Emergency Call System Malfunction warning message showed up on dashboard. Got it diagnosed at a BMW Dealer and they said there is a leak with the sharkfin antenna that allowed water to seep in and short the telematics control unit. Quoted $2500 by BMW to replace and reseal antenna. In the event of an accident and the driver becomes unresponsive, the vehicle won-??t automatically call emergency services since. With this malfunction, my GOS, Bluetooth microphone, and BMW app all do not work. Also can-??t get my emissions done because the warning message is blocking the odometer. Contacted BMW North America to investigate and they contacted the dealer saying they can-??t do anything about it. Honestly worried to drive the car especially in the winter, if I go off the road or something else and become unresponsive emergency services will not be called.

- Middlebury, CT, USA

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the emergency call system malfunction message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the Bluetooth microphone failed to function. Additionally, the SOS button failed to engage while being depressed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the telematics system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer provided the contact and estimate for the repair. The contact related the failure to TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLENTIN: SI B65 12 22 (ROOF-MOUNTED ANTENNA HOUSING SEAL NOT ADHERING); however, the VIN was not included in the TSB. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,900.

- Middlebury, CT, USA

A faulty seal in the "fin" allowed for water to penetrate and short out the module responsible for the emergency SOS call system and the navigation. This was confirmed by BMW technicians and a known problem. This resulted in an indicator and message that would not go away and a malfunction of the emergency SOS system that would not work in the event of an accident. Navigation was also rendered useless by this module board malfunction. Resulting replacement cost exceeded $1700.

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

See attached document for complaint.

- Temple Hills, MD, USA

The seal of the roof-mounted antenna housing adhesive was faulty. This caused separating from the vehicle allowing water into the vehicle, which damaged emergency call components and equipment. BMW told me this was a know issue, but that NHTSA had not yet applied this to my vehicle. Please issue an advisory on this known issue. My car is under 40,000 miles and fairly new still. Adhesive should not be deteriorating this early. Preventative maintenance could not have addressed this factory issue. - Excerpt from BMW inspection: Concern Critical Client States Emergency Call Malfunction On. Aux Battery Replaced Twice. Ref Ro 871625 And Ro 907864. Please Check And Advise Cause FOUND SHARK FIN COVER GLUE TO BE LOOSE AND TO HAVE A SLOW WATER LEAK. WATER DAMAGED TCB MODULE. NO COMMUNICATION WITH TCB MODULE. Correction REPLACE TCB MODULE. REPLACE ROOF ANTENNA. REPLACE SHARK FIN. PROGRAM AND ENCODE TCB MODULE Cost: $2,8550.50

- Washington, DC, USA

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "Emergency Call System Notification Failure" was displayed on the instrument cluster, causing the speedometer and the odometer to become inoperable. The service warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the navigation system was inoperable, and the vehicle function setting on the infotainment system also indicated that the Emergency Call System Notification had failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the TBC module and battery had failed due to water intrusion in the shark fin of the roof. The dealer determined that the TBC module and the TBC module battery needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the shark fin needed to be resealed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

- Corte Madera, CA, USA

My 2019 BMW X3 posted this error on the instrument display "Emergency call system malfunction". BMW service informed me that the shark fin roof mounted antenna is leaking. It causes issues with the SOS feature, navigation (reporting wrong location). There are numerous complaints on BMW owners message boards with the same problem. There is at least one BMW Service Information Bulletin (SIB) that applies to this issue for my vehicle. It is number B65 12 22. I was told this issue is not covered under my certified pre-owned warranty. This is a safety issue affecting thousands of BMW owners. BMW should do the right thing, issue a recall on the affected models and repair this problem. Thank you.

- North Wales, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that the Navigation system had become inoperable. Additionally, the message "Emergency Call Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the seal of the roof-mounted antenna housing had separated from the vehicle, causing water to leak into the antenna housing wiring and causing the electrical failures. The contact was charged a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: SIB 65 12 22. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting an email from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Mount Laurel, NJ, USA

The TCB Module and Antenna failed due to a water leak through the sealed roof mounted "Shark Fin" Antenna on top of my vehicle. The vehicle is not completely safe to drive due to the failure of the TCB Module in which the Module activates the "Intelligent Emergency Call" in the case of an accident. Crash and airbag sensors activate an emergency call to the BMW call center in the process, a set of relevant data such as how many passengers and their presumed condition or injury as well as the exact position of the my vehicle is sent automatically to the BMW call center and the nearest emergency service provider. The problem has been inspected and confirmed by my local BMW dealer. There is a warning on my odometer that states "Emergency call system not available."

- Darlington, SC, USA

Headlights flash on and off for no apparent reason which is distracting to other drivers both in front of me or approaching my vehicle. This happens all of time now most recently for no apparent reason but I first noticed it more than a year ago. Headlights also go on and off and start to self level multiple times after car has been turned off. This has happend on a number of occasions as well. Normally the rotary light switch is always set in the AUTO position in my car. I have also noticed it happen when the car in parked and off, which can drain the battery.

- Malvern, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that after a rainstorm, water would leak through the Telematics Control Unit (TCU) located on the roof at the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak caused a short circuit of the TCU wiring harness. The contact stated that a warning for the "Emergency Call System" was illuminated. The contact stated that the message covered the instrument cluster. The contact was unable to see the speedometer or other gauges on the instrument cluster because the message could not be cleared due to the short circuit. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCU needed to be resealed and the wiring harness and transponder module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB: SIB 65 12 22 - Roof Mounted Antenna Seal Not Adhering (Structure, Electrical System). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

- Middletown Township, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a message was displayed to -??Stop Driving and Allow Engine to Cool Down-??. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System) however, neither the VIN nor the model year was included. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Fairport Harbor, OH, USA

With only 41,289 miles, "Driver Restraint System Malfunction" notification came on soon after the car was started. BMW dealer advised that it was due to faulty knee airbag module on driver side (fault code 930949-short circuit to ground). The wiring harness going to the knee airbag may have been rubbing against the support tube of the instrument panel. Cost to fix is parts $1,288 and labor $1,282. Total cost not covered by BMW since the car is few months over 4 years old. This wiring faulty seems to be a major concerns for owners as this relates to electrical quality control and should be a recall by BMW.

- Irvine, CA, USA

The X3 suddenly slowed down to stoppage on an interstate highway, and the car "shifted" to Neutral by itself. I had to shift back to "Drive" and then drive away. It happened twice in September to October 2023, with my family and other kids in the car. Luckily there was traffic, driving speed was relatively low. Contacted two BMW dealerships and the only thing they could do was change the battery. They said maybe the battery wasn't functioning fully. However, BMW shouldn't stop my car on a highway just because the battery may be relatively low. No warning about battery was ever observed. Four pictures attached: Error Message 1 - Increased Steering Effort on 10.13.23 Error Message 2 - Transmission (suddenly "auto-shifted" to Neutral) Error Message 3 - Four-wheel-drive system Error Message 4 - Front monitor suddenly turned on?

- Solana Beach, CA, USA

My car, a 2019 X3, displayed a malfunction notification "Driver Restraint System Malfunction" along with the airbag indicator glowing in red in my dashboard all of a sudden when I turned-on my parked car. The malfunction notification has remained ever since, whenever the car is turned-on or driven. My local BMW dealer inspected & diagnosed the issue as a harness failure, requiring a replacement of the air bag harnesses of both knee airbags, and potentially the ACSM module in the center console as well. As per this diagnosis, the failure was caused due to a short-circuit. If this issue was left unattended, it would have prevented the deployment of airbags in the event of a crash, resulting in the death of the driver or severe injuries. A manufacturing fault or other quality issues are clearly to blame for such short-circuits. I request NHTSA to investigate the issue and pursue a recall notice for such faulty driver restraint (harness in this case) control modules.

- Dunlap, IL, USA

I am writing about the BMW Telematics Control Unit (TCB). This is a safety device installed on all BMWs for the past 6 years or more. It is an electronic tracking and communication device that is activated either automatically on manually in the event of an emergency. For minor emergencies such as a flat tire or running out of gas, the driver can call for roadside assistance. For serious emergencies such as accidents the system automatically contacts the BMW emergency center who contacts local emergency assistance providers such as police, fire, ambulance. The system provides information such as the vehicle's exact location and the severity of the accident. Obviously, this can be lifesaving information. I have no way to determine how frequently these systems fail, but judging from the countless number of accounts described on the internet and the number of YouTube videos I see, it would appear that these systems are very unreliable. These systems fail for a number of different reasons and are very expensive to repair. This is a serious safety issue. In my own case, water had leaked through the roof aerial and damaged the electronic communication device rendering it useless. Cost of repair would be nearly $3,000. There is at least one BMW Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that applies to this issue for my vehicle. It is number B651222. There are probably many other TSB's that apply to other models and other causes of failure of this device. BMW owners have spent a lot of money for this device with the expectation of providing themselves with some additional safety in the event of an emergency. This is largely a false sense of security because these devices are very unreliable. I respectly request the the NHTSA look in to this issue. I believe that there are many people that are unknowingly in a dangerous situation.

- Divide, CO, USA

Multiple times while driving, my key FOB in my pocket has opened the trunk. Extremely dangerous, and apparently very easy to accidentally press. Same thing with the alarm, almost caused me to have an accident.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

On May 20, 2022 at around 10 AM. I pulled into my work parking lot. I proceeded to park the car in front of the main building. I put the car on park but the car accelerated on its own at high speed. It curved around the bushes yanking them out and then smashed into the building. The airbags opened. I called 911 for help. Ambulance took me to a hospital nearby. I lost a lot of blood due to a large cut in my mouth. I had some other minor injuries including a fracture in my sternum and nose.

- Westborough, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, an unknown warning light was illuminated with a message displayed stating that the vehicle would turn off shortly, and to keep the vehicle function active, switch to Ready Mode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact stated that an unknown part was replaced however, the warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was contacted by the dealer but the contact was unaware of what was said. The failure mileage was 9,000.

- Sun City, AZ, USA

My digital gauges were frequently going off center in my vehicle. I scheduled service with the dealer however they did not have a loaner available for weeks so they scheduled the appointment for a few weeks out, my car subsequently completely died on the road and after a minute or two I was rear ended by a truck and the car was completely totaled.

- Oak Ridge, NJ, USA