Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 BMW 328i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the radiator would overheat as the temperature gauge would indicate that the engine was hot. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it was discovered that plastic parts inside the reservoir including the head gasket had melted and entered the radiator, which caused the failure. The contact also stated that while driving at 35 MPH, a greyish smoke began to emit from both the undercarriage and the engine of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle with his children as he witnessed flames emitting from underneath the vehicle. A motorist behind him was able to pour a jug of water onto the fire which extinguished the flames. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to his home. …
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at 25-30 MPH for 10 minutes, the engine started misfiring, went on overheating mode and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that he turned off the vehicle for some time; however, when he restarted the vehicle, the coolant temperature warning light was still illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact drove back to his residence. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and he could smell a burning odor . The contact became aware that his VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), which he associated with the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated that he had parked and turned off the vehicle, but about 20 minutes later he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that as he opened the hood of the vehicle he saw flames of fire and was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. The contact stated that he removed the battery from the vehicle. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to their location for diagnosis. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, however, the dealer informed the contact that they could not diagnose the vehicle as the vehicle had caught fire. The dealer referred the contact to NHTSA. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2008 328i. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle was making abnormal sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated he smelled a burning odor and parked the vehicle. The contact looked under the hood and did not see any damage. The contact restarted the vehicle to drive home and heard a loud noise coming from the engine and vehicle started overheating. After arriving home, the contact opened the hood and became aware that the hood insulation was missing, and the PCV hose was leaking oil. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated upon turning off the vehicle after driving for approximately 2-3 hours, she smelled a burning plastic odor inside and outside of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated that the vehicle would frequently surge while in idle position and she was smelling an abnormal oil odor. Upon opening the hood of the vehicle to determine the cause of the failure, the contact's husband noticed that oil was leaking from the valve cover gasket onto the engine compartment. The warning message "Service Due Soon", "Misfire in cylinder #1 and cylinder #4" and the temperature coolant warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the manifold, the manifold gasket, valve cover gasket, and valves needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced as well. The vehicle was not repaired. …
My vehicle engine cooling fan caught fire one evening while following behind someone to make sure they made it to a parking lot safely due to their own vehicle having problems requiring them to stay under around 20mph. Once we made it to a parking lot, i exited my vehicle to check on the other person, and realized there was smoke starting to come out from under my hood. My husband waited for me to pull the hood release and then proceeded to lift the hood, only to discover my car was on fire, and it was coming directly from the cooling fan. After almost a minute we were able to put the fire out, and discovered the whole electrical area for the fan was melted and destroyed. There was never any type of warning light or any information at all that would have told me a problem was imminent. …
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was a burning odor coming through the A/C vents. There was also smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off vehicle. The contact then added coolant to the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer several times. The dealer performed unknown repairs on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. …
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been at the dealer for an unknown service, where it was diagnosed with an oil leak in the valve cover gasket that the valve over gasket needed to be replaced. An independent mechanic was made aware of the failure and advised the contact not to replace the valve cover gasket due to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. …
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was smoke coming from the engine compartment while the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the PCV stem seals and cap needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and took the vehicle to a local dealer for the repair; however, the contact was informed he would be responsible for the cost of the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact to seek legal advice to have the repair completed. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Related recalls
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 short circuit.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018.
Engine complaints in other 328i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2008 BMW 328i?
NHTSA has 86 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2008 BMW 328i, 36% of the model year's 239 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › emission control › crankcase (pcv) (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 BMW 328i engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 17V-683 (crankcase (pcv), Oct 30, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 BMW 328i engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 12 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.