2016 Bmw 228i

Routine

Owners filed 18 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling8
000
Seat Belts2
000
Electrical System2
000
Wheels1
000
Visibility/Wiper1
000
Steering1
000
Service Brakes1
000
Fuel/Propulsion System1
000
Electrical System › Ignition1
010

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Electrical System › Wiring › Connectors/Plugs/Receptacles24V608000
Filed Aug 13, 2024720,796 vehiclesBmw Of North America, Llc

Defect. BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.

Risk. An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Aug 7, 2025AZ

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Aug 1, 2025120,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle jerked back and forth and choked. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called another local dealer, Century West BMW Service Department (4245 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91602) who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jul 29, 2025SC

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jun 27, 2025CA

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. No further information was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 25, 2025PA

The contact owned a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 4, 2025FL

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Feb 28, 2025IL

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Feb 11, 2025OK

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Dec 27, 2024100,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact stated that intermittently, while driving at undisclosed speeds and depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal odor of smoke. The braking lamp malfunction light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the failure was related to the engine, engine cooling, and electrical system. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Wheels
Filed Aug 1, 2023WA

In 2019, I purchased a pre-owned BMW 228i from BMW Northwest. Recently, it was discovered that an incorrect front-sized rim has been installed on the rear wheel of my car. This has resulted in having three front rims and only one rear rim on my vehicle. The car has exclusively inspected or received servicing only at BMW Northwest and BMW Seattle until the error was discovered at BMW San Diego. In response to this problem, I reached out to BMW North America to have the incorrect rim replaced. However, I was informed that they would not take responsibility for the replacement, even though they acknowledged that it is highly improbable for me to have an extra rim of the exact same model and mistakenly place it on the wrong wheel of my car. Unfortunately, they did not provide any specific reason for their decision. As I don't have access to BMW records before I purchased my car, I lack comprehensive information to pinpoint where the error occurred within BMW. However, I am genuinely concerned about the safety implications of having an incorrect-sized rim on one side of my car. Given the gravity of the situation, I am reaching out here, hoping for your intervention to resolve this matter promptly and ensure the safety of my vehicle. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Steering
Filed Aug 22, 2022MA

I recently needed to have my Steering Rack replaced since the internal control unit had a fault. There was no warning prior to the failure and the sudden fault resulted in complete loss of power steering. Luckily, I was driving at a slow speed and was close to my house. I'm concerned because I have read of several other BMW models having similar problems and someone driving at a higher rate of speed could cause a significant accident if they are unable to control the vehicle. My BMW has 50,000 miles on it and I do not drive it aggressively, so it is very alarming to have a steering rack fail at such low mileage. I have since had the part replaced, but want the NHTSA to be aware in case a larger issue is occurring.

Electrical System
Filed Mar 9, 20217,900 milesCO

VEHICLE GAVE WARNING OF "LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL MALFUNCTION" AND "LEFT BRAKE LAMP MALFUNCTION". CHECKED LIGHTS AND THEY ARE VERY DIM AND NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. REMOVED TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY AND THE GROUND WIRE TERMINAL IS PARTIALLY MELTED.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Nov 11, 202049,000 milesCA

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THAT ALERT CAME UP SAYING YOUR CAR IS NOT WORKING AT ITS FULL CAPACITY YOUR POWER TRAIN IS DEFECTIVE. THAT MAY NOT BE THE EXACT WORDING HOWEVER, VERY CLOSE TO IT. AFTER THE WARNING CAME ON, MY CAR SLOWED DOWN AS THOUGH IT DID NOT WANT TO DRIVE AND I HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME TO GET OVER ON THE FREEWAY.. IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. IT WAS VERY TERRIFYING. IT HAPPENED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES AND WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP THE DEALER SAID THIS WAS RELATED TO THE FUEL SYSTEM . I GOT IT FIXED APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS AGO AND AS OF YET IT HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN. I WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH IT BECAUSE THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN EVERY TIME I DROVE THE CAR, IT HAPPENED SPORADICALLY.

Seat Belts
Filed Apr 21, 202029,984 milesNC

AFTER MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH THE DRIVER SEAT BELT GETTING TANGLED AND NOT WORKING PROPERLY, I WENT TO MY LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE ISSUE FIXED. WHILE IT WAS FIXED FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT THREE DAYS IT GOT TANGLED AGAIN, AND NOW IS COMPLETELY NONFUNCTIONAL DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE MECHANISM HOLDING THE SEATBELT IN PLACE APPEARS FAULTY. I CANNOT, MY LETTER OF THE LAW, DRIVE MY AUTOMOBILE WITH A SEAT BELT BUT THAT DOES NOT WORK.

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Aug 26, 201930,000 milesGA

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AROUND 65MPH. THERE WERE NO CARS OR TRUCKS AROUND ME. AS I WAS DRIVING I SUDDENLY HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION TYPE SOUND. I HEARD GLASS SHATTER AND WIND START TO ENTER MY CAR. I WAS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED AND ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. I TOOK THE NEXT EXIT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND PARKED MY CAR. UPON EXITING, I SAW A HUGE GAPING HOLE IN MY GLASS SUNROOF, ALONG WITH THE REMAINING GLASS COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND CRACKED. THERE IS CURRENTLY A LAWSUIT ON-GOING ABOUT MANUFACTURER DEFECTS ON BMW CAUSING SUNROOFS TO EXPLODE. I BELIEVE I WAS A VICTIM OF THIS. AS SEEN IN THE PICTURES, WHATEVER CAUSED THE GLASS TO "EXPLODE" PUSHED THE GLASS TO AN OUTWARD DIRECTION, WHERE AS A ROCK WOULD NOT CAUSE THIS TYPE OF PATTER.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 18, 201720,000 milesMA

REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED AT 6,000 AND 20,000 MILES.

Seat Belts
Filed Oct 17, 20171,200 milesVA

BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS BECOME EASILY TANGLED/TWISTED AND WILL NOT RETRACT. THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT OF THE BELT IS TO PULL IT ALL THE WAY OUT AND THEN IT GETS STUCK ALL THE WAY OUT AND WILL NOT RETRACT. THIS HAPPENS ON AVERAGE EVERY 50 TIMES OF USING THE BELT. I HAVE RETURNED IT TO DEALER 5 TIMES AND UNTWIST IT, BUT TOLD ME THERE IS NO WAY TO FIX IT. THIS HAPPENS TO BOTH SEAT BELTS (DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT BELTS). THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ON THIS VEHICLE SINCE I PURCHASED IT A YEAR AGO. I HAVE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER FOR THIS SAME REPAIR 5 TIMES SO FAR. IT IS CURRENTLY STUCK AGAIN.

Electrical System › IgnitionFire
Filed Feb 9, 201713,000 milesMA

ON FEB 2, 2017 MY CAR (2016 BMW 228I) SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED IN MY DRIVEWAY AFTER BEING PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY 4-1/2 HOURS. THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAT 13,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND WAS LAST SERVICED (WHICH WAS THE 1ST SCHEDULED SERVICE) THREE MONTHS PRIOR AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP. I PURCHASED (JAN 2016) THE VEHICLE NEW WHICH WAS SPECIAL ORDERED AND DELIVERED FROM GERMANY (MAR 2016). I HAD NO MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND DESTROYED IN APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MINUTES FROM THE FIRE IGNITION TIME (MUFFLED EXPLOSION AND FLAMES OBSERVED FROM MY LIVING ROOM WINDOWS) AS A RESULT OF THE CAR FIRE, MY TOWNHOUSE HOME ALSO CAUGHT FIRE AND SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. IN ADDITION, MY WIFE'S CAR WHICH WAS PARKED ADJACENTLY WAS ALSO DAMAGED. I BELIEVE THAT 2016 WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE 228I MODEL WAS IMPORTED INTO THE U.S., BUT I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS ON THE INTERNET INDICATING SIMILAR FIRE INCIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR PERHAPS THE LAST 6-7 YEARS WITH VARIOUS BMW MODEL CARS. I ONLY FOUND THIS INFORMATION (THROUGH A SEARCH) AFTER MY INCIDENT (SEE: HTTPS://BMWPROBLEMS.WORDPRESS.COM/BMWOWNERSBEWARE/). I WAS RECENTLY CONTACTED BY VOICEMAIL BY ABC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE OFFICE INDICATING THAT THEY WERE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCHING BMW FIRES. AS SUCH, THIS FAILURE APPEARS SYSTEMIC OF AN INHERENT DESIGN FLAW. THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE FIRE MARSHALL WAS AT THE SCENE AND HAD THE CAR TOWED AWA

18 of 18 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2016
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20240100Routine
20232100Routine
20223200Routine
20217300Routine
20203200Routine
2016 — this page18110Routine
201517310Routine
20147400Routine

Compare every 228i year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Aug 13, 2024. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.