180 of 266 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
68% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2013 BMW 328i are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 89% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 49 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 57%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,ENGINE04/07/2019FIRECRASH2 INJURED
CAR INVOLVED IN REAR END COLLISION AND CAR CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED UP. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CAR WAS IN SLOW MOTION APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT WHEN HIT IN REAR . ROAD CONDITIONS SUNNY AND DRY. MY CAR WAS PUSHED INTO CAR IN FRONT CAUSING MORE DAMAGE. ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN ILLINOIS 159 IN GLEN CARBON,ILL.
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE06/19/20181 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE OIL PUMP AND DRIVETRAIN WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE VIOLENTLY JERKED AND STALLED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE BREAST, BUT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTE…
AIR BAGS,ENGINE04/25/2018CRASH1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND FAILED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. ADDITIONALLY, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE NECK AND BACK, A HEAD CONCUSSION, RUPTURED BLOOD VESSELS, AND A FACE CONTUS…
Three of 180 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (5)
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDri…
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon, 2012-2014 BMW 320i Sedan, 328i Sedan, 320i xDrive Sedan, 328i xDrive Sed…
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, and ActiveHybrid3 vehicles manufactured October 20, 2011, to…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2013 BMW 328i
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
5 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.
