10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 49,574 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.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. 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 amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Danbury, CT, USA
The contact owned a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered a fire on the water pump. The fire spread throughout the entire vehicle causing major cosmetic damage. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop where it was determined that the vehicle was totaled. The contact was notified that the VIN was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Gilbert, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown message displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the low brake fluid message displayed intermittently even when the brake fluid level was not low. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
- Brunswick, GA, USA
While being parked with the engine off and in a covered condominium garage for 12 days, my 2013 BMW X3 caught fire and burned until the fire fighters extinguished the fire. The engine burnt to the point of virtually disintegrating. Other areas of the car suffered extensive damage because of the heat but the insurance investigation established that the fire originated in the engine compartment. The car in the next parking spot also was a total loss and the building had damages. Fortunately, there were no injuries. The engine had been replaced by BMW, at an authorized dealer, in November of 2021 as part of a class action suit settlement. Therefore, although the car had approximately 76000 miles, the engine had only about 7000 miles. The last service it had was a regular oil change on October 6, 2022. The fire department investigation and a third party investigation contracted by my insurance company were not able to determine the cause of the fire, only that it started in the engine, but the third party report stated that further investigation could be conducted by a mechanical engineer to try to determine the root cause of the fire. BMW was contacted and initially offered to inspect the car but 4 weeks later they officially communicated to me that they were declining the inspection and offered me $1000 if I signed a general liability release. The car will be available for inspection for a limited time after the title is transferred to the insurance company. No indications of a problem had been noticed during the last days/weeks/months it was driven. No warnings of any kind or other symptoms. Additional photos of the car and the damages are available for review at any time. The insurance company investigation report is also available upon request.
- Savannah, GA, USA
My wife was driving the car (her main, work car) with our 13 year old. She called me upset and told me that the car would barely move. This was disturbing. She was in heavy traffic. Also the car has been mostly reliable and we only have above 120k on the vehicle after almost 10 years. My wife slowly made it down busy Stocton Blvd. A few hundred feet and safely made it to a business parking lot. I came ASAP. (20min later). There was a message from the car - "Drive Train malfunction " it looked very serious. (Note: My wife is about the best, skillful and careful driver I know. Especially for a person originally from foreign country (China). I gave my wife and child my car and took over the situation. The car would only putt along at 5 mph. So with my emergency flashers on I drove it all the way home using the shoulder. Its about 5 miles home, (more or less). It was pretty crazy situation with how fast people drive on 65th Street expressway. This was my fastest route and only option. Before this a Firestone happened to be just across the street where my wife had parked it so I ask if they could help. "Not today" was their answer. I called BMW of Elk Grove, Ca. where we have always have taken it. Monica at BMW told me it sounded like a recall that had been happening. This was relieving since we haven't been financially well off. It was already 4-5pm so that's why I made the decision to try to make it home. At home I could get my affairs (phone) numbers in order and call for a tow in a much safer place. The unsafest part was getting the dangerous 5-10 miles home. It was Sunday but Monica at BMW said "no problem " just drop it off and they would look at it Monday morning. BMW is telling me over $1800 just to inspect. Not to mention how much for a new timing chain. Monica didn't tell me how much that us. I since looked it up. That's when I saw several similar stories of 2013 X3's which seems much more than coincidence so I'm writing you. Thank you for the opportunity
- Sacramento , CA, USA
When at stop light the car stalls or when I'm at a stop sign stalls engine very dangerous and developed anxiety driving it, gust week oil can out back and odd engin sound making noise, it had to get towed but ira Toyota suckered me. They can't get in the engine to inspect it. I can't drive it on highways at all scared it will engine stop
- Beverly, MA, USA
August 10, 2020. I was driving to the store abut 10 miles from home on a major highway and my 2013 BMW X328I, suddenly started to go crazy in a manner that I never experienced before a lot of lights such as, (engine, ABS, dsc, dtc, brakes, powertrain, and stimulation. The vehicle became non-drivable and a safety hazardous in nature that it almost cause an accident. I act in a emergency state of mind and was able to pull into a nearby parking lot at 15315 merry cat ln, belle haven, va 23306. I proceeded in calling the aaa towing company to take the vehicle to my place of resident.
- Painter, VA, USA
My [xxx] now I'm going through something very different im buy a car in the year 2017 March 20 I spoke the sale manager representative about the car combination of my car his name is [xxx] everything was fine well my car has been damage since 2017 by the mechanic of the G0ggin BMW treasure coast 4429 S us hwy 1 ft pierce fl 34982, tei 429-8300...my car now serious damage don't knowi iwas going to start a motor so other mechanic tell me I have to replace engine I sign a 72 month contract information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Palm City, FL, USA
I was driving my 2013 BMW X3 on I-280 freeway southbound around 11am 6/10/2020, all of sudden my car shows battery discharge resulted in lost of power, when the SUV was at 104,000 miles. Within 30 seconds, the drivetrain malfunction warning engaged. The car began shutting down while they were driving on the freeway. I was able to safely navigate across two lanes of merging traffic to get off the road before the engine died. The situation could have gone very differently with disastrous results, so I quickly maneuvered the vehicle and pulled over on the emergency parking line on the freeway
- San Francisco, CA, USA
On 6/23/20, at approx., 6:15 am, my 2013 BMW X3 vehicle (approx. 68,000 miles) lost engine power as I was attempting to pull out from a busy and congested N/B 215 freeway (near the w/B 10 freeway exchange) in colton, California. Prior to losing engine power, and at about less than one minutes before, my vehicle's low oil light sensor had come on, then quickly changed to a drivetrain malfunction sensor -- warning me to drive moderately, but that was meaningless because my vehicle had already began to lose engine power. I slid to a slow stop into the emergency lane of the freeway after cutting off numerous vehicles behind me in an effort to make it off the freeway.
- Riverside, CA, USA
1. warning drive train malfunction 2. drove moderately on way driving in to dealership for repair 3. oil pressure low stop or risk damage to engine 4. pulled over, had it towed to BMW 5. they called the next morning stating it was 17,000 mol due to engine being damaged after fragments went in from timing chain 6. insurance adjuster went out and conquered BMW issue timing chain broke effecting engine oil pump and battery 7. engine inoperable fucntionally totaled car waiting for BMW N America casemngr to return my call and hopefully offer to extend warranty or offer good will and fix -repair engine and all related to malfunction 8. found out usa consumer class action suit is currently under way filed 12/12/19 against BMW for timing chain engine issue... still without relief or vehicle and no personal funds to get car back again hoping for relief from BMW!
- Hendersonville, NC, USA
My 2013 X BMW was giving a message on the dash board stating if I stop the engine I may not be able to re-start the car. On April 17, 2019 I drove to prime motor group BMW of norwood, MA for service. I was told that the replace a part and the car cannot start, at this point I was getting an E-mail from the dealer with an estimate cost of close to $5,500 to repair it. At the time taking the car for the problem, there were 5 recalls pending for my car that needed immediate attention repair, but the recalls was kept secret from me until on April 24, 2019 I towed the car back to the dealer to replace the battery for $525 as I was toll by the service counselor to get that start back. As off now, my car is still seating at the dealer, but I don't have $5,500 to repair the engine and the electrical issues.
- Brockton, MA, USA
Steering drives off the road tires blew. Airbags recall
- Saint Simons Island, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that the warning indicators flashed for the oil pressure low and drive train, and the vehicle suddenly decelerated without warning. The vehicle started to coast and randomly stalled. The vehicle was unable to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to replicate and diagnose the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that metal shavings were in the oil. Further diagnostic testing was required to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to a second independent repair shop for further testing. The dealer and manufacturer were notified. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
- Hinckley, OH, USA
I was driving northbound on ct-104 long ridge road, a 2-lane state road on Monday June 22nd, 2015 around 8am. I was traveling from stamford ct to bedford. About midway on long ridge road driving at around 25pmh at millers mill intersection the car stalled. I would see I was in middle of my northbound lane the dashboard lights were on, but speedometer was at 0 RPM and knew the engine had died, I immediately tried restarting the engine. While the engine cranked, I was in park, the engine would not kick in despite turning over. After repeated tries, and being unable to move off the lane, I pressed BMW sos button. I had turned on my flashers. Cars were racing in my lane and stopping before getting to my car rear-end. I knew I was in a hazard zone. But this a cell-phone dead zone. In any case BMW asked I get out of the hazard zone, but told them the car was simply unmoveable and would not start-up. So they called in the tow and informed the bedford police. For 20 minutes I sat there in the car. Then the flashers quite operating and increased the risk of rear-end crashes. Thats another issue BMW must look into. Finally the police arrived some 20 mins later the tow truck called by the police showed up. The BMW X3 was taken to bms mt kisco New York. A 2-year old car failing suddenly in the middle of the road without any warning and creating a road hazard was unnerving. BMW dealer informed me on Tuesday June 23rd the fuel pump had failed. It would take a few days to repair...the fact that a new car with 25000 miles has a significant failure suddenly and creates a life-threatening situation with cars barreling down in a 45 mph is worrisome and poses issues with qa of critical components and a recall if large number of cars have been involved in sudden fuel pump failures maybe indicated as a proactive step...updated 08/27/15 updated 12/3/15
- Stamford, CT, USA
On April 5th, 2015 at 10:00am. I drove my car to church (20 min drive / 10 miles @ 35-60mph speed) without any problems or indication of issues. At 11:15am I was in route to go home traveling about 35mph. When I reached a stop light...my cars eco-technology kicked in, and it turned off. Nothing out of the ordinary on any other day except that day. The engine light came on, the abd light came on, and alerts indicating my transmission was malfunctioning and my brakes weren't working. When the light turned green, my vehicle did not turn on. It shut off and would not restart. After 5 minutes of being idle in the middle of ongoing traffic and me panic-kingly pressing buttons on my key and on the dash...my car out of no where... turned back on. But my car was like in a "safe mode", I could not accelerate more than 15-20 mph and I'm not sure because the tachometer wasn't working or my indicators. The lights indicating that my transmission, brakes and engine were all still on and the alerts kept showing up on my navigation screen. I tried calling global assist, but the call would not go thru given my electrical issues. I tried sending a service request but that was also useless...and all of the service centers were closed on Sunday. I drove home parked my X3 and called the service center first thing Monday April 6th. (7:30am). They told me to drive it in, and once again dealt with the car not wanting to start... pushing buttons randomly on the remote until it decided it was ready to start. I drove it in this "safe mode" for approx 10 miles. And we are going on 4 weeks... and the dealer has been unable to repair my car and has not given me any resolution. My car has less than 35K miles and is a 2013. It seems like I shouldn't be dealing with this kind of issue so early on. I just want a new car at this point.
- Atlanta, GA, USA
The rear hatch door opens unexpectedly. This has occurred about 6 times in the last 1-1/2 years. It last occurred on Aug. 3 and our dog -- who was sitting in the rear of the car -- fell out of the car as we were driving. This is the second time our dog has abruptly fallen or jumped out of the car due to the hatch unexpectedly opening while we were driving. The problem: 1) my wife and I both have keys to the car. The keys electronically lock & unlock the doors. 2) we parked the car on the street, and I locked the car successfully with my set of keys. 3) my wife left her keys in the car. The car remained locked. 4) after an hour, we arrived back at the car and I opened the back hatch with my keys in my pocket. 5) after the dog hopped into the back of the car, I pressed the "lock" button on the hatch. The hatch successfully closed. 6) I walked to the driver's side and unlocked the doors, got in, started the car and began driving away. 7) after moving about 20 feet and preparing to merge onto a major artery, people on the street started yelling that the back hatch of the BMW had opened and our dog had fallen out of the car. There was no beep or alarm indicating that the hatch had automatically opened. 8) the diagnosis: BMW explained that if a set of keys is left in the car, the BMW is programmed to not lock. 9) the danger: Instead of simply not locking, the rear hatch automatically opens. The locking/unlocking is inconsistent and there is no alarm to indicate that the hatch will open. This hatch is heavy, so if this behavior occurs in a parking lot, for example, it can easily injure a passerby. More importantly, anything in the back of the car -- dog, child, groceries -- can easily fall out. 10) takeaway: Doors and hatches should not open automatically. An alarm indicating that a second set of keys has been left in the car is a safer solution.
- Seattle, WA, USA
On February of 2013 while I was backing out of a parking lot, the rear windshield wiper started by itself and sprayed all the wash fluid until the tank drained and kept making a loud noise (audible from inside and outside of the car) even after I turned off the car engine. I took the car to a dealer and I was told the problem is due to faulty junction box. It took them two weeks to get a new junction box & replace it. After one year, on February 7 2014, the same problem occurred but this time it is the front windshield wiper that started by itself, drained the wash fluid tank and kept making a loud noise. Took the car to a dealer the same day & I'm still waiting for my car to be fixed. I was told BMW is aware of the problem with the junction box with X3 cars and yet they don't notify owners and replace the faulty junction box until after the problem occurs (it usually takes more than a week to get a replacement junction box). In my opinion this could be a safety issue; for instance if the wash fluid tank is drained while the car is being driven in a bad weather day ( such as heavy snow) which requires to frequently clean the windshield, it prevents the drivers ability to clean the windshield and could impair his/ her vision and could lead to an accident. BMW should recall all affected cars and replace the junction box before someone get injured.
- Schaumburg , IL, USA
- Amherst, MA, USA