2016 BMW 428I problems & reliability
43 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW 428I, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 BMW 428I vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 24 | 56% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 17 | 40% |
| Engine | 6 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 6 | 14% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% |
| Structure | 2 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 5% |
| Visibility | 2 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Possible wiring harness for the air conditioning system that may be damaged and cause a short circuit. Had to air compressors installed and both reasons codes were "shorts". A damaged A/C wiring harness can short-circuit, potentially creating electrical issues and increasing safety risks while driving or when parked…”
Visibility · filed Mar 17, 2026
“1. Radio cut on and off and then Engine failed. I started smelling weird fumes when I was driving but eventually the car restarted back up. 2. Car stopped on the highway and could have resulted in other vehicles running into me. 3. No, I parked the car at my house and don't drive it. 4.No, I parked the car at my house…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 16, 2025
“The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 2, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
Technical service bulletins
342 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW 428I. The 10 most recent:
Fuel tank limited warranty for leakage, due to defects in materials or workmanship, has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date
B010722 · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Oct 25, 2024
Fuel tank limited warranty for leakage, due to defects in materials or workmanship, has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date
B010322 · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Oct 25, 2024
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2024
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information…
B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 11, 2024
Pressure control valve (pcv) extended ltd wty 15 years/150,000 miles
B011423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 13, 2023
The paint finish on the door jamb (above the door striker) is scratched due to the inner door cavity window seal.
B513218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 8, 2023
?The front seat will not calibrate/initialize, and the stored faults cannot be deleted.
B520121 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2023
After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails.
B651523 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2023
Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.
B514616 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2023
The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose, the SIM…
B840822 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 BMW 428I has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 BMW 428I?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.