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2009 BMW 3 Series

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2009 BMW 3 Series do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 23.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

38 reports with mileage · 15 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

3 reports
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59,000 miles · Sep 16, 2013
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine Cooling

I HAVE A 2009 BMW328XI, WHICH I BOUGHT BRAND NEW AND PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR. I ONLY HAVE 59,000 MILES. ON AUGUST 3, 2013 THE CAR TEMPERATURE LIGHT WENT ON, FIRST YELLOW AND NOT EVEN TWO SECONDS LATER RED. WITH OUT WARNING THE CAR DIDN'T MOVE. SO I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY. THINKING THE CAR IS OVER HEATING. INSTEAD, AF…

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I HAVE A 2009 BMW328XI, WHICH I BOUGHT BRAND NEW AND PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR. I ONLY HAVE 59,000 MILES. ON AUGUST 3, 2013 THE CAR TEMPERATURE LIGHT WENT ON, FIRST YELLOW AND NOT EVEN TWO SECONDS LATER RED. WITH OUT WARNING THE CAR DIDN'T MOVE. SO I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY. THINKING THE CAR IS OVER HEATING. INSTEAD, AFTER GETTING IT TOWED FOUND OUT THE WATER PUMP AND ELECTRIC THERMOSTAT WENT. I AM VERY UNHAPPY THAT A 4 AND HALF YEAR OLD CAR SHOULDN'T HAVE SUCH PROBLEMS. I'VE HAD MANY HIGH END CARS IN THE PAST FOR 11 YEARS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM IN SUCH A SHORT LIFE OF A CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10543851

38,000 miles · Aug 25, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel System, Gasoline

ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011, MY 2009 328I SHUT DOWN WITHOUT NOTICE IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF I-90 AT MILE MARKER 80.002 ABOUT A MILE FROM OHARE AIRPORT IN CHICAGO. IT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART AND I WAS LEFT TO CALL 911 AND SPEND 10 MINUTES WAITING FOR DOT TO TOW ME OFF THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TO A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD TO WA…

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ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011, MY 2009 328I SHUT DOWN WITHOUT NOTICE IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF I-90 AT MILE MARKER 80.002 ABOUT A MILE FROM OHARE AIRPORT IN CHICAGO. IT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART AND I WAS LEFT TO CALL 911 AND SPEND 10 MINUTES WAITING FOR DOT TO TOW ME OFF THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TO A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD TO WAIT ANOTHER HOUR FOR AAA TO TOW MY CAR TO PERILLO BMW IN CHICAGO TO ASSESS THE ISSUE. JUNE 15TH 2011: ABOUT 3 HOURS AFTER BRINGING MY CAR INTO THE ZIMBRICK BMW SERVICE FACILITY TO HAVE A SET OF AFTER-MARKET LED LIGHTS INSTALLED AT COST, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT APPEARED ILLUMINATED ON MY DASHBOARD. AS I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS LIGHT APPEAR ON MY LESS THAN 2 YEAR OLD CAR BEFORE, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE PERSON WHO WAS HEAD OF YOUR SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO DISCUSS HOW THIS LIGHT COULD APPEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER HAVING MY CAR IN HOURS EARLIER ON A SERVICE APPOINTMENT THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE TOUCHED THE ENGINE. A LOANER CAR WAS PROMPTLY DRIVEN TO MY OFFICE, TO CHECK INTO THE ISSUE AND TAKE MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR FURTHER INSPECTION, IF NECESSARY. THE FOLLOWING IS THE CONVERSATION THAT TRANSPIRED BETWEEN THE SERVICE REP AND I, UPON HIS REVIEW OF MY VEHICLE, USING A COMPUTER CONNECTION TO PULL DATA FROM MY CARS ONBOARD COMPUTER SYSTEM: SA: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU FILLED THE CAR WITH GAS? ME: (CHECKING THE ODOMETER, AS I RESET IT WITH EACH FULL TANK OF GAS) ABOUT 97 MILES AGO. SA: WELL, THE COMPUTER IS REPORTING THE ISSUE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUR FUEL PUMP, HOWEVER, I THINK IT MIGHT JUST BE THAT YOUR GAS CAP MAY HAVE BEEN UNSCREWED. ME: I CAN'T SAY THAT MAKES MUCH SENSE, AS I FILLED IT UP 97 MILES AGO AND HAVEN'T SEEN AN ISSUE UNTIL NOW. SA; WELL, LET ME JUST TURN THE INDICATOR LIGHT OFF AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU RUN INTO THIS ISSUE AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI #10422252

35,000 miles · Jun 3, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling

ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF WHEN CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED. THIS SITUATION HAPPENS WHEN EXITING THE HIGHWAY ON HOT DAYS WITH THE AC RUNNING. IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES UNDER THE SAME SCENARIO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10404374

Official recalls

1

22V119000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:crankcase (pcv)

Mar 2, 2022

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.

Remedy: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.