2012 BMW 528I problems
The 2012 BMW 528I has 146 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (33%) concerns engine. Next are fuel system (21%) and drivetrain & axles (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 146 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 69,000 miles 98 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 21 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 16 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 22 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 98 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 69,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 83,000 miles (32 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the BMW 528I with enough data (40 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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.
This 2012 BMW 528, while standing still on a city street, was struck from behind on the left rear corner and the active headrest restraint system was activated striking the driver in the head and causing a traumatic brain injury.
Was driving down the street and car stopped. Dealer said I needed a new engine on a 3 yr old car. Engine covered under warranty.a few years later the drive shaft failed as I was driving. Believe it was related to removing engine and not securing all parts. How could this happen to a 5 yr old car? Dealer nor BMW USA would not cover the 2800 costs.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Engine Malfunction" message was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted 20 minutes later after several attempts.