2011 BMW X3 problems
The 2011 BMW X3 has 167 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (33%) concerns engine. Next are electrical system (14%) and steering (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 167 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 108 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 | 19 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 23 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 9 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 108 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 72,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 96,000 miles (28 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 22 model years of the BMW X3 with enough data (49 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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 2011 BMW x3. While attempting to park the vehicle, it unintentionally accelerated and crashed into a building. The contact stated that the air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained burns on the hand and a gash on the neck, which needed medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage and VIN were unknown.
I parked my vehicle in front of my house for the night after driving for only about 15-20 minutes. Maybe less. Roughly 3-4 hours later, I was alerted to my car being completely up in flames by the sounds of fire trucks / police sirens. Flames were 20-30 feet in the air coming from the engine compartment area. Fire department / police worked to extinguish the flames, but the vehicle is totally destroyed.
While coming to a stop the car jerks violently forward with no warning, while moving slow it does the same, to the point where it now hurts to drive it. I get an error that says transmission malfunction, and without warning the car shifts to a lower gear, I have to stop, then turn the car off, when it is turned back the error goes away, then it reappears once again a day or two later.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW x3. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts and the following warning message appeared: "drive train malfunction not running at full capacity, reduce and drive moderately". The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the battery needed replacement and the vanos malfunctioned.