10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,188 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.

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problem #20

Feb 222021

X3

  • 81,000 miles
While driving on a motorway at moderate speeds of about 45 mph, vehicle started throwing dynamic stability control, engine check light and traction control deactivation warnings and started cutting out power to the wheels although the engine continued to idle smoothly. Stranded on the motorway for a while and then after switching off and switching on the ignition couple of times, vehicle started to drive forward in limp mode. Had to pull over for safety and towed the vehicle to a local mechanic shop. They said the accelerator pedal failed and stopped sending any signals to engine control unit. They replaced the gas pedal and everything seems to be back to normal.

- Farmington Hills, MI, USA

problem #19

Nov 082019

X3

  • miles
I am constantly getting drivetrain malfunction error messages. The car's performance is really bad. Not getting full power. Car has started shaking a little. Also exhaust sounds louder than it should.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #18

Mar 032019

X3

  • 64,000 miles
The coolant system is giving me many problems. The coolant expansion tank developed cracks in the seam and leaking. The thermostat was stuck, causing zero heat into the cabin on a cold day. The vehicle stalled on its own while driving in the highway. It would not re start the ignition kept trying, and after 20 minutes stalled it finally started, limp driving to my house from there.. the display reads drive moderately /drivetrain malfunction.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #17

Feb 012019

X3

  • 96,222 miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact stated that the transmission malfunctioned when switching from first to second gear. As a result, the vehicle shook and vibrated severely. During the failure, the check engine and power train malfunction indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Edison open road BMW (731 us highway 1, Edison, NJ) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,222.

- Kendell Park, NJ, USA

problem #16

Nov 052018

X3

  • 96,750 miles
Experienced drive train malfunction warning along with shaking and limp mode numerous times which resulted in 2 repairs last year in the thousands only to find out it was due to the cam shaft bolts recall at the root of the initial cause of the failures that resulted. BMW was hesitant to pay initially but my husband is a litigation attorney and once he got involved, they were quick in doing the right thing. I am currently having issues with the no warning light showing to warn me of a low coolant level. It was not until after smoke appeared from the engine area and a burning smell that the warning finally appeared. I immediately stopped and waited for it cool off & had coolant put in, warning light disappeared. Currently smelling a burning smell and hearing a squeaking noise so have a service scheduled tomorrow for the valve heater recall and hope BMW will address any issues stemming from that that may be causing other issues. Also to report, rarely ever use the glove box yet the corner of the glove box has come apart and will not reattach. I saw this has been an issue reported by many BMW X-3 owners and I will be expecting BMW to do the right thing and pay to fix this known defect.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #15

Mar 252018

X3

  • 52,000 miles
BMW X3 xdrvie35I power train malfunction showed up very frequently while I drove on highway, shuddering violently and I had to stop the vehicle. This problem became a serious issue lately that I could no longer drive my X3 anymore. I made an appointment at a local bnw dealership and hope they would take care of it.

- Cerritos, CA, USA

problem #14

Jan 012018

X3

  • miles
Power train malfunction note appeared. Took the car to the dealership and battery was replaced. It happened again one week later. They replaced the coils. The warning appeared again.

- Concord, NC, USA

problem #13

Mar 032018

X3

  • 77,000 miles
Waterpump shutdown. Car shut down on highway.

- Oak Brook, IL, USA

problem #12

Jan 122018

X3

  • 110,000 miles
Sua. I was in a frightening accident attempting to park my car on the rooftop of my 4 story office building. I pulled into a space on the edge of the lot and came to a complete stop. My foot was on the brake, I was about to put the car in park when the engine loudly and suddenly revved and the car surged forward up onto a concrete curb and rammed into a 4 ft high concrete retaining wall. The force of the impact tore the wall apart from the roof - my car was still accelerating, wheels spinning. The broke wall stopped by car from completely going over and I was able to turn the engine off and get out. There were witnesses who can verify that I was at a complete stop, brake lights on and it all happened in a few seconds. It was so shocking that I will never drive a BMW again.

- New Canaan, CT, USA

problem #11

Nov 212017

X3

  • 85,000 miles
Recall 16V311000, drive shift, my car has develop the same issue the other models of the same year when this recall was issued, however my model X3 is not on this recall.if drive shifts brakes in my car does this mean it couldn't cause me to have a accident? this needs to be addressed.please advise.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #10

Nov 242016

X3

  • 65,000 miles
I took my car in for an oil change and was called back by the auto place and was told that, while they were test driving the vehicle it had a major engine faliure, resulting in them having to tow the car and was told that the timing chain had broken and there was massive damage internally to the engine, valves had been bent due to failure. I have spoken to BMW but have not gotten any relief. It is important to mention that this car only has 65,000 miles on it. This faliure is insane and BMW is not willing to honor anything.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #9

Oct 032016

X3

  • 51,000 miles
While coming to a stop the car jerks violently forward with no warning, while moving slow it does the same, to the point where it now hurts to drive it. I get an error that says transmission malfunction, and without warning the car shifts to a lower gear, I have to stop, then turn the car off, when it is turned back the error goes away, then it reappears once again a day or two later. While driving, the steering wheel does not correct in time, and it slides on turns for a second, then over corrects, I have brought it in to BMW dealership, they have replicated the issue, but do not want to cover it under warranty, this has happened at highway speeds as well which is very scary, I am not sure where to turn at this point, so I hope that the NHTSA does an investigation, as I've seen other users have the same issues, and it just one death away from a recall, thank you.

- Palm Springs, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 132016

X3

  • 77,000 miles
While driving on a tx state highway on 13aug2016 the BMW X3 35I suddenly started shifting rough and would drop in and out of od without prompting. Almost simultaneously we got a message on the display, drivetrain malfunction, drive moderately.

- Groves, TX, USA

problem #7

Jul 212016

X3

  • 82,000 miles
I feel this vehicle is unsafe due to the configuration of the gearshift which is electronic. I have been driving for 50 years and every car or truck I have owned or driven the shift lever when pushed forward on the center console or up on the column goes into park. In this BMW when you push the shift level all the way forward the vehicle is in reverse not park, a separate button must be pushed to electronically put the vehicle in park.I believe this is a safety hazard to both the driver (who can think the vehicle is in park as I have on several occasions when dropping someone off or in a drive through) and then either the driver or passenger steps out and the vehicle is in reverse not park and could be seriously injured or killed.it is also a hazard to a person or vehicle behind the vehicle that the driver thought was in park. This setup is not intuitive at all and goes against all logic. This vehicle has been owned for a short time and I cannot get used to this setup as I have other vehicles (including a 2004 BMW X3) that have the conventional shift pattern. This shift pattern and shifter is very frustrating and I feel unsafe.

- Greentown, PA, USA

problem #6

Aug 282015

X3

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 bmx X3. While parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, a message in the instrument panel indicated that the maximum drive train output was not available. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #5

Apr 012013

X3

  • 26,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact stated that the vehicle shook violently and the transmission warning light illuminated while traveling various speeds. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who reprogrammed the computer but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Ponce, PR, USA

problem #4

Aug 032011

X3

  • 8,000 miles
I pulled my car into my flat garage, placed it in park, turned it off and went into the house. 1 hour later it had rolled out into the yard. It was off and in park. It was towed and evaluated by a BMW "expert" who determined there was nothing wrong. They said the car could not have been left in neutral and could not have been left on and then gone off. They had no explanation for the failure to hold the park position and that it was safe to drive!!! my insurance covered the $3200 damage and car rental. In this regard I made probably 200 phone calls between the insurance, dealer, BMW corporate, etc. It took 9 weeks to resolve and repair.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #3

Apr 262011

X3 6-cyl

  • 500 miles
We leased the above BMW X3drive 35I (shipped on 3.30.2011) from husker auto group, BMW of Lincoln, ne on March 30, 2011 for a 3-year period. In mid April I noticed a very loud noise coming from the engine after I turned the car off. The car had 567 miles on the odometer and was taken back to BMW of Lincoln for repairs on April 26, 2011. We were told the main crankcase seal was causing high pressures and was the problem. Apparently replacing the valve covers would result in it being fixed. Within a week, I noted the exact same noise. The car now had 1391 miles on the odometer was again returned to BMW of Lincoln on May 12, 2011. This time I was told the master seal was broken. BMW of Lincoln removed the transmission and replaced the rear main crankcase seal. On September 4, 2011, we were driving at 25 miles/hour when the dash lit up with a drive transmission alert. Immediately thereafter, we heard an extremely loud sound coming from under the car. It sounded like the car had broken in half and the entire engine had fallen out. The dash then displayed a chassis alert followed by a transmission alert. The car rolled backwards despite being put in park. Baron BMW's service department reports there has been a total disruption of all the driveshaft and the transmission, flanges and ebow valve (?) as well as other significant problems. Some replacement parts have to be ordered from germany. We were told that we were extremely lucky to have been traveling at such a low speed and that if it had occurred at 70mph it could have had fatal consequences.

- Saint Joseph, MO, USA

problem #2

Feb 232011

X3

  • 193 miles
Car veering to the right, increased on sudden stops; happens at various speeds. The prominent and dangerous condition is lag in acceleration. Sent the following E-mail to dealer& BMW along with 3 service reports from dealer attempts to address: "this X3 3.5I with all it is electronic engine/drive train controls is a nightmare. It"S a huge design flaw that is going to kill someone eventually. Yet again, yesterday, I felt unsafe due to the hesitation. The car didn't move for about a second or two when I tried to make a left turn in an intersection and then again when I was on the highway changing lanes. There were cars heading towards me but the initial distance was quite comfortable and safe. With the hesitation of the X3, I was actually in a panic and stepped really hard on the gas pedal to avoid a potential collision. And since then I have been stepping on the gas pedal much harder, guzzling gas, not to mention rough starts off of a full stop. I have seen countless internet threads of people complaining about the same thing with the X3 model, both versions, however equipped. I would strongly suggest someone look at how this car"S software is failing to function and fix this thing. I will report the problem to the appropriate governmental agencies. The veering is still there and eventually I will come to pass the issue with the low tread life run-flats BMW's 2-23-11 visit, dealer aligned vehicle, kept car one day due to factory specs not yet being loaded on new vehicle model; on 7-13-11, dealer noted car left in Transport mode, removed codes from computer software and car drove ok for 4 days; 7-23-11 took it back for same issue as noted above with lag in acceleration becoming dangerous and still veering, this time dealer noted nothing wrong with car after test drive comparison. Gave car back, still have issues which prompted E-mail.

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #1

Apr 112011

X3

  • 100 miles
The vehicle is hesitating when shifting from first to second gear, causing a lag in acceleration, particularly on hills or when starting out from a stop.

- Summerland, CA, USA