2012 BMW 528XI Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 29about this part
- Share
- 54%of 54 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 80,500miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the engine of the 2012 BMW 528XI, 54% of the 54 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 80,500 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I had issues with my car while driving and when taken to the dealer for check, they mentioned my timing chain and engine has some issues and needs to be replaced with an estimate of $14000 while the car loan I had on it was $12000. This is ridiculous as we already know Bmw 2012 models have engine issues.”
NHTSA complaint #11322939, filed 2020-05, 70,000 miles“I was stopped at a red light making a left hand turn when the vehicle powered off with a warning of a drive train malfunction. The vehicle did not restart and I was stranded in 10 degree temperature for 2 hours waiting for a tow. I had no warning light prior and am now told I need an entire new engine.”
NHTSA complaint #11171488, filed 2019-01, 98,000 miles“I bought a certified Bmw and had continuous issues with my engine, constantly refilling the oil, even after service. After taking this to the dealer, I was told that everything was fine and there weren't any issues. All of this finally came to a head-on sunday, 6/21/2020 when my car finally came to an abrupt stop. After towing, I was told that this is a timing chain issue and would cost me $7,400 which wouldn't necessarily remedy the issue, I heard this could reach towards 15-20k. …”
NHTSA complaint #11330703, filed 2020-06, 84,000 miles“Drivetrain malfunction light came on and now the car takes a long time to get up to any decent speed. Probably 0-35 in about 10 seconds. I was advised by a service center that timing chain failure is imminent and I would need to pay $8000 to replace the motor on a car for which I owed $11000, that at the time was only worth about $4000. As of today, it's worth about $800 with a $3800 balance on the note. Overpriced scheduled maintenance and costly repairs were all performed as they should have been.”
NHTSA complaint #11307662, filed 2020-02, 120,000 miles“Driving down the street when all of a sudden car says drive train malfunction I was stopped at the light on a one way street on 11/20/2020 when the car just died no warning just shut off wouldn't start couldn't put it in neutral blocked traffic for about 90 minutes before I could get a tow truck to remove my car. I have a 2012 Bmw 528XI with about 90k + miles on it I was so scared because it could have happens to me on the highway or in the middle of the street and I would no have been able to get out of harms way.”
NHTSA complaint #11375692, filed 2020-11, 91,000 milesEngine: other model years
Other parts of the 2012 BMW 528XI
18 complaintsFuel system
8 complaintsElectrical system
6 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsSeats
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsTires
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 BMW 528XI
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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