What breaks most · 2007 to 2013 model years
BMW 328 problems by year
Owners have filed 85 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW 328 across model years 2007 to 2013. Three years stand out: 2011 for air bags complaints, 2009 for air bags complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2008 and 2007.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2009, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 852007 to 2013, all trims
- Worst year
- 201137 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 43 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 71kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 7Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (4) | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | Air bags (7) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (2) | |
| 37 | 2 | 1 | Air bags (13) | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (3) | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | Engine (4) |
What fails on the 2011 BMW 328
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 35% |
13 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 24% |
9 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 BMW 328 |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
5 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
4 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 BMW 328 |
| Seat belts | 11% |
4 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2011 BMW 328 |
| Seats | 5% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The door handle actuator sporadically fails and the door can not be opened with either the inside or outside door handle.
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Heat not working on car. Concerned about fire before recall is fixed. Plus, i am freezing in winter weather conditions. I have been told by dealership bmw has not released parts to fix. This is unacceptable.
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Can't get the car into neutral. Tow truck driver was not able to get car into neutral as well. Could not get access on side of road to get car into neutral . The procedure in the manual did not work. This should be illegal, there should be a manual release from within the inside of the car
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which BMW 328 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2009, 2013 carry the most filings on the BMW 328. The 2011 alone has 37 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common BMW 328 problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 13 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW 328 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW 328 complaints that include mileage is about 71,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.