There are 7 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2011 BMW 5 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
CAR DOES NOT RESPOND TO TIP-IN OF ACCELERATOR FROM STANDSTILL. AS YOU PRESS HARDER TO GET INTENDED ACCELERATION, CAR LURCHES FORWARD DRAMATICALLY AND UNSAFELY. VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE SMOOTHLY, ESPECIALLY IN CLOSE, STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. CONTACTED LOCAL DEALERSHIP (THE BMW STORE IN CINCINNATI, OH) ON 9/5/11 AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT BMW IS CURRENTLY ONLY PROVIDING A SOFTWARE PATCH FOR THE 535 MODEL. I WAS ADVISED TO KEEP DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL BMW ISSUES A SOFTWARE PATCH FOR THE 528, BUT THE DEALER WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY UPCOMING FIX. I AM CONCERNED THAT BMW HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR THE 535, BUT NOT THE 528, AND THAT A POTENTIAL FIX IS UNCERTAIN. THIS IS A MAJOR DRIVEABILITY AND SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
BMW 528I THROTTLE LAG/TIP IN/DELAYED ACCELERATION FROM A STANDING STOP;CONSTANT PROBLEM;HAVE BEEN TOLD BY BMW DEALER THAT THIS IS NORMAL.IT IS VERY ANNOYING AND AM FEARFUL IT COULD LEAD TO SAFETY ISSUE.THIS IS A BRAND NEW 2011 MODEL WITH LESS THAN 500 MILES ON ODOMETER. *TR
AFTER PURCHASING A NEW 2011 BMW 528I (VEHICLE) I NOTICED AN ACCELERATION LAG STARTING OUT FROM A DEAD STOP. IT HAS BECOME A SAFETY CONCERN, ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO TURN ONTO A STREET FROM A STOP SIGN. IT CRAWLS INTO THE ROADWAY WHEN MODERATE PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO THE GAS PEDAL. IF ONCOMING TRAFFIC IS CLOSE THIS RESULTS IN HAVING TO STOMP ON THE GAS PEDAL CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK AHEAD AT AN UNEXPECTED RATE OF SPEED. I HAVE HAD A FEW CLOSE CALLS BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. TOOK CAR TO DEALER. THEY STATED THEY RESET THE "LEARNING" PROGRAM THAT IS SUPPOSED TO ADAPT TO THE WAY ONE DRIVES. THIS DID NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER TELLING THE DEALER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AGAIN, THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS "OPERATING AS DESIGNED" AND TOLD ME THAT THEY "ALL DO IT". SINCE THERE WERE NO TROUBLE CODES ON THE COMPUTER OF THE VEHICLE THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND I FEEL THIS WILL EVENTUALLY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT AT SOME POINT WHEN IMMEDIATE AND LINEAR ACCELERATION IS NEEDED AT A CRITICAL MOMENT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 528I. WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT CONTINUED APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL UNTIL THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50. DEALER REP STATED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT NO FIX HAS BEEN PUBLISHED BY BMW. UPDATED 09/29/2011 *LN *TR
BMW 528I WHEN STARTING OUT FROM A STOP,THE CAR CREEPS OUT SLOWLY AND WHEN MORE PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO THE GAS PEDAL IT JUMPS FORWARD VERY FAST AND UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC AND COULD EASILY CAUSE A CRASH. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTED. WHEN COMING ON TO THE FREEWAY THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWN SHIFT AS NEEDED. THIS DELAY HAS ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH FOR ME. WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWN SHIFT AS NEEDED AND CAUSES A BUMPING FEELING LIKE SOMEONE RAN INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR. ALL THESE SYMPTOMS HAPPEN RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTED. VERY DANGEROUS.BMW KNOWS OF THESE PROBLEMS AND HAS FIXED THEM IN THE 535 MODEL. BMW DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE 528I MODEL. THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOTHING MORE HE CAN DO WITH THE CAR TILL BMW COMES UP WITH A PROGRAMMING CHANGE. PLEASE HELP! *TR
BRAND NEW 2011 BMW 528I IS PULLING TO THE RIGHT AND HAVING HESITATION AND JERKINESS ISSUES. *TR
THE CAR HAS ACCELERATION ISSUES WHEN NOT ONLY ADDING ADDITIONAL SPEED WHILE DRIVING BUT WHEN BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT, AS WELL. THE CAR HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING AND THERE IS OFTEN A LAG IN ACCELERATING WHILE THE CAR IS STOPPED OR AT A LOW SPEED, CREATING A SAFETY CONCERN. NOT ONLY IS THERE A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT IT IS NOT HOW A $51,000 LUXURY SEDAN SHOULD DRIVE -- IT IS RATHER ROUGH AND ANNOYING TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE CAR ALSO IDLES AT AN EXTREMELY LOW SPEED OR NO SPEED WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED AFTER SITTING FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. IN THIS CASE, I HAVE TO APPLY A DECENT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR EVEN TO BACK OUT OF MY GARAGE. *TR
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026