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BMW · NHTSA safety record

2015 BMW 428I

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 77 safety complaints about the 2015 BMW 428I with the US government. Of those, 10 describe a crash, 4 mention a fire, 7 people were injured and no death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 35 complaints, 45% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 60,000 miles, the median across the 36 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2014 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

77 complaints on file

77

Complaints

10

Describe a crash

4

Mention fire

7

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.

Complaints halved year on year: 9 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 24 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 35 · 45%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 26 · 34%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 · 16%
ENGINE 11 · 14%
AIR BAGS 7 · 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 · 6%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 5%
STRUCTURE 4 · 5%
TIRES 3 · 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 4%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 3%
0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 77.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 25.

28 21 14 7
14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2015 BMW 428I. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

5 on file

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:PUMP

24V608000 · August 13, 2024

The defect
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.
The risk
An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
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.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 720,796 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

24V527000 · July 11, 2024

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2015 6 Series Gran Coupe, 2014 5 Series Gran Turismo, 2014 5 Series Sedan, 2015 6 Series Convertible, 2015 6 Series Coupe, 2014 X5, 2013-2014 X3, 2014-2015 3 Series Sedan, 2014 4 Series Coupe, 2014 4 Series Convertible, 2014 3 Series Gran Turismo, and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe vehicles. Please see the recall report for the complete list of models. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury or death.
The remedy
The driver's front air bag will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 1,145 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

24V288000 · April 24, 2024

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2015 2 Series Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i), 3 Series Sedan (320i, 320i xDrive, 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335i xDrive, M3, 328d, 328d xDrive), 4 Series Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive, M4), and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive) vehicles. The head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture.
The risk
An inflator that ruptures may cause sharp metal fragments to enter or exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, an inflator that leaks gas may only partially inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the head air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 5,761 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

15V189000 · March 31, 2015

The defect
BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 228i Coupe, M235i Coupe, 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, ActiveHybrid 3, 328xi Sports Wagon, 428i Coupe, 428xi Coupe, 435i Coupe, 435xi Coupe, 428i Convertible, 428xi Convertible, 435i Convertible, 328xi Gran Turismo, 335xi Gran Turismo, and 2015 428i Gran Coupe, 428xi Gran Coupe, and 435i Gran Coupe vehicles. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing.
The risk
If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notices on May 28, 2015. The recall began on July 6, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 18,054 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

15V148000 · March 13, 2015

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 428i Convertible, 428i xDrive Convertible, 435i Convertible, and 435i xDrive Convertible vehicles manufactured October 22, 2014, to February 27, 2015. Due to a programming error, the driver's front air bag deployment timing may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
If the driver's front air bag deployment timing is incorrect, there is an increased risk of personal injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the air bag control module with corrected software version, free of charge. The recall began May 11, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 2,067 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA21002

Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021

the air bags

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · 60,000 miles

WHILE DRIVING MY 2015 BMW 428I GRAND COUPE, I WAS STRUCK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR DOOR BY A LARGE UTILITY TRUCK. THE REAR DOOR WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED AND THE GLASS SHATTERED. THERE APPEARS TO BE FRAME DAMAGE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR. THE SIDE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. I SUSTAINED INJURIES BECAUSE OF THIS SAFETY FEATURE NEVER DEPLOYED. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, WHEN A TRUCK IN THE INTERIOR LANE WENT STRAIGHT, STRIKING ME ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE DRIVER'S DOOR WAS PINNED SHUT, AND SUSTAINED SECONDARY DAMAGES. *DT *TR

NHTSA complaint 11210005. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

1 injured · crash · towed

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 BMW 428I. WHILE DRIVING OVER 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING IN THE MIDDLE LANE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS COASTING TO THE SIDE OF ROAD, IT DRASTICALLY DECELERATED AND LOST POWER, WHICH MADE IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE DRIVER EXPERIENCED WHIPLASH, CUTS, AND BRUISES TO THE ARMS, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED OF THE CRASH. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA

NHTSA complaint 11149875, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 33,000 miles

I WAS T BONED BY ANOTHER DRIVER AND MY AIRBAG DIDNT DEPLOY. MY CAR WAS GOING APPROX 20MPH AND THE OTHER VEHICLE OVER 60MPH. STRUCK DIRECTLY IN CENTER OF CAR ON PASSENGER SIDE AND ONLY TH PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW AIRBAG WAS THE ONLY ONE TO DEPLOY. THERE WAS NO PASSENGER IN MY CAR. I WAS KNOCKED OUT BY HITTING THE SIDE PANEL AND STEERING WHEEL. I WAS IN MOTION TURNING INTO MY WORK ACROSS A HIGHWAY

NHTSA complaint 11156006. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 41,502 miles

I had road side accident on4/30/21 around 3:15 pm at Clovis California air bag not deployed all front smashed my call back no is [XXX]. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint 11418061. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

77,000 miles

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in colder weather conditions, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the failure posed a potential safety risk while commuting long distances. Upon further investigation, the contact associated the failure with BMW Lawsuit Case: 17-CV-07386. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA complaint 11764729. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

towed

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 29 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat and experienced reduced power, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact stated that there were unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. Additionally, while driving at 40 MPH, the failure recurred, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11721958. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

130,000 miles

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, while attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually started. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant pump failure. The contact was informed that the coolant had been continuously running, causing the battery to completely drain. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced, the radiator needed to be flushed, and the repair of a small oil leak was needed. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System).

NHTSA complaint 11715294, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

118,357 miles

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact discovered that the water pump was continuously running after the vehicle was turned off. The contact referenced and associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,357.

NHTSA complaint 11715401. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant warning light intermittently illuminated on several occasions. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an electrical connector on the water pump that was exposed to water and that the water pump needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the manufacturer had removed the VIN from the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11692123. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed that recall parts were not yet available and advised the contact to wait for another notification to arrive when parts become available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint 11681502. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 428I

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2016 43 1 —
2014 36 6 —

Other 2015 BMW models

X5 152 328I 125 X3 105 528I 65 X1 52 I3 47 X1 SAV 42 320I 33

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.

Where these numbers come from

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
Independent developer and analyst