled. I had to put the car in park and then tried to restart it. After the third try it restarted. Once after starting the vehicle, the car started to shake violently and a…
Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 66,000 miles.
My BMW 528i 2012 I bought used in april 2015. In november 2015 my check engine light came on. Then it went away , but a week later it came on and another light saying the coolant was low. I took it to be topped off that did not work. My car went from yellow zone to red severe when driving home with my kids on a busy…
At 2:30am on 4/29/17 saturday morning, we heard a loud bang while driving 70mph on the interstate...turns out that the sunroof exploded out of no where...glass was all over US...very scary situation.
Brakes
4 complaints · 4%Vacuum pump; epdw, vacuum lines - a vacuum pump is used to supply a vacuum for teh vehicle components that require this, such as the brake booster.
Early 528i, f10 models have factory software glitch that improperly set front brake mileage to an erroneous 3100 miles when reset after front brake replacement. BMW does not take ownership of software issue and places software upgrade cost on customer through dealership. Issue does not arise until after warranty has…
Body and structure
3 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: body.
I was driving at 30, and hit a pot-hole. All of sudden my rare passenger door popped opened. My dash board started lighting, and also the interior lights started lighting. Taken to the dealer immediately as we carry our baby often times in the rear seat (he was not in the car when incident happened), and they said…
The front passenger occupancy seat sensor is defective/not working even though the car has only 25,000 miles. This is a safety issue and there are so many owners has similar issue with this design
Steering
3 complaints · 3%I ran over a pot hole, about 4" deep, and both passenger side rims were bent so bad that they have to be replaced. The tires also had to be replaced along with the electronic power steering module. Total cost of repair was $8,229 I previously had a BMW 750il 2008. I also hit a pot hole at about 45 MPH and the front…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 BMW 528i recalls
Electrical: connectors/plugs/receptacles
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on march 28, 2025. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc. (bmw) is recalling certain 2012-2015 x1 sdrive28i, x1 xdrive28i, 2012-2016 z4 sdrive28i, 528i, 528i xdrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 x5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xdrive, 328xi gran turismo, 2013-2017 x3 sdrive28i, x3 xdrive28i, 2015-2018 x4 xdrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
Fuel system: fuel pump
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.
Full defect summary
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 xdrive vehicles. The affected vehicles have in-tank fuel pumps that may have insufficiently crimped wire contacts.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: A failure of the brake vacuum pump results in a reduction in braking power that could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will install a locking ring in the camshaft to retain the camshaft seal disk in the proper location, free of charge. The recall began on december 2, 2014. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america llc (bmw) is recalling certain model year 2014 bmw 328i xdrive sports wagon, 2012-2014 bmw 320i sedan, 328i sedan, 320i xdrive sedan, 328i xdrive sedan, 2012-2013 bmw 528i sedan, 528i xdrive sedan, 2013-2014 bmw x1 sdrive28i, x1 xdrive28i sports activity vehicle, 2013-2014 bmw x3 xdrive28i sports activity vehicle, 2012-2014 bmw z4 sdrive28i roadster, and 2014 bmw 428i coupe, and 428i xdrive coupe. Due to insufficient lubrication, the vacuum pump that supplies brake power assistance may fail. Note: this recall is an expansion of recall 13v-454.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: A failure of the brake vacuum pump results in a reduction in braking power that could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will modify the vehicles to prevent insufficient vacuum pump lubrication, free of charge. The safety recall began on january 31, 2014. Owners may contact bmw customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email bmw at [email protected].
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america llc (bmw) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 320i, 328i, 320i xdrive, and 328i xdrive sedans; model year 2014 328i xdrive sports wagons; model year 2012-2013 528i and 528i xdrive sedans, model year 2013-2014 x1 sdrive28i and x1 xdrive28i vehicles and model year 2012-2014 z4 sdrive28i roadsters. Due to insufficient lubrication, the vacuum pump that supplies brake power assistance may fail.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of power assist braking
Summary
In a letter dated september 26, 2013, bmw group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (my) 2012 through 2014 bmw 3-series, 5-series, x1 sav, x3 sav, and z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA recall 13v-454).according to bmw, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft may result in blocking of the oil supply to the vacuum pump, resulting in improper pump operation and loss of power assist braking.on july 11, 2013, bmw initiated a change to the camshaft geometry that prevented the seal disk from blocking the oil port.bmw has not received any bra
Questions about the 2012 BMW 528i
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 BMW 528i?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (48 complaints, typically around 83,000 miles); fuel system (29 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); transmission (20 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 BMW 528i have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 13, 2024 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2012 a bad year for the BMW 528i?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about 528i model year since 2000, with 90 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.