There are 3 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2012 BMW 5 Series in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON A ROAD WHEN A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I PARKED THE CAR HOME, SINCE I WAS CLOSE TO HOME. THE SAME WEEK I TOOK THE CAR TO A BMW SPECIALIST BECAUSE THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. AFTER $467.00 SPENT ON LABOR, JUST TO TELL ME I NEED A NEW ENGINE. THIS CAR HAS 72K MILES. THIS IS A CAR THAT I ONLY DROVE ON WEEKENDS AND NOT EVERY WEEKEND. THE CAR IS NOW PARKED IN MY GARAGE BECAUSE TO REPAIR IT IT WILL COST ME $11K. I HAVE HEARD THIS COMPLAINT FROM SEVERAL BMW OWNERS. THE CAR STILL RUNS BUT THE NOISE WILL NO GO AWAY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 5-SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXCESSIVELY OVERHEATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT CONSTANTLY HAD TO EXERCISE CAUTION IN THE EVENT THAT THE VEHICLE MAY HAVE REDUCED ENGINE POWER AND WAS UNCERTAIN IF THE FAILURE WOULD RESULT IN A FIRE. BMW GALLERY OF NORWOOD (918 BOSTON PROVIDENCE HWY, NORWOOD, MA 02062, (888) 441-2338) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT HAD NOT SPECIFIED IF THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO ANY RECALL CAMPAIGNS OR TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS. THE DEALER STATED THAT FURTHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WAS REQUIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.
I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 65 MPH ON A HIGHWAY UPHILL, ENGINE COMPLETELY STALLED, NO POWER, GOT A MESSAGE "DRIVE-TRAIN MALFUNCTION, NO MAXIMUM OUTPUT, DRIVE MODERATELY". I WAS SURROUNDED BY CARS/SEMI TRUCKS, VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MANAGED TO PULL OVER ON THE SHOULD. COULD NOT RESTART CAR, GOT A MESSAGE "AUTOMATIC START/STOP DEACTIVATED: ENGINE WILL NOT START AUTOMATICALLY. PRESS THE START/STOP BUTTON TO START THE ENGINE." ABOUT 30 MINS AFTER ENGINE STALLED, I FINALLY RESTARTED THE CAR. CONTINUED TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT 10 MILES @ 60-65 MPH. AT A LOCAL STREET, AS I SLOWED DOWN TO APPROACH A TRAFFIC LIGHT, ENGINE STALLED AGAIN, NO POWER, CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF ROAD, GOT THE TWO SAME MESSAGES, COULD NOT START CAR. ABOUT 30 MINS AFTER ENGINE STALLED, I FINALLY STARTED THE CAR.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 26, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.