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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2016 BMW 528I Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
3about this part
Share
5%of 59 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2016 BMW 528I, 5% of the 59 complaints for this model year.

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.

“Very often, when I change the gear to 'Drive' or 'Reverse' I get a message on the dashboard screen - secure Vehicle against rolling and the car DOES NOT move unless I shift the auto gear lever several times or sometimes shut off the engine to get back to normal driving. Once when I was in such a situation, no matter what I do, the error message would not go away and I had to call the tow truck to get home. And when tow truck person brought the car home, the problem fixed itself!! I only have 81000 miles on this car. It is a very serious safety issue as far as I am concerned. PLEASE HELP.”

NHTSA complaint #11676315, filed 2025-07

“Driveshaft dampener (Guibo) is cracking with 57k miles on the vehicle. This may be the result of poor manufacturing quality. This problem was identified by the BMW dealership while performing a routine service inspection.”

NHTSA complaint #11595922, filed 2024-06

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201635%
201535%
201459%
20131318%
20122022%
20112521%
2010914%
20081513%
199949%
1998412%
1997512%

Other parts of the 2016 BMW 528I

Electrical system
33 complaints
Engine cooling
26 complaints
Engine
17 complaints
Air bags
5 complaints
Fuel system
5 complaints
Other or unknown
5 complaints
Suspension
3 complaints
Exterior lighting
2 complaints
Vehicle speed control
2 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Steering
1 complaints
Body and structure
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 BMW 528I

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