AI Damage2009 BMW 328: common problems
Owners of the 2009 BMW 328 filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 64% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 45% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 27% of all complaints
- 4 Electronic stability control 18% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Seat belts 9% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 9% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- Air bags: 7 complaints (64% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 5 complaints (45% of all).
- Engine: 3 complaints (27% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 2 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
From then on the seat belt sign stayed on even when someone was in the passenger seat with their seat belt on. I took my car back in last week for the warning light and was told it is a seat sensor and would cost $1,400.00. Does this have anything to do with the airbag recall?
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 bmw 328. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 17v676000 (electrical system) and 17v683000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable.
There have been issues with the fuel pump but nobody is making people aware of this so it can get fixed.it was really scary . Belt tensioner was replaced from bmw in 2014. Then belt tensioner goes bad again in 2016. Steering super tight ,just replaced power steering pump 10 months ago..
I had to replace the positive crankcase ventilation pcv valve heater and harness in april of 2017 because it melted. This cost me $3000 at patrick bmw in schaumburg, il. I later found out that there is a recal # 17v-683 concerning this. I never received a letter from bmw about the recall.
Concerned about fire before recall is fixed. Plus, I am freezing in winter weather conditions. I have been told by dealership bmw has not released parts to fix. This is unacceptable.
Vehicle has been losing power, stalling, jerking, sensors faulty, recall16v071000 airbags unsafe hazzard my son was driving the vehicle and the lights and sensors started to go, the headlight went out on the highway, he managed to get into the emergency lane and the vehicle completly stalled.
Electrical dafety, battery wire pulls loose from fuse box, causing car to shut down, even while in motion, therefore losing brakes and steering. Thas exactly what happened to my car on the interstate in traffic.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 10,520 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 29% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 328 has 12 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 11, about average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 BMW 328?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, engine. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (18%), A/C or heater (9%), fuel system, fuel smell (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 BMW 328?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2009 BMW 328 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2009 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.