The Used Car Index

2019 BMW X3 problems

NHTSA lists 170 complaints for the 2019 BMW X3, 5 of them mention a crash and 2 mention a fire. 3 complaints mention an injury, with 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as BMW X3.

At a glance

Complaints
170
With crash
5
With fire
2
With injury (complaints)
3
Injuries
3
Deaths
0
Recalls
10
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
282,387
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
330

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM4727.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4325.3%
ENGINE3420.0%
STRUCTURE3118.2%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE137.6%
SERVICE BRAKES127.1%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING74.1%
POWER TRAIN74.1%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING63.5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION52.9%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY22
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING8
BACK OVER PREVENTIONSENSING SYSTEM3
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS3
BACK OVER PREVENTIONREARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL2
VISIBILITYSUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY2
AIR BAGSSENSOR1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGENGINE1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
electrical electronic6840.0%0.84
mechanical failure2917.1%0.79
structural or corrosion1911.2%0.67
fluid or fuel leak148.2%0.92
loss of control137.6%0.74
fire or overheating116.5%0.87
visibility or lighting74.1%0.78
restraint or airbag63.5%0.77
unclear31.8%0.78
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate11668.2%0.80
low4325.3%0.67
high84.7%0.89
none21.2%0.68
critical10.6%0.99

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 170 tagged complaints of 170 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

10 recalls.

24V764000

Date: 2024-10-15. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: Interior rear cargo rail detachment during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

24V534000

Date: 2024-07-17. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: Interior cargo rail detachment during a rear crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V521000

Date: 2021-07-08. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: A deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V096000

Date: 2021-02-19. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

Defect: 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, (excerpt)

Consequence: 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. (excerpt)

Remedy: 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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V152000

Date: 2020-03-18. Systems: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V684000

Date: 2019-09-27. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

Defect: 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 M50 (excerpt)

Consequence: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: 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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V563000

Date: 2019-07-31. Systems: SEATS.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the seatback folds forward or rearward.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V291000

Date: 2019-04-10. Systems: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: If the front passenger air bag does not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the occupant has an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V453000

Date: 2018-07-06. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V374000

Date: 2018-06-06. Systems: LANE DEPARTURE.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

330 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM123
EQUIPMENT100
STRUCTURE33
VISIBILITY33
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING27
ENGINE24
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY21
AIR BAGS19

11036453

Date: 2026-08-28. Type: Other. Systems: STRUCTURE.

BMW Notice of the Courta s Final Approval for Shark-Fin Antenna Settlement (X3, X4, X5, X6, X7)

11036388

Date: 2026-08-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Rear Roof Antenna Shark Fin Cover Sealing Issue

11035498

Date: 2026-08-03. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ENGINE.

The NVLD limited emissionrelated warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date.

11033030

Date: 2026-05-21. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: STRUCTURE.

SHARK FIN ROOF ANTENNA SEALING SETTLEMENT Extended Warranty

11032731

Date: 2026-05-06. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: ENGINE.

The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date.

11019576

Date: 2025-06-11. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Front Passengera s Seat Occupancy Capacitive Interior Sensor (CIS) Mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original in-se

11019577

Date: 2025-06-11. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: AIR BAGS.

The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Front Passengera s Seat Occupancy Capacitive Interior Sensor (CIS) Mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original in-se

11018553

Date: 2025-05-01. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: AIR BAGS.

A situation may occur where the front passenger seat is not occupied. However, a a fasten seat belta warning and a front passenger seat air bag deactivation message appears. If the situation is currently present, sit in the seat and move the seat to a slightly different position. The POL (Passeng

11017504

Date: 2025-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

The vehicle applies the brakes on its own when reversing onto an inclined roadway or driveway. This appliesonly to the situation where the Active PDC option is activated via the iDrive.

11017100

Date: 2025-04-09. Type: Warranty Program/Extension. Systems: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Front Passengera s Seat Occupancy Capacitive Interior Sensor (CIS) Mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original in-se

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.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
X3170

Same model, other years

All model years | All BMW models

Other BMW models, 2019

Sources

Get this record as JSON

The free rate-limited demo needs no key.

curl "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/demo/vehicle_risk?make=BMW&model=X3&year=2019"

Paid endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/vehicle_risk. MCP endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp.