NHTSA lists 143 complaints for the 2006 BMW X3, 7 of them mention a crash and 16 mention a fire. 17 complaints mention an injury, with 17 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as BMW X3.
At a glance
Complaints
143
With crash
7
With fire
16
With injury (complaints)
17
Injuries
17
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
200,000
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
70
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS
76
53.1%
SEATS
42
29.4%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
13
9.1%
ENGINE
6
4.2%
STRUCTURE
5
3.5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
2.8%
EQUIPMENT
4
2.8%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
4
2.8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
2.8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
2.1%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
AIR BAGS
FRONTAL
13
STRUCTURE
BODY
4
AIR BAGS
SENSOR
3
EQUIPMENT
APPLIANCE
2
SEATS
FRONT ASSEMBLY
2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
VISIBILITY
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2010 BMW X3 2.5i, X3 3.0i and X3 xDrive30i Sports Activity Vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Consequence: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. A second notification letter will be sent when parts are available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Defect: BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES SPORT SEAT, MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT, AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNIN (excerpt)
Consequence: IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. (excerpt)
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
2 investigations; 0 open.
EA08001
Opened: 2008-01-04. Closed: 2008-12-31.
BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION
BMW IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN ON APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MY04 THROUGH MY06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05 TO CORRECT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AREMY04- 06/ 5-SERIES WITH STANDARD AND SPORT SEATS, MY04-06/ X3-SERIES AND MY06/ 3-SERIES WITH SPORT SEATS. IN ADDITION, BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE O
IN CERTAIN MY 2005 THROUGH MY 2006 BMW VEHICLES, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) FOR THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIRBAG MAY MALFUNCTION AND RENDER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG INOPERATIVE.IN JUNE 2006, BMW ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (SI B 72 02 06) REGARDING THE ILLUMINATION OF THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS LAMP.ILLUMINATION OF THESE LIGHTS WARN THAT AN OPEN ELECTRIC
Systems: AIR BAGS.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
70 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
24
EQUIPMENT
17
AIR BAGS
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
10
POWER TRAIN
7
VISIBILITY
6
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
3
10253326
Date: 2024-04-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
While driving the vehicle on normal roads at10mph and above, a "cracking" sound from the top of the B-pillar(s) is heard.
10249437
Date: 2024-01-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY.
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
10249027
Date: 2024-01-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle A A?A A A A discharged batteryA A?A A A A compl
10247574
Date: 2023-12-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SEATS.
A noise can be heard from underneath the seat while the seat is being moved either forwards or backwards. This can occur to the driverA A?A A A A s and/or the passengerA A?A A A A s front seat.
10244239
Date: 2023-10-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE, VISIBILITY.
This situation can result in two customer complaints: 1. Wind noise 2. Excess water entry
10225114
Date: 2022-09-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY.
The front sunroof glass seal has shrunk, creating a gap which can cause wind noise or excess water entry.
10225126
Date: 2022-09-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.
Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column.
10224185
Date: 2022-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.
Component-Specific Limited Warranty Extension. For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Leak Diagnosis Module with hose assembly (NVLD, shown) to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date.
10224186
Date: 2022-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT, STRUCTURE.
Component-Specific Limited Warranty Extension. For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Radiator Grille Upper and Lower Active Air Flaps to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date. 1. Air
10218420
Date: 2022-07-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT.
The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a pro
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.