2017 BMW X3 problems
The 2017 BMW X3 has 138 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (28%) concerns engine. Next are electrical system (22%) and fuel system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 138 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 18 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 20,000 miles 56 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 | 25 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 10 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 56 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 20,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 44,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 18 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 22 model years of the BMW X3 with enough data (55 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
Notifying you of a safety matter that the constituent experienced while driving his son's 2017 BMW x3 on june 29th a approximately 6:30pm involving the vehicles front and side airbags. The consumer stated the airbags deployed for unknown reasons. The driver crashed into a guard railed. The driver and 2 passengers received bruises from the impact. They were transported to the hospital for observation. Updated 09/11/2017
While driving on the freeway my brakes failed. I had pushed the pedal all the way down and the vehicle was still moving. This caused a rear end collision. There were no warnings that appeared.
Engine seized at 65MPH highway speeds during commute to work on busy boston highway. Narrowly avoided several collisions as vehicle coasted to stop. Vehicle was purchased new from a BMW dealer three weeks ago and has less than 2,000 miles on it. Dealer advises an "oversized bearing was found in the engine causing it to overheat and seize". Engine requires replacement. Transmission, transfer case, electronics and cooling system damage are suspected by the dealer tech and will require monitoring.
I was stopping my car at a red signal behind another vehicle. I applied breaks and vehicle reached to complete stop. Immediately, engine picked up and started moving forward even though breaks are completely pressed. I had to do something to stop the car rear ending. So, I released and re-applied breaks. Vehicle reached complete stop and again started accelerating forward. I repeated the process but the third time it hit the car infront of me.
When I am coming to a stop sign, the engine revs up and makes it difficult to stop. I need to apply the brakes very hard to avoid hitting another car or person in a cress walk. Even when I apply the brakes hard, the car will lurch forward. I have taken it to two different BMW dealers multiple times over the past two years and they cannot find anything wrong. They test drive the car, but because the problem is sporadic and may only occur once a month, it does not do it when they test drive the car.