2013 BMW 528I Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: September 12, 2025 · Filed: September 13, 2025

On [XXX], Century West BMW in North Hollywood, CA performed recall 20E-A01 B120921 (DME reprogram/connector update) on my 2013 BMW 528i. Within 30 minutes of leaving the dealership, the car displayed a red “engine overheating – stop immediately” warning while I was in a crowded intersection with my child in the vehicle. This created an immediate danger to us and to surrounding traffic. Prior to the recall, the vehicle had no history of overheating. When I returned the next morning ([XXX]), the service advisor admitted they had no timestamp or documentation of the coolant bleed procedure. Instead of proving the recall was performed correctly, the dealership attempted to shift blame onto unrelated issues such as the thermostat or an oil leak, even sending me a video of the oil leak but providing no proof of proper recall completion or verification. This negligence placed me, my child, and the public at serious risk of injury and could have caused catastrophic engine damage. The fact that the vehicle overheated almost immediately after recall work indicates the recall was not properly completed or verified, and the car was returned to me in an unsafe condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: June 21, 2024 · Filed: August 14, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated that after driving and parking the vehicle, the contact smelled an abnormal burning odor. The contact stated the burning odor occurred frequently. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact was unaware that the vehicle needed to be taken to an authorized BMW dealer for the recall repair. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact was referred to a BMW dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

Incident: June 2, 2025 · Filed: June 2, 2025

Hello my name is [XXX] and I am (was) the owner of a 2013 BMW 528i VIN [XXX] . It was a secondary vehicle for me for until I sustained an injury and it being my primary vehicle. I took it through emissions, updated the registration, and I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I had driven it without a problem then in Juneit did not run at all. At that time there was a recall on the computer system and supposedly it needed a new key programmed to start. That was a 700 expense out of pocket and the car still did not even turn over. I authorized replacing the battery that was another 600, and still the car would not start or run.At this point they were just guessing at what was wrong and going though the process of elimination to try to rectify what was wrong with the car. They did not offer me any kind of courtesy vehicle or even rental discount so I was renting a car while they were trying to figure out what was wrong with the car. I am a small business owner of a non-profit company Modern Day Ministries, LLC that provides assistance to at risk youth and single mothers with disabilities and funding my own organization without loans or assistance. After three months of renting a car, the dealership at 7455 W. Orchid Lane Chandler, Arizona 85226 who had my vehicle only wanted me to keep paying for parts, which for BMW are extremely costly but could not guarantee the car was working. At that time it was known there was a recall on the fuel pump leaking, destroying the electrical system and causing smoking from under the hood or system malfunction, which in my case it fried the electrical system and the car had to be reprogrammed but I had to pay for the new key. I had incurred over 1500.00 in car repairs and another 3000 for renting a car for over 3 months waiting for a remedy. The dealership manager Shane Ohanran I had conversations with failed to take any kind of responsibility for any repairs. I am asking 5000 for out of pocket costs incurred INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: April 22, 2025 · Filed: April 22, 2025

Unrepaired recall. No remedy available for over 8 months, with manufacturer acknowledging that there could a vehicle fire in some cases.

Incident: February 21, 2025 · Filed: February 21, 2025

Unknown

Incident: February 18, 2025 · Filed: February 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump and plug connector had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: October 22, 2024 · Filed: January 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine and entering the cabin through the vents. The engine warning light was illuminated. There were unknown messages displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. 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 repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: December 19, 2024 · Filed: December 26, 2024

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 contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: August 13, 2024 · Filed: December 4, 2024

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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the engine overheated and there was white smoke coming from under the hood. The messages low coolant and engine overheating were displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to allow the engine to cool down before continuing to drive. The contact stated that while checking the coolant level, the coolant level was in the normal range. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 98,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: November 13, 2024 · Filed: November 13, 2024

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 not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the contact noticed a smoke-like smell coming from the vehicle with no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.