KnownCarProblems2014 BMW X3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 86 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 BMW X3, most often about the engine (44% of complaints, typically around 69,500 miles). It is 12th of 23 X3 model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2014 BMW X3 problems
Engine
38 complaints · 44%Half of these problems showed up before 69,500 miles.
The oil-feed line for the turbo on the (n20) engine of the 2014 BMW X3 was replaced due to leaking oil into the engine. On cold startup a plume of blue/white smoke is seen emitting from the exhaust tailipie for approximately 30 seconds. This BMW X3 has the standard, common n20 engine. This issue has been addressed by…
Turbo waste gate actuator rod rusted out. This immediately LED to loss of turbo-charging, leading to a dangerous situation due to low engine output. There is no warning prior to this occurring. This is a systemic problem for this model/engine as evidenced by the BMW tsb…
Electrical
30 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles.
Received multiple error messages "battery discharging while stopped" and "increased battery discharge". I smelled burning plastic. Next day I received error the tpm has malfunctioned. I contacted my servicing dealer and explained the problem. He stated he sees this all the time and the cost to repair is $324 for a new…
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the contact discovered that there was an unknown fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system)…
Brakes
11 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 33,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. While driving 30 MPH, the brakes failed when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the contact swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid rear ending a vehicle. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the technician could not find a…
Driving on 3 lane road traveling approx 20-30 miles per hr cars ahead of me stopped and I applied the breaks and nothing happened, car kept going and I hit the car in front of me. Seemed like the car didn't even slow down.
Air bags
9 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 42,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…
My vehicle has the ' defective takata airbag ' and BMW refuses to recall and replace the airbag.. They would rather pay damages after the fact then correct the problem !
Other or unspecified
9 complaints · 11%When starting the car daily there is a large amount of blue smoke coming from the passenger side exhaust pipe only. Research shows and BMW confirms that this is due to a faulty oil line hat is the cause and can also effect the turbo charge. My question is that his is the exact same oil line in other BMW vehicles that…
Our parked BMW X3 was in our driveway turned off when it suddenly burst into flames and also caught our house on fire and our neighbors house. There is currently no recall on this year and model. No engine lights were on and we regularly service our car only with certified BMW mechanics. The car is completely burnt to…
Lights
7 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles.
Tail light failure due to a manufacturing defect. Led driver boards are failing due to bad solder connections, components do not fail but the assembly does. I believe the defective solder joints are probably due to contamination on the bare circuit board. I've repaired mine (albeit probably only temporarily due to the…
Rear brake light continue to go out intermittently. Vehicle sometimes displays the warning message on the dash only a portion of the time. When the light does come on, it is about 5-10 minutes after starting the car and driving it a few miles. Took my X3 to a service center in atlanta where I was told they couldn't…
Transmission
6 complaints · 7%Vehicle intermittently lost power in motion on a highway causing the speed to drop at times from 55 to 45 until slowing down to a stop and intermittently caused random alerts to come on such as "door open" when driving when door was locked/not opened or powertrain alert or chassis stabilizer alert. This happened prior…
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted into neutral(n), and the engine seized. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not…
Steering
4 complaints · 5%The 2014 X3 has a directional control issue. When accelerating from low speeds, within 2-3 seconds without a firm hold on the steering wheel, the car departs the lane of travel, diverting to the right hand side. In steady state driving regardless of speed in a range of 30mph-75mph, within 5 seconds without firm hold…
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the power steering failed momentarily and then returned to normal. BMW of bloomington (1604 commerce pkwy, bloomington, il 61704) diagnosed that the wiring harness became corroded due to water intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2014 BMW X3 recalls
Electrical: connectors/plugs/receptacles
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on march 28, 2025. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc. (bmw) is recalling certain 2012-2015 x1 sdrive28i, x1 xdrive28i, 2012-2016 z4 sdrive28i, 528i, 528i xdrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 x5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xdrive, 328xi gran turismo, 2013-2017 x3 sdrive28i, x3 xdrive28i, 2015-2018 x4 xdrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Fix: The driver's front air bag will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed september 6, 2024. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2015 6 series gran coupe, 2014 5 series gran turismo, 2014 5 series sedan, 2015 6 series convertible, 2015 6 series coupe, 2014 x5, 2013-2014 x3, 2014-2015 3 series sedan, 2014 4 series coupe, 2014 4 series convertible, 2014 3 series gran turismo, and 2015 4 series gran coupe vehicles. Please see the recall report for the complete list of models. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's front air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed january 19, 2024. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2014 x3 xdrive28i, x3 xdrive35i, x5 sdrive35i, x5 xdrive35i, and 2015 x4 xdrive35i vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Child Seat: latch strap
Risk: Damaged lower anchor bars may increase the child's risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars and the vehicle body, free of charge. The recall began on july 13, 2016. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain model year 2011-2017, x3 sdrive28i, x3 xdrive28i and x3 xdrive35i, vehicles manufactured july 2, 2010 to april 14, 2016, 2015-2017 x3 xdrive28d vehicles manufactured march 10, 2014 to march 31, 2016, and 2015-2017 x4 xdrive28i, x4 xdrive35i and x4 xdrivem40i vehicles manufactured march3, 2014 to april 15, 2016. The affected vehicles have lower anchor bars for securing child restraint seats that may become damaged when using the european-isofix-type, rigid-style connector, child restraint system.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: A failure of the brake vacuum pump results in a reduction in braking power that could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will install a locking ring in the camshaft to retain the camshaft seal disk in the proper location, free of charge. The recall began on december 2, 2014. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america llc (bmw) is recalling certain model year 2014 bmw 328i xdrive sports wagon, 2012-2014 bmw 320i sedan, 328i sedan, 320i xdrive sedan, 328i xdrive sedan, 2012-2013 bmw 528i sedan, 528i xdrive sedan, 2013-2014 bmw x1 sdrive28i, x1 xdrive28i sports activity vehicle, 2013-2014 bmw x3 xdrive28i sports activity vehicle, 2012-2014 bmw z4 sdrive28i roadster, and 2014 bmw 428i coupe, and 428i xdrive coupe. Due to insufficient lubrication, the vacuum pump that supplies brake power assistance may fail. Note: this recall is an expansion of recall 13v-454.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: A failure of the brake vacuum pump results in a reduction in braking power that could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will modify the vehicles to prevent insufficient vacuum pump lubrication, free of charge. The safety recall began on january 31, 2014. Owners may contact bmw customer relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email bmw at [email protected].
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america llc (bmw) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 320i, 328i, 320i xdrive, and 328i xdrive sedans; model year 2014 328i xdrive sports wagons; model year 2012-2013 528i and 528i xdrive sedans, model year 2013-2014 x1 sdrive28i and x1 xdrive28i vehicles and model year 2012-2014 z4 sdrive28i roadsters. Due to insufficient lubrication, the vacuum pump that supplies brake power assistance may fail.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Loss of power assist braking
Summary
In a letter dated september 26, 2013, bmw group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (my) 2012 through 2014 bmw 3-series, 5-series, x1 sav, x3 sav, and z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA recall 13v-454).according to bmw, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft may result in blocking of the oil supply to the vacuum pump, resulting in improper pump operation and loss of power assist braking.on july 11, 2013, bmw initiated a change to the camshaft geometry that prevented the seal disk from blocking the oil port.bmw has not received any bra
Questions about the 2014 BMW X3
- What are the most common problems with the 2014 BMW X3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (38 complaints, typically around 69,500 miles); electrical (30 complaints, typically around 81,500 miles); brakes (11 complaints, typically around 33,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2014 BMW X3 have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 13, 2024 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2014 a bad year for the BMW X3?
- It is 12th of 23 X3 model years by number of complaints, with 86 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.