Total Complaints
33 filings
BMW 528I · model year
2009 BMW 528I
33 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2009BMW528I carries 33 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2009 528I is engine with 8 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling (5) and fuel/propulsion system (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2009 528I. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
33
Complaints
1
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 8 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 5 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
Recalls (2)
17V68300030/10/2017
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may sho
13V40700011/09/2013
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
BMW is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2010 528i, 535i, 550i, and M5 passenger cars manufactured from March 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009. Over time, increased resistance at the taillight electrical contact points may cause damage to the ground terminal and housing of the connector r
Recent Complaints
20250512CrashSERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle fail breaks malfunction. No response to the brakes. Push many times no break response vehicle hit vehicle in front of it could not be avoided That rotors are less than one year old there about six or 7000 miles on them. They are basically new new tires car will maintain no lights on dash no warning no airbag deployment. Vehicle going in slow speed due to heavy traffic
20221019ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 stated that he started to smell a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
20220927ENGINE
I was driving and something was burning under my hood
20220927ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was driving and something was burning under my hood
20220720ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
20220720ENGINE
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact stated while turning on the heater, there was a bad odor coming from the heater. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts are not available
20220720ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact stated while turning on the heater, there was a bad odor coming from the heater. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts are not available
20220607ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would overheat. An unknown warning light was illuminated and a warning message that the vehicle was overheating and to slow down and stop the vehicle to prevent further damage was displayed. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Mileage: 172,000
20220502FireENGINE
I took the 2009 BMW 528i to Bridgeport BMW to have a prior safety recall (17V-673/19V-273) repaired but, it wasn't fixed and my car caught on fire last year before I got another recall letter stating that there's no remedy for the Recall Campaign No. 22V-119: PCV Valve Heater.
20220502FireSTRUCTURE:BODY
I took the 2009 BMW 528i to Bridgeport BMW to have a prior safety recall (17V-673/19V-273) repaired but, it wasn't fixed and my car caught on fire last year before I got another recall letter stating that there's no remedy for the Recall Campaign No. 22V-119: PCV Valve Heater.
20220502FireWHEELS
I took the 2009 BMW 528i to Bridgeport BMW to have a prior safety recall (17V-673/19V-273) repaired but, it wasn't fixed and my car caught on fire last year before I got another recall letter stating that there's no remedy for the Recall Campaign No. 22V-119: PCV Valve Heater.
20220314ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V683000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. 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 stated the vehicle was overheating and unsafe to drive. The contact was advised to seek a loaner vehicle while waiting for parts to become available. The approximate failure mileage was 205,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Mileage: 205,000
20201208FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
FUEL SMELL IN THE DRIVER SIDE REAR. THE FUEL PUMP LEAKS FUEL.
20200301ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
CAR BATTERY DRAINING, INSACIABLES BRAKE FLUID TIMING FOR CHANGE OF GEAR TAKES A WHILE
20200301ENGINE
CAR BATTERY DRAINING, INSACIABLES BRAKE FLUID TIMING FOR CHANGE OF GEAR TAKES A WHILE
20200301UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CAR BATTERY DRAINING, INSACIABLES BRAKE FLUID TIMING FOR CHANGE OF GEAR TAKES A WHILE
20191006ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE CAR SMELLS AS FUEL IS LEAKING AND THE HEADLIGHTS BLINK IN AND OUT... MY TRUNK STOP OPENING WITH KEY FOB
20191006FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
THE CAR SMELLS AS FUEL IS LEAKING AND THE HEADLIGHTS BLINK IN AND OUT... MY TRUNK STOP OPENING WITH KEY FOB
20180522ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
HELLO, MY CAR FILLED UP WITH SMOKE ONE DAY. IT SMELT LIKE PLASTIC WAS BURNING I WAS PULLING UP TO MY DRIVE WAY AND WAS SUPER DIZZY THE WHOLE INSIDE WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. I COULDN'T BREATH PROPERLY. I HAVE CALLED BMW DEALERSHIPS AND NO ONE SEEMS TO HAVE THE PART FOR MY CAR, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I'M SCARED TO DRIVE BUT I NEED TO GET TO SCHOOL! PLEASE HELP ME RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
20180408EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I KEEP GETTING WARNINGS THAT THE HEAD LAMP, RUNNING LAMPS ARE MALFUNCTIONING. I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND FOUND EXPOSED WIRES AND WAS TOLD THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD RESULTING IN THE HEADLIGHT WIRING INSULATION FLAKING OFF AND LEAVING COPPER WIRE EXPOSED AND WIRES ARE TOUCHING, UNINSULATED WIRES. WIRES ARE SHORTING OUT THE LIGHTS, BURNING BULBS AND CAUSE MALFUNCTIONS IN THE HEADLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, PARKING LIGHTS, AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND IS A FIRE HAZARD.
Mileage: 100,000
Compare 2009BMW528I to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2009 BMW 528I have?▼
The 2009 BMW 528I has 33 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2009 BMW 528I?▼
Yes, the 2009 BMW 528I has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV). Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 BMW 528I?▼
The most-complained component for the 2009 BMW 528I is ENGINE with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING and FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.
Is the 2009 BMW 528I safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.