2005 BMW X3 electrical system problems
18 complaints about electrical system have been filed for the 2005 BMW X3, which is 12% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the 3rd most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 18 13% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 18 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 18 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 82,000 miles, and 33% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 7 fires, 2 injuries.
What owners wrote
The seat heater in my 2005 BMW x3 caught fire and melted a hole in the seat and burned my left butt cheek while I was driving. My left butt cheek was burned a little but I was otherwise uninjured. I read online that a ton of other people with the same/similar make and model car as me have had the same problem. The dealer said it would cost about $2000 to replace the entire seat.
Was driving with seat heater on. The seat felt very hot on my legs at it smelled like something was burning. I immediately turned off the seat heater. I pulled into a parking lot and exited the car. I noticed a burn mark on the drivers side seat. There is a matching burn mark on the wool coat I was wearing. The coat is what prevented me from being injured. I have pictures of the damage if you need it.