88 complaints reported

2008 BMW 3 Series Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
88
Crashes
1
Fires
9
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jan 2013

NOTICED A LOUD RAPID NOISE FROM RIGHT FRONT TIRE AREA WHEN TAKING A LEFT CAR WAS FINE INFACT DAYS BEFORE WAS IN THE DEALER FOR A RECALL BUT DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THAT DAY, WE DID HIT A HARD SPOT FROM GROOVED PAVEMENT TO SMOOTH, OTHER THAN THAT NO INCIDENT OR ACCIDENT TO CAUSE THE SUDDEN NOISE. TOOL CAR TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD FRONT ENGINE MOUNT AND BOLTS WERE SHREDDED. CHARGED ALMOST $700 TO REPLACE AND REALIGN TIRES. WAS TOLD NO WARRANTY COVERS IT AND NO EXPLANATION OF HOW IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. IM SEEING ALOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, HOPING SOMEONE TAKES NOTICE AND OFFERS ASSISTANCE WITH A RECALL . *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 328XI, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Apr 2013
Aug 2012

VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, APPEARS TO BE AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION. TOOK TO BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, HOWEVER PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE WARRANTY HAS JUST EXPIRED SO I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. IT APPEARS MANY INDIVIDUALS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUES WITH THIS PARTICULAR YR, MAKE & MODEL SO UNSURE OF WHY BMW HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THIS ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE LOOKED AT BY THE MANUFACTURER AS FROM MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT OCCURRING ON THE HIGHWAY IT CAN DEFINITELY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335XI, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: May 2012
Mar 2012

WHEN TRAVELLING ON HARLEM RIVER DRIVE MIDDLE LANE, MY CAR ALL THE SUDDEN DISPLAYED AN ENGINE OVERHEAT LIGHT YELLOW THAT TURNED RED WITHIN 3 SECONDS AND STARTED LOSING POWER (FROM 50-60 MPH TO 1 MPH) WITHIN 5 SECONDS...THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION, AS I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH WARNING TIME TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER. THE DEALERSHIP IS STATING THAT THIS IS A WATER PUMP FAILURE. I AM AWARE THAT THERE ARE RECALLS ON X5S BUT NOT ON MY CAR. MY FRIEND WHO OWNS THE SAME CAR AND YEAR HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM RESULTING IN THE SAME COST OF REPAIR ($1600). MY VEHICLE ALREADY HAS MANY RECALLS INCLUDING SEAT BELTS, AIR BAGS, AND HIGH PRESSURED FUEL PUMPS. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A CAR THAT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY BMW AND JUST OUT OF WARRANTY (LESS THAN 60000 MILES). NOT EVEN 4 YEARS YET. I HAVE OWNED MANY BMWS AND OTHER CARS AND NEVER HAD A WATER PUMP FAILURE THAT CAUSED A DANGER OF THIS MAGNITUDE... I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU WOULD INVESTIGATE THE SITUATION TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO OTHER OWNERS. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 3 SERIES, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Mar 2012
Nov 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AS THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO JERK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE FOUR MOTOR MOUNT BOLTS WERE FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 328I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Nov 2011
Aug 2011

WHILE DRIVING A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD. THE CAR MADE NOISE AFTER THAT DRIVING IT. THE CAR WAS THEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND UPON EXAMINATION IT WAS DISCOVERED THE MOUNTING BOLTS ( ALUMINUM ) FOR RIGHT ENGINE SUPPORT ARM BROKE. THEY WERE REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP AS THEY SAID IT WAS A FLAW IN THE ENGINE BOLTS. THE CAR HAD 40,984 MILES.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 328XI, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jul 2011
Jan 2011

2008 BMW 328I STALLS WHILE DRIVING. ONCE STALLED UNDER POWER AS I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC - DEALER SAID NO CODE WAS THROWN SO THEY WERE UNABLE TO ADDRESS. THE OTHER STALLS HAVE NOT DURING SLOWDOWN PERIOD, NOT AS CRITICAL BUT THEY COME WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER WHICH IS DANGEROUS! NO ACCIDENT FROM IT YET BUT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. FIRST OCCURRENCE IN 2010, TWO MORE RECENTLY DEC 2010 & JAN 2011. *LN

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 3 SERIES, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jan 2011
Sep 2010

I HAVE A 2008 BMW 335I AND THE CAR HAS LOST POWER ON FOUR OCCASIONS, WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN. THE DEALER WAS NOT RESPONSIVE TO MY COMPLAINTS EVEN AFTER IT SPENT OVER A MONTH AT THE DEALER IN 2009. THEY KEPT SAYING THE REPAIRED THE CAR, I WOULD DRIVE IT HOME AND THEN THE NEXT DAY WHEN I WENT TO START IT THE CAR WOULD AN ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND THE CAR WOULD SHAKE TERRIBLY. THE KEEP TELLING ME IT IS THE FUEL INJECTION AND THAT HAS BEEN REPLACED A NUMBER OF TIMES BUT I AM FEARFUL TO DRIVE THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY IN CASE THE ENGINE FAILS AGAIN. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: May 2009
Jul 2010

WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST SIGNIFICANT POWER AND CAR DISPLAYED AN ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jul 2010
Jul 2010

2008 BMW 335I INFAMOUS FAILING HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP). SYMPTOMS OF A FAILING PUMP ARE LONG CRANKS UPON START UP AND IF IT FAILS DURING DRIVING, IT CAN LEAVE YOU STRANDED. MY HPFP FAILED ONLY ONCE AROUND 22,000 MILES AND WAS REPLACED PROMPTLY BY BMW. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jan 2009
Jul 2010

AFTER STARTING MY BMW IT OCCASIONALLY WILL RUN FINE FOR BETWEEN SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET AND THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE AND THEN BRIEFLY STALL. THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. IT SEEM TO HAPPEN AFTER IT HAS BEEN PARKED FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME (ANYWHERE FROM A FEW MINUTES TO A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR). ONE TIME I HAD TO COAST OFF THE ROAD AND RE-START THE CAR. THE OTHER TWO TIMES THE CAR HAS BRIEFLY STALLED (ALL THE DASH LIGHTS COME ON AS IF IT HAS BEEN SHUT OFF WITH THE KEY ON), THE CAR SLOWED DOWN AND THEN THE MOTOR CAUGHT AGAIN AND BEGAN RUNNING NORMALLY. MY CAR HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE LAST TIME THEY REPLACED THE #4 SPARK PLUG AND THIS SEEMS TO HAVE FIXED ANOTHER PROBLEM I HAD WITH THE CAR RUNNING WITH LOW POWER FOR A FEW MOMENTS, HOWEVER IT HAS NOT CURED THE STALLING ISSUE. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IF SOMEONE WERE PASSING A CAR OR IN HEAVY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I AM HOPING THAT THE DEALER WILL EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO FIX MY PROBLEM. I HAVE APPROXIMATELY 44,000 MILES ON MY CAR SO I HAVE ABOUT 8,000 MILES LEFT IN WARRANTY. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: May 2010
Feb 2010

ON THREE OCCASIONS SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW, WHILE DRIVING AND ACCELERATING THE ENGINE CUTS OUT AND RPM'S SUDDENLY DROP. THE DATE REFERENCED BELOW WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE SINCE THEN. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN ALL THREE TIMES. THEY CHANGED SOME PARTS, BUT THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. AT ONE TIME, I WAS TRY TO GET THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT, IT WAS SCARY. ANOTHER TIME WAS CHANGING LANES ON A HIGHWAY. THIS SEEMS TO BE INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 3 SERIES, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Mar 2008
Feb 2009

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE FOR ~100 MILES AND THEN EXITED. AT THE FIRST RED LIGHT THE CAR STALLED AND REFUSED TO RUN NORMALLY. IT SPUTTERED AND STALLED REPEATEDLY. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT A DEALER WAS WITHIN 1 MILE AND WAS ABLE TO EFFECT REPAIR. THE PROBLEM WAS FAILURE OF A PRESSURE PUMP WHICH WE WERE TOLD IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH CAR. BMW HAS NOT DESPITE THE FREQUENCY OF THIS PROBLEM PUT OUT A SAFETY RECALL. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE PROBLEM. HAD THE PUMP FAILED A FEW MINUTES EARLIER WE WOULD HAVE STALLED ON THE FL. TURNPIKE WHILE TRAVELING 70 MILES PER HOUR. THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REQUIRE BMW RECALL ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS PUMP. OUR CAR HAD ONLY 4400 MILES ON IT AT TIME OF FAILURE AND WAS IN FRO SERVICING 3 WEEKS PRIOR. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS CONDITION. WHEN WE CONTACTED THE DEALER ON THE PHONE WHO REPAIRED OUR VEHICLE HE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM ON THE PHONE. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A WELL KNOWN TO BMW AND FREQUENT PROBLEM. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Feb 2009
Oct 2008

335I GIVING TROUBLE AND CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES. CAR LOSES POWER WHILE DRIVING AND ENGINE GOES INTO CRISIS MODE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2008 BMW 335I, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Oct 2008

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2008 BMW 3 Series has 88 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.