KnownCarProblems2019 BMW X3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 171 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 BMW X3, most often about the electrical (28% of complaints, typically around 9,500 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about X3 model year since 2000 and has 10 recalls.
Most common 2019 BMW X3 problems
Electrical
47 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 9,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition.
Without warning, the dashboard lights and indicators go dark. The vehicle can be stationary or in motion when it happens. I have contacted the dealer, fields BMW, twice. The first time the service department replaced the battery on my remote key control, the second time service told me it was a known problem at BMW…
I'm having issues with the SUV's "hatch" door opening on it's own. I've owned the car since feb 2019. Twice it has opened on its own while parked. Yesterday morning, it opened while I was driving in slow traffic on a very busy road during rush hour, and I had a lot of things in the trunk. The hatch would not close…
Other or unspecified
43 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 7,500 miles.
At 9am this morning the hatch back had been open for an unknown amount of time. I closed and locked the car and at 3:30pm this afternoon the hatch had popped open again. This is the fourth report of the same issue this week.
This vehicle has the 'lane departure feature warning" . This feature has 3 settings,from light to strong. On the first two settings the steering wheel does not vibrate at all, on the strongest setting the vibration for the most part cannot be felt either. I had a 2014 x5, steering wheel definitely had a pronounced…
Engine
42 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
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 âstop driving and allow engine to cool downâ. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and…
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. While the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for maintenance, the technician discovered an active coolant leak coming from the coolant expansion tank. The mechanic stated that the leak was caused by excessive system pressure stressing the factory plastic tank. The mechanic informed…
Body and structure
31 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 5,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The tailgate opens on its own. This happens without the key fob being near a person or anything pressing on it. This is a serious safety issue and BMW dealers will not fix it, if they do not see it in person. So, far this has occurred several times while the vehicle was parked in a driveway or in a parking lot.
My 2019 BMW X3 with comfort access option package will open the hatch without any input from me. This has happened 4 times now and all when locked with the key in my pocket and I was well over 100 feet away. This can injure people/kids in parking lots or cause damage to my garage or hatch. Some people have reported…
Driver assistance
13 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: automatic emergency braking, warnings.
My car has been at the BMW dealership twice for these incidents. The incidents have happened a total of 4 times. The first time, I was driving about 45 miles per hour along the city street, woodruff ave in long beach. It was a sunny day and there were no other cars around me when the car suddenly starts beeping and…
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly brake and would stop abruptly though there were no other vehicles or objects nearby. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who duplicated the failure. However, the dealer was advised by the manufacturer…
Brakes
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 8,000 miles.
My car has been at the BMW dealership twice for these incidents. The incidents have happened a total of 4 times. The first time, I was driving about 45 miles per hour along the city street, woodruff ave in long beach. It was a sunny day and there were no other cars around me when the car suddenly starts beeping and…
Automatic emergency braking system activated without cause. There was no vehicle or other object in front of my vehicle nevertheless the brakes were automatically employed suddenly slowing the car. Speed at time of the event was approximately 50-60 MPH. There was a warning signal and dashboard icon for the aeb system.
Transmission
7 complaints · 4%Put the car in park, in a driveway with a slight incline, turned off the ignition, and went into the house. The car engaged and rolled down the hill. Pulled it back up the driveway, and two more times put it in park, turned off the ignition, and the car engaged and rolled down the driveway.
Lights
6 complaints · 4%The issue is becoming more systemic and occurs more often. Issue is as follows: 1) while driving, digital instrumentation will go completely blank for a period of time. This includes speedometer, tachometer, clock, cruise control information. Basically, anything that is on the screen disappears. 2) in addition to the…
Without warning, the dashboard lights and indicators go dark. The vehicle can be stationary or in motion when it happens. I have contacted the dealer, fields BMW, twice. The first time the service department replaced the battery on my remote key control, the second time service told me it was a known problem at BMW…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2019 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.
Backup camera: software
Risk: If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began april 16, 2021. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2019-2021 x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i, x3m, x4 xdrive30i, x4 m40i, m550i, x4m, x5 sdrive40i, x5 xdrive40i, x5 xdrive50i, x5m, x5 m50i, x7 xdrive40i, x7 xdrive50i, x7 m50i, alpina xb7, 330i, 330i xdrive, m340i, m340i xdrive, and 8 series coupe, convertible and grand coupe, 840i, 840i xdrive, m850i xdrive, m8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xdrive, 330e, 330e xdrive, 745le, 745le xdrive, x5 xdrive45e, x3 xdrive30e, x6 sdrive40i, x6 xdrive40i, x6 xdrive50i, x6 m50i, x6m, 530i, 530i xdrive, 540i, 540i xdrive, m550i xdrive, m5, 740i, 740li, 740li xdrive, m760i drive, m760li xdrive, 750li xdrive alpina, alpina b7 xdrive, and 2021 4 series coupe 430i, 430i xdrive, m440i xdrive vehicles. When shifting into reverse, a small portion of the rearview image may be obscured, or the screen may not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with
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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: If the front passenger air bag does not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel assembly, free of charge. The recall began june 3, 2019. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2019 x3 sdrive30i, x3 xdrive30i, x3 m40i, and x4 m40i vehicles. The instrument panel assembly may have been improperly manufactured, possibly affecting the deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag.
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.
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.
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 2019 BMW X3
- What are the most common problems with the 2019 BMW X3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (47 complaints, typically around 9,500 miles); other or unspecified (43 complaints, typically around 7,500 miles); engine (42 complaints, typically around 74,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2019 BMW X3 have?
- 10 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 2019 a bad year for the BMW X3?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about X3 model year since 2000, with 171 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.