BMW · NHTSA safety record
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 54 safety complaints about the 2012 BMW 528XI with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 29 complaints, 54% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 75,800 miles, the median across the 36 complaints that gave an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2016 to August 2026 · How this is counted
54
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
1
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 54.
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 12.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2016 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2012 BMW 528XI, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.
| Test | 4 DR AWD |
|---|---|
| Overall | |
| Frontal crash | |
| Frontal, driver | |
| Frontal, passenger | |
| Side crash | |
| Side barrier | |
| Side pole | |
| Rollover | |
| Chance of rollover | 9.3% |
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
1 injured · crash · towed · 67,000 miles
WARNING FOR CHASSIS STABILIZATION IS ON, I ENCOUNTERED NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE AND HAD THE CAR TOWED. I WAS ON A MAIN ROAD AND I GOT REAR ENDED IMMEDIATELY AFTER I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE AND I HAD MY HAZARD LIGHTS FLASHING
NHTSA complaint 11351466. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
crash
See attached document for complaint.
NHTSA complaint 11645286. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
towed
I FOUND THE NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND TOOK INTO THE DEALER(PATRICK BMW) WITH TOWING. THEY FOUND OUT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN AND GUIDE WERE BROKEN INSIDE THE ENGINE. I NEED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. BMW HAS EXTENDED A WARRANTY TO 70K MILES REGARDING THIS PROBLEMS. MY MILEAGE IS 89K. THERE ARE MANY 5 SERIES BMW HAS THESE PROBLEMS WHEN THEY REACHED BETWEEN 90K AND 100K. BMW ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEMS AND HAVE EXTENDED TO 70K MILES. THEY ARE TRYING TO GIVING THE GESTURE TO THE CONSUMER BUT IT DOES NOT RESOLVE ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL IF IT DOES COVER BY 70K MILES. AGAIN THESE PROBLEMS USUALLY THE OCCURS BETWEEN 90K AND 100K MILES. BMW HAS REALIZED THIS BUT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEMS. I AM PAYING MORE
NHTSA complaint 11156526, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
towed · 105,628 miles
MY 2012 BMW 528 XDRIVE SUDDENLY GOT A WARNING LOW OIL PRESSURE FOLLOWS BY DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION, AND SLOWS DOWN-WENT ON NEUTRAL AND STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. ALL THAT HAPPENED WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE. I GOT IT TOWED TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDE HAS BROKEN APART, TIMING CHAIN CAME OFF, JUMPED TIME, STARVED ENGINE FOR OIL & CONTAMINATED ENGINE AND WILL REQUIRE A WHOLE NEW ENGINE REPLACE WHICH WILL COST AROUND $13756.56 +LABOR+TAX MY TOTAL WAS $ 16456. I FOUND OUT I AM NOT ALONE AND THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH BMW OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL. I ALSO CALLED THE BMW NORTH AMERICA THEY TOLD ME THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS ONLY UP TO
NHTSA complaint 11258583, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
towed · 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528XI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle came to a stop and the Automatic START/STOP feature activated; however, the engine failed to restart. The message "Drive Train Malfunction Error" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the timing chain had fractured, causing unknown parts to enter the engine. The contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the
NHTSA complaint 11758059, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
The vehicle suffered a sudden Drivetrain Malfunction and severe engine overheating while driving, resulting in a physically snapped camshaft and extensive iron shaving contamination in the oil pan (catastrophic engine failure).Ten months ago, an authorized dealership performed the official BMW Water Pump Safety Recall (NHTSA Campaign 24V608000). The vehicle has an active history of drivetrain malfunction fault codes dating back to January 2024. The failure of the recall remedy to safely maintain the cooling loop directly caused severe thermal stress and lubrication breakdown, leading to the camshaft fracturing. Additionally, this engine was under the VANOS Bolt Safety Recall (NHTSA Campaign
NHTSA complaint 11748598, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
128,900 miles
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528XI. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the "Drivetrain Malfunction" message displayed. The contact later received a notification for an unknown recall, and a diagnostic test was performed however, no failure was found for the drivetrain. The recall repair was performed. Recently, the contact stated that the vehicle would shut off soon after it was started. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic was performed; the diagnostic test discovered that the camshaft sensor was fractured, and metal shavings were found in the oil pan. The vehicle was then diagnosed with
NHTSA complaint 11745553, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
155,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528XI. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), but the failure occurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check coolant level warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the recall repair was not yet available. However, the dealer installed a splash seal. The contact notified the manufacturer of the issue, and was referred to contact another dealer since parts for the recall repair were available. The vehicle was taken to a different dealer where the remedy was available, and the contact was
NHTSA complaint 11715380, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while checking the Carfax history report of the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 138,000; however, the Carfax history report showed that the mileage was approximately 224,000.
NHTSA complaint 11678469. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
129,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact was informed that the recall repair had been performed. The contact stated that upon driving off the parking lot at the dealer and coming to a complete stop at the traffic light, the message "Drive Train Malfunction - Service to Nearest BMW Dealer as Convenient" was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle was significantly sluggish and failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that
NHTSA complaint 11654514, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 56 | 1 | — |
Complaints on file, same model year.
Every BMW on this site — 257 vehicles.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst