137 of the 665 complaints about the BMW X3 (20.6%) concern Engine, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 0.9× the Engine share across all tracked vehicles.
137Complaints · Engine
20.6%Share of complaints
0.92×vs. all vehicles
74Last 12 months
10.2%Share involving a crash or fire
1Related recalls
Analysis
74 Engine complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 33 in the 12 months before — up 124%.
14 of these reports (10.2%) describe a crash or fire, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
1 recall campaign relates to this area, most recently campaign 21V598000 (2021-08-02, model year 2020).
On Sept 16th, 2026 my wife was operating the vehicle under normal, routine driving conditions. While she was completely stopped at a stop sign the vehicle spontaneously caught fire. Description of the Issue and Damage: 1.
Engine · 2026-09-17 · ODI 11765067 · Fire
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and turning the engine off, approximately 10 minutes later a burning rubber odor was present inside the cablin of the vehicle and smoke was present coming from under the hood.
Engine · 2026-06-01 · ODI 11741213 · Fire
I have a 2022 X3 M40i and the negative battery terminal on the 48v battery was not connected properly to the battery and had welded itself to the terminal causing drivetrain errors, start stop issues and low voltage errors.
Engine · 2026-10-13 · ODI 11770819
There is a fire risk and an associated recall 26V438 for my BMW X3. I took it in for repair on 8/31/2026. They did not have the part to fix the recall. Due to the fire risk, I need them to remedy this ASAP.
Engine · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770109
I am reporting a safety concern involving BMW vehicles equipped with the B58 Technical Update (B58TU) engine, commonly found in model years 2019–2021.
Engine · 2026-10-08 · ODI 11769770
My vehicle is part of recall # 26V438 (starter motor issue.) My concern is that the delay in resolving this is causing me to take the precaution of NOT parking my vehicle in my (attached) garage due to potential for fire.
Engine · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769673
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
ENGINE Campaign 21V598000 · 2021-08-02 · Model years: 2020
Summary: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 M340i, M340i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, X3 M40i, 2020-2021 X4 M40i, 745Le xDrive, 2019-2021 Z4 M40i, and 2020-2021 Toyota Supra vehicles. During engine start, the engine management software may cause loss of braking assist. Full mechanical braking (without assist) remains available.
Remedy: Dealers will update the engine management software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Why modern engines burn oil, and what owner complaints revealDesign choices linked to oil consumption in recent engines, the warning signs owners describe, what counts as normal, and which tracked models currently have the highest engine share in their complaints.
