2026 BMW X3 problems
The 2026 BMW X3 has 39 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (15%) concerns steering. Next are forward collision avoidance (13%) and wipers, windshield & visibility (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 39 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 13 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
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%.
What the data shows
Safety-related details: 13 complaints mention a crash; 3 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 91% 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 2026 ranks 17th most-complained-about out of 22 model years of the BMW X3 with enough data (39 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.
Steering wheel was uncontrollable and locked when suddenly driver assist turned on automatically. Vehicle was driving on a regular road speed limit of 30-35 miles zone which caused a collision. The steering wheel kept steering the vehicle to the left lane, at one point tires seemed locked, vehicle spun, then hitting a retainer wall and turning 3 times then landing on the side with driver’s side down.
The contact owns a 2026 BMW X3. The contact stated that while vehicle was stopped at an intersection with the engine running, the message “Auto Start Feature Off” was displayed, and the starter was cycling unexpectedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted but was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10.