KnownCarProblems2017 BMW X3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 BMW X3, most often about the engine (42% of complaints, typically around 44,000 miles). It is 11th of 23 X3 model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2017 BMW X3 problems
Engine
39 complaints · 42%Half of these problems showed up before 44,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message that the "engine was overheated" was displayed on the instrument panel with the RPM elevated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective water pump. The vehicle was not yet…
When I am coming to a stop sign, the engine revs up and makes it difficult to stop. I need to apply the brakes very hard to avoid hitting another car or person in a cress walk. Even when I apply the brakes hard, the car will lurch forward. I have taken it to two different BMW dealers multiple times over the past two…
Electrical
30 complaints · 33%Half of these problems showed up before 86,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system). The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she observed an odor emanating from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that there were no warning…
The contact owns a 2017 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 contact stated while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling, the engine was…
Fuel system
17 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 43,000 miles.
I was stopped at a traffic light and without warning the car accelerated. I sideswiped the car in front of me and proceed to cross a 4 lane highway. I tried to stop but kept going , jumped a curb got on a grassy area did a 360 to a road jumped back on the grass and came to rest in some bushes and wire fence. Damage to…
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated, but the message "fuel pump fault" was displayed.…
Brakes
12 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 10,500 miles.
Causing the car to jump forward. By putting car in neutral and depressing the brake on a grade, when I had completed, I noticed the the RPM gage was at 4000 RPM with brake on. The vehicle was stationary at the time. Three times it has happened as I slowed down and it lurched forward striking obsticalls. When braking…
Twice on rainy days, when stopping on a hill at a traffic light, the brakes would not hold. Luckily the light changed and I did not hit the car in front of me. I brought it in with once,but nothing was "wrong". I am going to try again this week. I am afraid to drive the car in the rain.
Other or unspecified
9 complaints · 10%The windshield of this vehicle seems to represent a safety risk. Last week, we replaced the windshield due to a small crack from small rock on the highway. The vehicle was picked up from the dealer on monday afternoon. On wednesday at about 11:00 am, the windshield cracked again. I had to take to the dealer again. I…
The sunroof water drains back up and causes water to pool in the cargo area where electronic components are stored (wheel well like area) which causes an alarm to go off and hatchback malfunctions. My previous X3 had hatchback issues too. BMW states the frame that sun roof sits in is cracked but not caused by user…
Air bags
7 complaints · 8%Body and structure
6 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: body.
August 19, 2017 I pulled into my driveway at a very low speed and applied the brakes to park. The car aggressively accelerated even though my foot was on the brake. The car went through my neighbors fences and it finally stopped between two garages behind my property on the next street. I could not open the doors or…
I was stopped at a traffic light and without warning the car accelerated. I sideswiped the car in front of me and proceed to cross a 4 lane highway. I tried to stop but kept going , jumped a curb got on a grassy area did a 360 to a road jumped back on the grass and came to rest in some bushes and wire fence. Damage to…
Speed control
3 complaints · 3%Engine seized at 65mph highway speeds during commute to work on busy boston highway. Narrowly avoided several collisions as vehicle coasted to stop. Vehicle was purchased new from a BMW dealer three weeks ago and has less than 2,000 miles on it. Dealer advises an "oversized bearing was found in the engine causing it…
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact was attempting to stop at a stop sign and pressed down on the brake pedal but the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle hit another vehicle stopped in front at the stop sign. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle hit the back bumper of the other…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2017 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.
Fuel system: fuel system, diesel
Risk: A melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18v-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18v-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on january 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in june 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on july 6, 2022. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xdrive, 2014-2018 328d sports wagon, 328d xdrive sports wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xdrive, 2015 740ld xdrive, 2015-2017 x3 xdrive28d sav, and 2014-2017 x5 xdrive35d sav diesel vehicles equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on january 14, 2022. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xdrive, x5 xdrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xdrive, 2015 740ld xdrive, and 2015-2017 x3 xdrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.
Engine: gas recirculation valve (egr valve)
Risk: The melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began may 13, 2019. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2013-2018 bmw 328d and 328d xdrive, 2014-2018 328d sports wagon and 328d xdrive sports wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xdrive, 2015 740ld xdrive, 2015-2017 x3 xdrive28d sav and 2014-2017 x5 xdrive35d sav vehicles equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: An increase in pin contact resistance can increase the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and ignition is off.
Fix: The vehicle was repaired at the dealership before sale. Therefore, an owner notification notice will not be issued for this campaign. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling one model year 2017 bmw x3 xdrive 28i vehicle manufactured on june 7, 2016. This vehicle has electronic power steering (eps), and the contact pins on the eps control unit may not have been welded properly resulting in increased resistance.
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.
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
High pressure fuel pump failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe21-021 on october 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (my) 2019-2020 ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7l cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, odi sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both fca and bmw, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by fca and bmw.during the investigation fca filed rec
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
Questions about the 2017 BMW X3
- What are the most common problems with the 2017 BMW X3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (39 complaints, typically around 44,000 miles); electrical (30 complaints, typically around 86,500 miles); fuel system (17 complaints, typically around 43,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2017 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 2017 a bad year for the BMW X3?
- It is 11th of 23 X3 model years by number of complaints, with 92 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.