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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2016 BMW 328I Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
8about this part
Share
14%of 57 total for the year
Median mileage
30,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2016 BMW 328I, 14% of the 57 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 30,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

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

“The vehicle front end will shake and lurch left and right when driving at freeway speeds. When driving at or below 25mph, and a small but sharp bump in the road is driven over, the entire steering column will shake and the suspension in the front (in particular the drivers side) will make a loud clunking/popping sound. I've had the vehicle inspected by the dealership 2 times. They tell me that the noise is normal and common on this year and make. …”

NHTSA complaint #11162347, filed 2018-12, 33,000 miles

“I would like to note that it was the driveshaft that caused this. The connection between the driveshaft and the flange loosened completely. There are previous recalls for this with Bmw. The vehicle was on a highway, going 65mph and all of a sudden there was vibration and noise from underneath the vehicle. All of a sudden it slowed down to the point where it would no longer driveable. I was going 5mph (barely) to get off the exit and was not able to make a turn. I shut the car off and restarted it and was able to move to a safe parking lot 10 feet away. …”

NHTSA complaint #11174265, filed 2019-02, 30,000 miles

“This happened two separate times about 2 weeks apart.. The car was stopped at a stoplight. Foot on brake. Suddenly engine started revving and car leaped forward. Brake did not stop it. The second time, (august 31, 2020) the car reared-ended the car in front, possibly causing injury to that driver. Neither car was harmed.”

NHTSA complaint #11353027, filed 2020-09, 18,000 miles

“When I drive and come to a stop, the car shifts into nuetral. This has happened several times. I have to put the car in Park and restart it. We have checked the codes and have replaced the battery. The car only has 51k miles on it and is not driven more than 2-4 days a week.”

NHTSA complaint #11485534, filed 2022-09

“car stops while driving, battery also draws while not in use. which is very dangerous. Already filed report with dealer ship for car. We will be having an another baby this winter and it is getting to the point where It can be very dangerous for my family. We got it checked but since it’s a manufacturer issue is what they said. Since this car doesn’t have any recalls dealer doesn’t want to do anything. We noticed that many other cars of same year have the same problem.”

NHTSA complaint #11554684, filed 2023-11

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 2016 BMW 328I

Electrical system
21 complaints
Engine
15 complaints
Other or unknown
14 complaints
Engine cooling
13 complaints
Brakes
8 complaints
Vehicle speed control
4 complaints
Steering
3 complaints
Air bags
2 complaints
Electronic stability control
1 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
1 complaints
Fuel system
1 complaints
Seat belts
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 BMW 328I

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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