2006 BMW X3 problems
The 2006 BMW X3 has 178 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (47%) concerns air bags. Next are seats (24%) and electrical system (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 178 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 47% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 20
- Injuries and deaths
- 19 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 76,000 miles 138 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 29 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 32 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 30 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 16 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 138 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 76,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (55 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 20 complaints mention a fire; 19 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 89% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 22 model years of the BMW X3 with enough data (54 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 BMW x3. While driving approximately 45 MPH the heater on the drivers seat malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat. As a result the driver was injured. The dealer was contacted and stated that they would not cover the repair cost because the warranty expired. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Driver seat caught fire when seat warmer was engaged. Leather seat has visible burn mark. Fire burned driver. When seat warmer was disengaged, smoke began billowing from seat, filling the vehicle with smoke. Seat warmer was engaged upon vehicle start in owner's garage. Vehicle was moving approximately 10 mps (1-2 mins later) when fire began.
Air bags. Front passenger seat sensor mat fault and air bag warning lamp as well as the passenger air bag on - off lamp will be illuminated.
My drivers seat belt randomly unlatches while I am driving. This has happened more than 10 times , both on side streets and the freeway. A week ago I was coming home and about a block from my house the seat belt light lit up on my dash and started dinging. My seat belt was latched. It continued to ding until I got home and turned off the vehicle.