BMW X3 Complaints

271 consumer complaints on file.

#11589802May 20, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
There are no audible alerts and insufficient visual alerts to indicate when cross traffic is approaching from the rear left or rear right of the vehicle while backing up. The functionality only works when there is a blind spot to the immediate right or left of the vehicle. This is inconsistent with the industry standard. The current vehicle is a 2024 BMW X3 model year. However, in comparison to three other vehicles we operate which are all 2016 model years and poses this technology, it makes driving the 2024 BMW X3 a concern. We have reported this to our dealer, who has indicated the vehicle is operating as designed. This is contradictory to the lead technician at our dealership, who maintained that there should be a clear audible alert to accompany the minimal visual alert on the screen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11588814May 15, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
I was driving on an interstate in Utah near Park City in a rented car (BMW X3) and the sunroof exploded suddenly and without warning. It created an extremely loud boom that reverberated. My passenger and I didn't know what happened and it was scary and caused panic. We pulled over and discovered what had happened. It was one of the most frightening situations I've ever experienced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587425May 7, 2024
STEERING, SUSPENSION
I purchased by 2022 BMW X3 new in September of 2021. Since then I have had re-occurring safety issues with the car involving steering and suspension components. I've had the front thrust rod replaced at least three times. The vehicle clunks when in reverse and consumes front tires. I had to order front tires for the car with only about 15k miles on them. I had the vehicle alignment checked multiple times and was informed that the car is in correct alignment specs. My biggest frustration is that BMW consistently lies to me and does everything in it's power to deny that there are issues with the vehicle. The thrust rod issue is a known issue which has multiple technical service bulletins. They actually re-engineered the part because it was designed so poorly that they constantly break. BMW, of course, has tried to hide this information and denies that there is anything wrong with the component. I was informed that they would be placing a re-engineered part on my car once it was available - however they had no ETA according to the dealership because BMW needs so many of these parts to replace their faulty components. When I refused to pick up the car suddenly a re-engineered part was available. I have dozens of service invoices for this issue and e-mails with the dealership and BMW representatives lying and covering up information to prevent a recall of their substandard vehicle. Recently, my steering wheel has started to get "stuck" while driving. I have to use brute force to move the wheel which results in erratic maneuvers on the highway. I brought the vehicle back to BMW who, as usual, said there is nothing wrong with it. When I refused to drive the car due to safety concerns, suddenly it needs a new steering column. Upon research, this is also apparently a huge issue with the X3's. My vehicle has proven unsafe to drive and BMW has no concern about my safety or welfare. I have a lot of evidence and service invoices if needed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581939April 9, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X3. The contact stated while approaching a stop light at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal stiffened while the contact was attempting to stop the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact ran the red light; however, the brake pedal function returned soon after the failure. The contact was unaware if any warning light was illuminated during the failure. Despite the brake failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to a dealer and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,500. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11576814March 12, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CAR WAS PARKED , TURN OFF THE ENGINE, MOVED OUT OF CAR THE CAR MOVED FORWARED BY ITSELF AND HIT THE CURB AND ENDED UP IN NEIGHBOURS LAWN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571407February 12, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact also stated that the failure had previously occurred several times. The vehicle was scheduled for an upcoming service appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to schedule an appointment with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 20.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11569381February 1, 2024
TIRES
Only 18,000 miles driven and they are down to 3/32nds. Unacceptable. Vehicle is a 2022 BMW and tires have been rotated and tire pressure checked weekly. Completely unsafe now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560540December 17, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Driving at highway speeds, the front sun roof exploded into the vehicle. 2nd time this has happened. Previous time was 03/2022.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556036November 20, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sirrus XM Advertising pops up in the middle of the speedometer and stays there. Blocks vision of speedometer. Big Blue square comes on at night distracting driver. Several internet posts and complaints advise that it comes on blocking the rear camera vision. Contacted Sirrus they say they cant do anything about it, it is built into the car. Contacted BMW and their "Genius" squad they don't know how to get rid of it. I see postings of other car brands having the same complaint. Consumers don't spend $70.000.00 for a vehicle to be solicited for a service that they don't want. Besides the safety factor. This is an invasion of privacy and none requested solicitation. Please look into this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11554345November 9, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving on a highway with occasional traffic lights, my 2021 X3 Plugin hybrid's sunroof's from glass cracked with a loud bang. I had it closed and the sun shade part also was closed. The loud bank also felt like an impact on my head and I felt in a bit of a shock like the time I was hit from behind with a shock and having to think. I first though it was a tire and slowed down to safely exit into a business parking lot to asses the situation. After checking the tires I noticed something on the roof. The glass was cracked and deformed in an upward direction. It was still pushing upward and a 4-6 inch section fell off and onto the top of the sun shade part. In safety, the loud shock caused a brief distraction on a highway going at least 50 MPH. Also if the sun shade was open some of the glass could have fallen on me. I searched online and found previous complaints about 'exploding sunroofs': https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/bmw-exploding-sunroof-lawsuit.shtml. I did not see anything coming toward the car or notice other cars possibly slowing down or getting hit by something that would have hit my sunroof and bounced around in the traffic. I mobile detailer helped clean up the glass so I can drive on and able to take it to the dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552308October 27, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Adas camera bracket on windshield deformed due to heat. The bracket will no longer hold the camera and the deformation was so severe it broke the mounting tab that holds the adas camera.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551244October 22, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The 2023 BMW X3 is equipped with automatic high beams that includes an anti-dazzle feature. The anti-dazzle/non-glare (matrix) feature have been available on non US Spec vehicles since 2013 but US legislation did not allow this feature to enabled in the United States. In the meantime legislation has changed however my BMW has been decoded by the manufacturer so that my car does not have that feature and they cite legislation as the issue. My car is capable of the feature but bmw is refusing to enable it thus reducing night time visibility and safety for myself and others on the road. I’m also reading there are people and shops who will enable the feature but with only an 80% solution which means there’s a potential to have a lot of cars on the road that are not correctly providing anti-glare to other vehicles. I think BMW should stop decoding (removing) this feature and recall all cars that have been decoded to have the feature re-enabled. This is 100% a safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550697October 18, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The front collision warning failed and had not given any problem prior to the failure. We were in a car accident where a person turned left (we were going straight) and passed right in front of us when we hit them. The Forward Collision Warning did not display and our vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance. We may of avoided the accident if the sound and display of the warning had triggered.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11550565October 18, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving approximately 3 MPH, and slowing to park the vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,307.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546822September 27, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sun roof glass shattered while driving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544775September 15, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
The BMW front facing kafas camera system is prone to failure in the BMW X3. The plastic piece that holds the camera module in place has small plastic tabs that attach it to the windshield. These tabs are prone to breaking. Once the tabs break the front camera system is no longer in alignment and all front safety systems will be disabled. This puts the occupants of the vehicle in danger as all front facing safety systems will be disabled. The dealers do not want to warranty these failures as they try to pass it off as the fault of the owner. The first dealership rejected my issue saying that since my vehicle has a modified suspension that the camera is not able to calibrate which is incorrect. The second dealer I took it to saw the problem was the failed plastic mount but since my front windshield is aftermarket UV rejecting film it must have been damaged by the individual that installed it. This is not the case since the film did not extend behind the plastic pieces covering the electronics. In order to get this issue fixed I to pay out of pocket $2000 even though my vehicle is still under warranty. This issue has been reported by several people on various BMW forums.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542987September 6, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
There is a failure with the camera not being able to calibrate and a number of error messages
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542942September 6, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
The main windshield bracket holding the front camera (responsible for Driver's Assistant including front collision warning, pedestrian warning, lane departure warning, etc.) has the tendency to break on its own. The bracket is made of thin plastic and can melt under direct sunlight and/or usage of vehicle as the camera gets hot as well. Any reasonable exposure or usage will eventually cause the bracket to melt/deform and fail, causing the camera to fall from its original position. The misalignment of camera will cause a cascade of error codes and completely fail to work, rendering the entire safety systems to be useless. The bracket itself is not sold separately and requires the manufacturer to install a completely new windshield which is the only method of fixing this issue. Manufacturer and/or dealerships refuse to warranty if preventative methods are used (such as windshield tint) even though the camera or mounts remain untouched.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542855September 6, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Mount for BMW KAFAS camera melts/deforms in the heat (normal exposure). This causes the camera to become uncalibrated and disables Pedestrian avoidance braking as well as lane keep assist. I am unsure what other functions are unavailable. After 2+ months of waiting for a new part, the BMW dealer nor BMW NA could not give a timeline on when the windshield/mount would be available for replacement. This means that the safety features that were advertised and paid for by the owner are unavailable to the owner for an indeterminate amount of time. Forum participants indicate that this is a common problem with this model with some owners experiencing multiple failures of this safety system in a short period of time during summer months.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541777August 30, 2023
STEERING
Steering safety defect description. When holding steering wheel straight vehicle wanders in different directions not initiated by driver. Also when avoiding road hazards electronic steering is delayed between input and reaction. Bmw safety defect steering issue has been experienced by many customers. Many customers have documented complaints requesting Bmw, fix safety defects with steering. Safety defect makes drivers have to overcorrect steering to avoid potential accidents. Vehicle drives in a manner that is more susceptible to an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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