THE SUNROOF GLASS SHATTERED WHILE I WAS DRIVING TODAY (8/23/2018) ON A CHICAGO-AREA HIGHWAY. I SAW NO LIKELY CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE -- E.G., FLYING DEBRIS. NOR IS THERE ANY DAMAGE TO THE LINER THAT SITS UNDERNEATH THE GLASS. THE FIRST THING THAT COMES UP WHEN GOOGLING THE ISSUE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED JAN 2018 AGAINST BMW. CONSUMER REPORTS HAS SEVERAL ARTICLES DESCRIBING INCREASED INCIDENCE OF EXPLODING SUNROOFS SINCE CARMAKERS HAVE INCREASED THE SIZE OF SUNROOFS IN THE LAST 5-7 YRS.
2013 BMW 528Xi complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2013 record →
MY WIFE WAS TURNING HEAR STEERING WHEEL AND HEARD A "CLICK" AND THEN SHE GOT SOME LIGHTS ON HER DASHBOARD. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE "CLOCK SPRING" FAILED. FROM READING ONLINE THIS SEEMS TO BE A FAIRLY COMMON FAILURE WITH 2013 BMW 5 SERIES. IT IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW BECAUSE WHEN IT FAILS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NO LONGER OPERABLE (HORN, AIRBAG OR ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE LOCATED ON THE STEERING WHEEL).
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 528XI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE MESSAGE "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" DISPLAYED AS THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (REEVES BMW TAMPA, 109 EAST FOWLER AVE, TAMPA, FL) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE TIMING CHAIN WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 528XI. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND LOST POWER COMPLETELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO UNION PARK BMW IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE OIL PUMP FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE FAILURE, BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
MY CARE HAS 30000 MILES; WARRANTY EXPIRED IN NOV 2016. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND HAVE MAINTAINED THE CAR VERY WELL. I GOT A WARNING SIGN THAT READ 'PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION'. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND HE SAID THE SZL (STEERING ANGLE SENSOR) AND THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT HAVE TO BE REPLACED. IN READING SEVERAL THREADS I THINK THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT THAT IS NOT ADDRESSED BY BMW. I AM UNCLEAR AS TO WHY A RESTRAINT SYSTEM ISSUE DOESN'T FALL UNDER SAFETY WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR COVERAGE UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY.
DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION: DRIVE MODERATELY ERROR, CAR LOST POWER AS DRIVING AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE. I HAD TO HAVE FLATBED TOW TRUCK COME AND GET VEHICLE AND TAKE TO DEALERSHIP, THIS PARTICULAR ERROR IS WIDELY REFERENCED BY BMW OWNERS FOR THIS MODEL YEAR, COULD HAVE CAUSED MAJOR ACCIDENT HAD I BEEN PULLING INTO HEAVY TRAFFIC, COULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK. CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW, HAD 50K MI INSPECTION AND CURRENTLY HAS 98K MILES ON IT.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2013 BMW 528Xi → · Every 528Xi year → · How the figures are calculated →