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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2012 BMW 328I Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
20about this part
Share
15%of 130 total for the year
Median mileage
63,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 20 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 BMW 328I, 15% of the 130 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was cruising on the highway when my idrive displayed 'low oil pressure warning' and 'drivetrain malfunction,' the engine weird noises before it shutdown and went into neutral while I was still around traffic. I barely made it a safe place to stop as I had to coast up a hill and then turn with whatever momentum I had. The steering wheel and brakes were extremely hard to move. I got my car towed and had a diagnostic test for codes shown in the attached screenshot. …”

NHTSA complaint #11330954, filed 2020-06, 103,000 miles

“Was driving on the highway when the computer advised to pull over in a safe place. I did and ended towing the car to the dealer for a diagnostic. Was told that the engine had to be replaced because the housing around the timing chain broke free obstructing the oil flow. The compression was good but they recommended that I replaced the engine at a 23344.20 plus taxes. Needless to say I towed the car home without repair. This is a manufactured defect because regular maintenance could not prevent this engine defect.”

NHTSA complaint #11221976, filed 2019-06, 124,000 miles

“I was driving on a busy highway and the vehicle randomly stalled and lost power. Drivetrain malfunction trouble lights lit up the dash. I was barely able to get out of traffic before coasting to a stop. I had the vehicle towed to Bmw south austin and it was diagnosed with a faulty fuel transfer pump, and a faulty fuel tank. Essentially I had run out of fuel with 1/4 tank showing on the gauges. Bmw denied my request to repair the vehicle under warranty, even though there is an extended warranty on the in tank fuel pump . …”

NHTSA complaint #11206081, filed 2019-05, 68,000 miles

“While driving in the evening I started to accelerate from a stop light and the car just stuttered out of no where and had trouble accelerating. A warning popped up that said drivetrain malfunction. The car is still not outputting enough power and the warning is still up. It goes away and then pops up after drivi g 40mph. I have done ,plenty of research on this and there are a ton of hits and complaints on this. Bmw needs to figure out what is wrong with their vehicles and send out a recall. …”

NHTSA complaint #10822067, filed 2016-01, 57,000 miles

“While driving this afternoon I started to accelerate from a stop light and the car just stuttered out of no where and had trouble accelerating. A warning popped up that said drivetrain malfunction. I took it to the closest repair shop and they ran diagnostics on it and cannot figure out what is wrong. The car is still not outputting enough power and the warning is still up. I have done research on this and there are a ton of hits on this. Bmw needs to figure out what is wrong with their vehicles and send out a recall.”

NHTSA complaint #10820551, filed 2016-01, 58,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2016814%
20151310%
201496%
2013239%
20122015%
2011244%
201043%
200984%
200873%
200772%
20002724%
19991212%
1998312%
199714%
1996413%

Other parts of the 2012 BMW 328I

Engine
55 complaints
Air bags
26 complaints
Electrical system
23 complaints
Engine cooling
16 complaints
Other or unknown
11 complaints
Fuel system
10 complaints
Seats
8 complaints
Vehicle speed control
6 complaints
Seat belts
5 complaints
Exterior lighting
4 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
Brakes
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 BMW 328I

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology