KnownCarProblems2018 BMW X3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 76 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 BMW X3, most often about the electrical (29% of complaints, typically around 17,500 miles). It is 15th of 23 X3 model years by number of complaints and has 11 recalls.
Most common 2018 BMW X3 problems
Electrical
22 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 17,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. While reversing the vehicle, the rearview camera spontaneously blacked out intermittently. The failure recurred four times. The vehicle was taken to advantage BMW clear lake (400 gulf fwy s, league city, tx 77573, ([phone]) where they informed the contact that the software was updated.…
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at 65-70 MPH, the vehicle became unstable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact reduced the vehicle speed and regained control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to wide world of cars BMW located at (125…
Engine
20 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 48 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot, and the âwarning â pull over - engine overheatingâ was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to allow the engine to cool down. The contact…
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the "engine coolant level low" and "engine overheating" warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an auto parts store and purchased a gallon of coolant. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir and became aware…
Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 0 miles.
The vehicle was moving and when I tried to stop because the car in front of me stopped. My car had a brake failure and caused an accident. Abs and/or the collusion deterrent system engaged to avoid this accident.
I was parking when I totally lost control of my car. I could not steer it and I could not break. I went left while I was attempting to brake but I had no brakes. I attempted to go straight and hit one parked car. Then I went right and damaged another car then the car hit a 3 car. Then the car stopped. I receive a BMW…
Body and structure
9 complaints · 12%Parts named most often: body.
Uncommanded opening of the rear hatch while the vehicle was in motion. This has happened on four occasions. The first time was on md route 29 near the route 175 intersection. The second was on goshen view dr gaithersburg md. The third and fourth were on goshen rd, gaithersburg md.
The vehicle's rear liftgate has opened randomly several times without notice or without input from the user. The first incident was when backing out of a parking spot, the rear liftgate opened suddenly. This is concerning because it was a busy parking lot and our dog was in the car and began to jump out of the vehicle…
Steering
7 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 8,000 miles.
At between 52 MPH and say 60 MPH steering wheel buzzes and shakes. Seems to be something with lane depart system even when shut off. Excessive front pass tire wear also. No fix from dealer yet?
BMW 2018 X3 steering wheel ***went out of control*** for unknown reason and took over my driving on hwy 84 when I was going about 62 miles, it geared to left on its own. The car eventually hit center divider during the course of trying to avoid otherwise possibly severe collision. X3 entire left side damaged, called…
Lights
6 complaints · 8%As I was making a 10 minute drive, on a highway about 30 minutes before dark, it just started to snow. Suddenly all of the front sensors started to flash "trouble" on the dash. I checked the front of the car and ice had formed over the sensors and headlights. That rendered the car unsafe to drive in the dark since the…
Brakes
5 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 14,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at 65-70 MPH, the vehicle became unstable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact reduced the vehicle speed and regained control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to wide world of cars BMW located at (125…
Traveling east bound through an alley in order to make a right turn onto a south-north running city street. Brake was first applied approximately two-car length (distance wise) before the intersection. I noticed the vehicle was acting funny: instead of slowly coming to a stop, it picked up speed. I felt as if…
Suspension
5 complaints · 7%At between 52 MPH and say 60 MPH steering wheel buzzes and shakes. Seems to be something with lane depart system even when shut off. Excessive front pass tire wear also. No fix from dealer yet?
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at 65-70 MPH, the vehicle became unstable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact reduced the vehicle speed and regained control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to wide world of cars BMW located at (125…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2018 BMW X3 recalls
Body and structure: structure
Risk: Interior rear cargo rail detachment during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed december 12, 2024. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicles in this recall were previously remedied for this issue under recall number 24v-534 and will need to have the new repair completed.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018-2022 x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i, and x3 m vehicles. The attachment for the rear cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
Body and structure: structure
Risk: Interior cargo rail detachment during a rear crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed january 2, 2024. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018-2023 x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i, and x3 m vehicles. The attachment for the interior cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: A deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat foam, which includes the occupant classification system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on september 3, 2021. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018-2019 x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i and 2019 x4 xdrive30i, and x4 m40i vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant classification system may have been improperly assembled, which could result in the misclassification of the seat as unoccupied, and deactivate the front air bag.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag could damage the instrument panel and cause small pieces of the panel to strike the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel casing, free of charge. The recall began may 15, 2020. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2019-2020 x4 xdrive30i and x4 m40i, and 2018-2020 x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i, and x3m vehicles. The instrument panel casing may not have been tightened properly to the passenger air bag.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began november 8, 2019. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or rolls-royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xdrive, 540i, 540i xdrive, m550i xdrive, m5, 530e, 530e xdrive, x3 sdrive, x3 xdrive, x3 m40i, x3 m, and 2019-2020 x4 xdrive, x4 m40i, x4 m, x7 xdrive, x7 m50i, 740li, 740li xdrive, 750li, 750li xdrive, 8 series convertible and coupe 840i, 840i xdrive, m850i xdrive, x5 sdrive, x5 xdrive, x5 m50i, x6 xdrive, x6 m50i, 330i, 330i xdrive, m340i, m340i xdrive, z4 sdrive, z4 m40i, 740le xdrive and 745le xdrive, 2018-2019 640i xdrive gran turismo and rolls-royce phantom, 2019 m850i xdrive gran coupe and rolls-royce cullinan and 2020 toyota supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of f
Seats
Risk: In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the seatback folds forward or rearward.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seats, free of charge. The recall began september 27, 2019. Owners may contact bmw customer service 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018-2019 x3 sdrive30i, xdrive30i and m40i and 2019 x4 xdrive30i and m40i vehicles. The front seatback frames may have been improperly welded, allowing the seatback to unexpectedly fold forward or rearward.
Brakes: caliper
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the rear brake circuit, free of charge. The recall began august 31, 2018. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018-2019 bmw x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i and certain 2019 x4 xdrive30i and x4 m40i vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Lights: turn signal
Risk: Turn signals that flash multiple colors may confuse other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear turn signal lights, and replace if necessary, free of charge. The recall began august 20, 2018. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018 bmw x3 xdrive30i and x3 m40i vehicles. The rear turn signals on the outboard side panel will illuminate red, while the inboard turn signals simultaneously illuminate amber. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Driver assistance: steering assist
Risk: If the sensors do not properly detect the driver's hands are off the wheel, the driver may not be alerted by one or more warning signals, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering wheel, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on july 19, 2018. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018-2019 bmw x3 xdrive30i, x3 sdrive30i, and x3 m40i vehicles equipped with the "active lane keeping assistant" option. The steering wheel may be incompatible with the lane keeping assistant function and may not detect if the driver's hands are off the wheel.
Body and structure: body
Risk: If the spoiler detaches while driving, it can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spoiler, correcting its attachment as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin may 1, 2018. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018 bmw x3 xdrive30i and x3 m40i vehicles. The rear spoiler may not have been properly attached during assembly, or may be missing screws, possibly causing the spoiler to detach while driving.
Electrical: instrument cluster/panel
Risk: If the display does not illuminate during start up or does not illuminate various control and warning symbols while driving, it can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster display software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin january 8, 2018. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2018 230i, 230i xdrive, m240i, m240i xdrive, m2, and x3 xdrive 30i sav vehicles. These vehicles may have an error in the software for the instrument panel, causing the display to not properly illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 101, "control and displays."
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.
Questions about the 2018 BMW X3
- What are the most common problems with the 2018 BMW X3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (22 complaints, typically around 17,500 miles); engine (20 complaints, typically around 89,000 miles); other or unspecified (12 complaints, typically around 0 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2018 BMW X3 have?
- 11 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 15, 2024 (body and structure). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2018 a bad year for the BMW X3?
- It is 15th of 23 X3 model years by number of complaints, with 76 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.