The 2012 BMW 328 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 840,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS16V0710002016-02-05840,000 affected
Defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes, 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans, 2009-2011 335d sedans, 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons, 2007-2013 328i,…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
3
ENGINE
2
SEAT BELTS
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
STEERING
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints10
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The vehicle suddenly stopped on the state highway and will not start again. The vehicle was serviced at the local dealership on 09/08/2018 on for major repairs including oil change and all required maintenance were up to date. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer diagnosed the…”
“While pulling out of the garage, a warning message "chasis stabilization: drive moderately" appeared on the dash and had no power steering and was making whirring noise when the steering wheel was turned. Stopped the car and walked back into the garage and found a sheared off bolt on the floor.…”
“Water leaking into driver side of car and pooling in driver footwell and driver-side passenger. When parked on slope, nearly 3-4 inches of standing water. After pumping and drying out water, major rain storm resulted in return of pooling water. Possibly related to bmw service bulletin: sib 51 05…”
“In july 2017 while driving the car the cabin completely filled up with smoke and I inhaled a substantial amount , and smoke started coming out from the hood area. My mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined there was a manufacturer recall associated with the smoke filling the cabin. At no…”
“Passenger side airbag restraint system malfunction warning illuminated sporadically. I took it to the dealership to have it checked and nothing was found. A week later, the same thing happened. I took it back and was told the passenger side sensor pad needed to be replaced. Now both the driver and…”
“Passenger side airbag restraint system malfunction warning illuminated sporadically. I took it to the dealership to have it checked and nothing was found. A week later, the same thing happened. I took it back and was told the passenger side sensor pad needed to be replaced. Now both the driver and…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 328i. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 16v071000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.…”
“I bought my car at around 50k miles, after manufacturer' warranty had expired. It was fine for about a month after my purchase. One day, after driving from the store, my car indicated I needed to fasten my seatbelt. I was fastened in. So I stopped and restarted the car, thinking it was some weird…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…
InvestigationEA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 BMW 328 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.