3.6

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
35,950 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 BMW X3:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #2

Sep 152010

X3 6-cyl

  • 33,900 miles
I believe the steering angle sensor (aka szl) in my 2005 BMW X3 is faulty and thus poses a serious safety risk given its role in providing inputs to the dynamic stability control (dsc) system. It certainly warrants investigation. My vehicle has gone into an uncontrolled skid on three occasions, each time while traveling downhill at moderate speeds on curves. (only once did it do so following a light rain; on all other occasions the pavement was dry.) luckily, no accidents or injuries ensued. I first noticed the problem the year I purchased the vehicle used in 2010; the previous owner likewise had noticed the issue and informed me of it at the time I purchased the vehicle. Today, Sept. 15, 2014, my local BMW dealer proposed replacing the steering angle sensor (szl) in our vehicle, saying a readout of the fault codes detected faults in the sensor. I have elected to replace the sensor at a cost of $1098. Based on the seriousness of the issue, which some cursory investigating on my part appears to be a problem shared by multiple owners of similar model/year vehicles, I urge the NHTSA to investigate. Thank you.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #1

Dec 052008

X3

  • 38,000 miles
Auto type: 2005 BMW X3 sav. The vehicle has had a history of failures with the operation system with regard to the transmission function and most recently we experienced a brake failure. When the brake pedal was pushed the vehicle accelerated. We had the vehicle towed in for repair and was told that they could find nothing wrong. This is the same result each time although the diagnostic reports show operating system failures. When questioned, we were told that he vehicle "corrected itself". all of this is in writing. When we approached BMW of North America, they have repeated denied any errors, and even have told us that we cannot use their diagnostic information. This seems to be quite a cover up between BMW and the dealer (vob auto sales, rockville md). I have full documentation for your review.

- Potomac, MD, USA