BMW N20 engine: faults and reliability

• N20B20 156 hp (115 kW, 2013-2016)

  2013–2016 · 156 hp · N20B20

  With caution

  It shares with the rest of the N20 family the risk of wear to the timing chain guides and tensioner on units built before 2015.^[2]

• N20B20B 184 hp (135 kW, 2011-2017)

  2011–2017 · 184 hp · N20B20, N20B20B

  With caution

  It shares with the rest of the N20 family the risk of wear to the timing chain guides and tensioner on units built before 2015.^[2]

• N20B20 218 hp (160 kW, 2012-2015)

  2012–2015 · 218 hp · N20B20

  With caution

  It shares with the rest of the N20 family the risk of wear to the timing chain guides and tensioner on units built before 2015.^[2]

• N20B20A 245 hp (180 kW, 2011-2017)

  2011–2017 · 245 hp · N20B20, N20B20A

  With caution

  It shares with the rest of the N20 family the risk of wear to the timing chain guides and tensioner on units built before 2015.^[2]

Buy: No known serious faults, or they have already been corrected, in this version. With caution: Worth buying if something specific is verified: history, a replaced part or a completed campaign. Avoid: High risk of a serious fault that is hard to check for or prevent.

1. 1Critical severityCommonFrequency: CommonTimingTiming chain guide and tensioner wear (2011-2015)Yes: on BMW N20s built mainly between 2011 and 2015, the timing chain guides and tensioner wear out early; if the chain jumps teeth it can put pistons and valves out of sync and cause catastrophic damage. BMW revised the design in 2015, without a formal recall.Appears at around 129,000 km
2. 2Critical severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalCoolingElectric water pump failure (BMW campaign in the US over fire risk)The N20 has an electric water pump whose connector can suffer ingress of blow-by liquid; a short circuit can cause local overheating and, very rarely, a fire. BMW recalled 720,000 vehicles in the US in 2024, not including the European Union or Spain.
3. 3Medium severityCommonFrequency: CommonLubricationOil leaks from the rocker cover gasket and the filter housingYes: with the years and heat cycles, the rocker cover gasket and the oil filter housing or cooler gasket on the N20 start to weep oil; it is not an acute defect but expected wear that is worth watching before the oil level drops too low.
4. 4Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalTurboWastegate noise and plastic charge pipe breakageThe N20's single TwinScroll turbo is not, in itself, a frequent point of failure, but over the years wastegate noise or rattle and a loss of pressure can appear, and the plastic pipe that carries air from the turbo to the intercooler can crack, especially with poor maintenance or on modified engines.
5. 5Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalInjectionHigh-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failureThe high-pressure pump that feeds the N20's direct injection (High Precision Injection) can fail, especially on high-mileage units, leaving the car with hard starting, jerking or, in the worst case, unable to start.

Severity colours: low, medium, high, critical. How we rate them

Manufacturer

BMW

Family

N20

Fuel

Petrol

Displacement

1,997 cm³

Cylinders

4

Fuel system

Turbo

Injection

Direct injection

Timing

Chain

Power

156–245 hp

Peak torque

350 Nm

Production

2011–2017

Makes

BMW

Technical data^[1][3]

1. 2011–2017

   N20B20B 184 hp (135 kW, 2011-2017)

   Middle step of the range, with 184 hp (135 kW) and 270 Nm; it is the most widespread, fitted to the 320i, 420i, 520i, 220i and the sDrive20i/xDrive20i versions of the X1, X3 and Z4.^[1][3]

2. 2011–2017

   N20B20A 245 hp (180 kW, 2011-2017)

   Highest-output version, with 245 hp (180 kW) and 350 Nm; it replaced the naturally aspirated N52/N53 six-cylinders under the same commercial names (328i, 528i, xDrive28i, sDrive28i).^[1][3]

3. 2012–2015

   N20B20 218 hp (160 kW, 2012-2015)

   Higher-output step within the middle range, with 218 hp (160 kW) and 310 Nm; in Europe it was fitted almost exclusively to the BMW 125i (1 Series F20).^[3][12]

4. 2013–2016

   N20B20 156 hp (115 kW, 2013-2016)

   Entry-level step of the range, with 156 hp (115 kW) and 240 Nm; its documented application is the BMW Z4 sDrive18i, which used it from 2013.^[3][11]