BMW 128iYears to avoid, problems & recalls

Based on 183 NHTSA owner complaints across 6 model years, no BMW 128i year stands out as one to avoid, and the strongest years are 2009, 2012 and 2013. The 128i has 7 safety recalls on record.

Years to avoidNoneUse caution: 2011 Best years'09 '12 '13Fewest complaints for their age Owner complaints183Top: Air bags Safety recalls72008–2013 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Best & worst years

BMW 128i years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the 128i median. Tap a year for its full report.

18 26 22 50 31 36

'08'09'10'11'12'13

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

2013Solid48/10036 complaints · 3 recalls 2012Solid52/10031 complaints · 5 recalls 2011Caution41/10050 complaints · 7 recalls 2010Not rated–/10022 complaints · 7 recalls 2009Solid59/10026 complaints · 6 recalls 2008Not rated–/10018 complaints · 6 recalls

Complaints by system

Most common BMW 128i problems

All model years combined: 183 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

88Air bags4 crash/fire/injury

31Engine3 crash/fire/injury

30Engine and engine cooling5 crash/fire/injury

19Electrical system2 crash/fire/injury

10Exterior lighting

7Structure

6Visibility/wiper

5Seat belts

5Fuel/propulsion system

2612 other systems5 crash/fire/injury

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Air bags	88	4
Engine	31	3
Engine and engine cooling	30	5
Electrical system	19	2
Exterior lighting	10	0
Structure	7	2
Visibility/wiper	6	0
Seat belts	5	0
Fuel/propulsion system	5	0
12 other systems	26	5

7 recalls

BMW 128i recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

Emission control: crankcase (pcv)22V-119 · 2008–2013 · Mar 2, 2022 · 917,106 vehicles Driver side: inflator module20V-017 · 2008–2013 · Jan 15, 2020 · 59,965 vehicles Electrical system: wiring19V-579 · 2008–2012 · Aug 6, 2019 · 41,981 vehicles Emission control: crankcase (pcv)17V-683 · 2008–2011 · Oct 30, 2017 · 740,561 vehicles Driver side: inflator module16V-071 · 2008–2013 · Feb 5, 2016 · 840,000 vehicles Engine and engine cooling: engine14V-176 · 2010–2011 · Apr 10, 2014 · 156,137 vehicles Electrical system13V-044 · 2008–2012 · Feb 7, 2013 · 516,791 vehicles

1 investigation

NHTSA investigations of the 128i

Sep 17, 2021
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · 2008–2013 · still open
Open