InsightArise CarsU.S. Owner Complaint Index
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2019 BMW X3 problems, complaints & recalls

Fewer Steady

NHTSA has received 167 owner complaints about the 2019 BMW X3, or 21.8 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.52, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #27 for fewest complaints per year. Against other BMW models its rate is 87% higher; against other Luxury SUVs it is 45% higher.

Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count

Complaints filed between 2019-02-21 and 2026-08-25. Median delay from incident to filing: 11 days.

167Complaints
21.8Complaints per year on the road
0.52Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
10Recalls
3.6%Share involving a crash or fire
42Last 12 months

Analysis

The previous model year (2018) drew 8.4 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2020) drew 16.3 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2019 model collected 40 complaints, 50% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.

The most common problem area is Electrical (29.9% of complaints), followed by Engine (22.8%) and Interior & equipment (15.6%). Electrical complaints are 1.9 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. Within Electrical reports, owners most often mention “antenna”, “fin”, “emergency system”, “shark” and “telematics control”. 6 reports (3.6%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 3 injuries and 0 deaths.

Half of the reported incidents happened within 64 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (56% of incidents). In the last 12 months 42 new complaints were filed, versus 40 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.

NHTSA lists 10 safety recalls for this model year. 53% of the complaints fall in component areas that a recall addresses.

Complaint index

  • vs. all tracked vehicles0.52
  • vs. other BMW models1.87
  • vs. other 2019 models0.48
  • vs. other Luxury SUVs1.45
  • Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (40)0.5
  • #27 of 76 · 2019Rankings ›

1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.

Other model years

  • 20188.4 per year0.2
  • 201921.8 per year0.52
  • 202016.3 per year0.39
  • 202118.7 per year0.44
  • 202215.0 per year0.36
  • 20233.0 per year0.07
  • 202413.5 per year0.32
  • 202520.3 per year0.48

BMW X3 problems, complaints & recalls by model year ›

What owners complain about

  • Electrical50 · 29.9% · 1.9×
  • Engine38 · 22.8% · 1.03×
  • Interior & equipment26 · 15.6% · 1.74×
  • Body & structure24 · 14.4% · 1.57×
  • Brakes11 · 6.6% · 1.09×
  • Driver-assist systems5 · 3.0% · 0.52×
  • Transmission / powertrain4 · 2.4% · 0.21×
  • Lighting4 · 2.4% · 1.54×

vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average

Electrical · Common terms in reports

  • antenna19
  • fin14
  • emergency system14
  • shark13
  • telematics control11
  • roof-mounted9

Engine · Common terms in reports

  • coolant23
  • filter housing9
  • oil filter10
  • cooling system8
  • engine28
  • leaking12

Interior & equipment · Common terms in reports

  • feature6
  • lane departure4
  • vibration4
  • opens3
  • hatch3
  • setting3

Problem areas: Electrical · Engine · Body & structure · Interior & equipment

When complaints were filed

2019: 29 29 2019 2020: 11 11 2020 2021: 10 10 2021 2022: 11 11 2022 2023: 9 9 2023 2024: 28 28 2024 2025: 45 45 2025 2026: 24 24 2026
  • Crashes reported: 5
  • Fires reported: 1
  • Injuries: 3
  • Deaths: 0

Vehicle age at incident

  • <1 yr19.2%
  • 1–2 yrs5.4%
  • 2–3 yrs6.6%
  • 3–5 yrs13.2%
  • 5+ yrs55.7%

Median age at incident: 64 months

What owners report

Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.

Segment peers · 2019 · Luxury SUVs

ModelsComplaintsComplaints per year on the roadComplaint index
2019 Lexus RX00.00.0
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE324.20.1
2019 Audi Q5506.50.15
2019 Audi Q7617.90.19
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC688.90.21
2019 BMW X316721.80.52
2019 BMW X518323.80.57
2019 Acura MDX19325.10.6

Safety recalls (10)

STRUCTURE Campaign 24V764000 · 2024-10-15

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.

Risk: 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.

STRUCTURE Campaign 24V534000 · 2024-07-17

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.

Risk: 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.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL Campaign 21V521000 · 2021-07-08

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.

Risk: 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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA Campaign 21V096000 · 2021-02-19

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 the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

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.

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL Campaign 20V152000 · 2020-03-18

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.

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.

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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA Campaign 19V684000 · 2019-09-27

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 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

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.

SEATS Campaign 19V563000 · 2019-07-31

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.

Risk: 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.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE Campaign 19V291000 · 2019-04-10

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.

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.

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.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER Campaign 18V453000 · 2018-07-06

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.

Risk: 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.

LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: STEERING ASSIST Campaign 18V374000 · 2018-06-06

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.

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.

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.

How to check whether your car has an open recall ›

Investigations

No NHTSA investigation covers the tracked model years.

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints were filed for the 2019 BMW X3?

167 complaints were filed with NHTSA for the 2019 BMW X3, or about 21.8 per year on the road.

What is the most common problem reported for the 2019 BMW X3?

The most common category is Electrical, accounting for 29.9% of complaints.

Does the 2019 BMW X3 have any recalls?

NHTSA lists 10 safety recall(s) for this model year.

Is the 2019 BMW X3 still generating complaints?

In the last 12 months 42 new complaints were filed, versus 40 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.

How does the 2019 BMW X3 compare with similar vehicles?

NHTSA has received 167 owner complaints about the 2019 BMW X3, or 21.8 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.52, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #27 for fewest complaints per year. Against other BMW models its rate is 87% higher; against other Luxury SUVs it is 45% higher.