2023 BMW X3
4 recalls and 12 owner complaints on record for this model year.
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This page describes the model. To see how one particular car is equipped, and whether its identifier is valid, decode its VIN.
Decode a VIN4 recalls and 12 owner complaints on record for this model year.
This page describes the model. To see how one particular car is equipped, and whether its identifier is valid, decode its VIN.
Decode a VINAlmost all of this describes the model year, not the individual car. Nothing here can tell you about this vehicle’s mileage, accidents or ownership — no identifier encodes those.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDrive Convertible), 2021-2023 4 Series (Coupe), 2021-2024 3 Series, 2021-2023 X4, 2021-2024 X3 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all models. The engine starter may overheat and catch fire due to wear on an internal component.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 24, 2026.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2024 X3 sDrive30i and X3 xDrive30i vehicles. The second-row seat side door locking modules may not function properly and allow the doors to be unlocked with a single motion. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the second-row seat side door locking modules, free of charge. A letter informing owners of the safety risk was mailed on April 21, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2023 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the interior cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota GR Supra, 3 Series Sedan (330i xDrive, M340i xDrive, M3), 5 Series Sedan (530i, 530i xDrive, M5), 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive), 4 Series Convertible (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive), 8 Series Coupe (840i, M850i xDrive, M8), 8 Series Convertible (840i, M850i xDrive, M8), 8 Series Gran Coupe (850i xDrive, M8), X3 SAV (X3 xDrive30i, X3M), X4 SAV (X4 xDrive30i), X5 SAV (X5 xDrive40i, X5 M50i, X5M), X6 SAV (X6 xDrive40i, X6 M50i, X6M), and Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i vehicles. The weld seam of the integrated transmission control unit's cover may not have been manufactured properly, which could allow automatic transmission oil to leak into the transmission control unit.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the transmission mechatronics module and the automatic transmission fluid, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 26, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Published by model year, not by VIN — may not apply to this vehicle, or may already have been done. Confirm with a dealer.
Water may come into contact with the starter relay and gradually cause corrosion. This could affect the electrical connection inside the relay and make the engine difficult to start. It may also result in a short circuit and could cause the starter to overheat leading to a fire when the vehicle is in motion or when it is parked with the ignition off. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Due to a manufacturing failure, the protection of the two outer headrests in the second row is reduced. In the event of a collision or accident, passengers could be injured. In addition, headrest parts may become exposed and also cause serious injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The RSW22 starter with reinforced water tightness (RWT) may experience increased abrasion of the magnetic contact, causing deposits to build up at the lowest point inside the relay. These deposits may increase relay contact resistance, leading to starting failures or short circuits. If a short circuit occurs, either when attempting to start the vehicle or while driving due to vibration-related movement of the deposits, it could cause a thermal event and increase the risk of fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Damaged brake discs may have been fitted to the front axle. This can lead the brakes to fail when a heavy load is placed on the wheel concerned, increasing the risk of accident and injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Failure to bolt the plus voltage (B+) cable tightly enough to the starter generator may result in contact problems and an increase in contact resistance at the bolted connection. This may in turn lead to local overheating and the vehicle catching fire or to the engine stalling while the vehicle is coasting. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The positive battery cable of the starter-generator may not have been manufactured correctly. This could result in a loose electrical connection, leading to excessive contact resistance. The vehicle cannot charge or start. Contact points in the starter-generator could overheat and cause a vehicle fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The propellant in the inflator of the driver airbag may deteriorate over time. If the airbags deploy, it could result in fragments of the inflator injuring the vehicle's occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The driver airbag inflator may malfunction due to long-term degradation. In this case, if the airbag is deployed in an accident, the internal pressure in the inflator may be too high. The inflator could burst. Metal fragments may cause injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The failure concerns the RSW22 starter, type RWT (reinforced for watertightness). Increased abrasion of the magnetic contact can lead to the formation of deposits at the lowest point of the relay interior. This in turn can increase the resistance of the relay contact, causing accidental ignition or even short circuits, possibly leading to a thermal reaction and fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The failure concerns the RSW22 starter, type RWT (reinforced for watertightness). Increased abrasion of the magnetic contact can lead to the formation of deposits at the lowest point of the relay interior. This in turn can increase the resistance of the relay contact, causing accidental ignition or even short circuits, possibly leading to a thermal reaction and fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The failure concerns the RSW22 starter, type RWT (reinforced for watertightness). Increased abrasion of the magnetic contact can lead to the formation of deposits at the lowest point of the relay interior. This in turn can increase the resistance of the relay contact, causing accidental ignition or even short circuits, possibly leading to a thermal reaction and fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The steering system sensor may malfunction causing an unintended steering movement of the vehicle. This increases the risk of accidents and injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The screw connection of the servo unit on the gear rack casing of the steering system may be faulty. This could cause the steering system to fail and become blocked, increasing the risk of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Due to faulty rear-most screws, the screw fixings of the boot's lashing rails can fail in the event of a rear-end collision with heavy intrusion and penetrate the backs of the rear seats. This increases the risk of injury to the occupants of the rear seats. The vehicles concerned have already been modified in connection with the recall code 0051960500. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The propellant within the integrated inflator of driver airbags can deteriorate during time. If the airbag deploys, it could result in fragments from the inflator casing injuring the vehicle’s occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of Motor Vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The propellant in the driver airbag may deteriorate over time. If the airbags deploy, it could result in fragments from the inflator injuring the vehicle's occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The propellant in the driver airbag may deteriorate over time. If the airbags deploy, it could result in fragments from the inflator injuring the vehicle's occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Due to faulty rear-most screws, the screw fixings of the boot's lashing rails can fail in the event of a rear-end collision with heavy intrusion, and penetrate the backs of the rear seats. This increases the risk of injury to the occupants of the rear seats. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The propellant in the driver airbag may deteriorate over time. If the airbags deploy, it could result in fragments from the inflator injuring the vehicle's occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
A seam on the inflator housing of the driver airbag may not have been correctly welded. In case of accident, when the airbag is deployed, the inflator can burst, releasing metal parts which could cause injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The driver's airbag inflator propellant may deteriorate over time. If activated during an accident, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to burst, and metal fragments could pass through the cushion material causing injury to occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Due to a manufacturing error, the weld seam of the integrated transmission control unit (ITCU) may not have been correctly executed. As a result, transmission oil could leak into the ITCU, causing it to fail. This may lead to transmission seizure, increasing the risk of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Matched on brand and model name — Safety Gate publishes no VIN. Check the production dates, and quote the recall code to a dealer.
As I was driving today in the freeway my sunroof exploded. As far as I can tell, It was not caused by rocks or other cars, it just exploded putting my wife and I in a dangerous situation having to park on the side of the freeway. We first thought someone shot at us. We stopped the car and it took us a minute to feel safe to go out, trembling, to check car for gun fire. We looked the entire body while the freeway was full, even for a Sunday, and discovered nothing wrong. As we entered the car and closed our door, we heard the noise of shared glass, so we both left the car again to reinspect it putting our lives in danger as other drivers were passing by. We re-enter the car again and the same thing happened, left the car again to inspect the tires at this time, each time exposing our lives to the freeway traffic. Upon entering the car for the third time, heard freeway noise and thought window was probably opened. It was then that we realized our sunroof was probably broken, upon checking, we were shocked when saw hundreds of pieces of glass on top of our car. It was then that we realized we would have to clean the top of our car with the wind blowing glass everywhere, risking an eye injury, and we were worried another car would be hit with the glass or even worse than that, it would be someone riding a motorcycle which is common on Sunday afternoons and get blind from glass flying from our car to their face. So we spent a while cleaning most of the glass to be able to drive off the freeway, again exposing our lives. During our cleaning of the glass, we put it inside of our car on the floor by the back seats so we would not leave that on the freeway exposing other people to get hurt. During this cleaning time, my wife cut her hand with glass that entered her skin. Not understanding why the accident happened, I’ve decided to research online, only to find that BMW’s x3 having problems with sunroof exploding since 2018, but no recalls! Very upsetting! My car is 2023.
Sensor for forward collision warning failed to work and I was involved in an accident.
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X3. The contact stated that after purchasing the salvaged vehicle at an auction, the contact became aware while attempting to register the vehicle, that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Electrical System). A dealer was contacted for the recall repair; however, the dealer informed the contact that the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Mileage: 31,694 (bought [new]) The engine starter intermittently fails to crank the engine and, per an open manufacturer recall, presents a fire risk while the vehicle is running. On multiple occasions the vehicle struggled to start during normal use. There was no crash, no injury, and no airbag deployment. To isolate the issue I contacted my authorized BMW dealer three times 07/01/2026, 07/16/2026 & 07/27/2026; on each call I was told no recall remedy is currently available and to call back in approximately one month. The vehicle remains subject to the open starter recall with no repair available. No relevant aftermarket equipment is installed.
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V056000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
On the evening of Wednesday March 6th 2025, as I turned into the street where I live, my car became difficult to steer. It felt like I had developed a front flat tire on one side, but there was no indication of low tire pressure on the dash. I was moving around 5 miles an hour and with some difficulty, could navigate the car to the curb on my street and park it in front of my home. I could not attend to the car on Thursday or Friday since I was busy at work. On Friday night I contacted BMW towing and arranged the car to be towed on Saturday to the dealer from whom I had purchased the car. The dealer confirmed that the car was not steerable. They put up the car on the rack and sent me a video. They noted that the left tie-rod steering linkage was broken. They noticed scratches on the under side of the car, and "Curb rash" on the wheels suggestive of possible brushing of the front wheels to the curb which may have caused the steering problem. They indicated that because it was caused by accidental damage, it was not covered under warranty. I cannot recall any accidents, big or small , while driving this vehicle. I have brushed along curbs occasionally, but none that should break a steering linkage. The scary part of this whole thing was how I could not steer the car, fortunately it happened at low speeds. It could have been worse if the disruption had occurred at freeway speeds. If a car can become non-steerable by just hitting the curb, because the steering linkage broke, that is not acceptable level of quality from a safety standpoint. I would expect better performance from a BMW. I can understand the car getting out of alignment, but to lose the ability to steer is just not acceptable. I have attached pictures of the broken linkage from the video that was sent by the dealer. I have attached the pictures from the
The driver-side front door sometimes gets stuck and cannot be opened from the outside. Additionally, the left rear door cannot be opened from the inside. This issue has been occurring since [provide the earliest date you remember, e.g., “mid-2023”] and happens intermittently. It poses a serious safety risk in case of an emergency, as passengers may be unable to exit the vehicle quickly. The problem has not been confirmed or repaired by a dealer yet. There were no warning lights or error messages related to this issue. Additionally, the air conditioning system is not functioning properly, and there is no cold air even when the A/C is turned on. This issue started around [2024], and no warning lights were displayed.”
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact also stated that the failure had previously occurred several times. The vehicle was scheduled for an upcoming service appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to schedule an appointment with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 20.
The 2023 BMW X3 is equipped with automatic high beams that includes an anti-dazzle feature. The anti-dazzle/non-glare (matrix) feature have been available on non US Spec vehicles since 2013 but US legislation did not allow this feature to enabled in the United States. In the meantime legislation has changed however my BMW has been decoded by the manufacturer so that my car does not have that feature and they cite legislation as the issue. My car is capable of the feature but bmw is refusing to enable it thus reducing night time visibility and safety for myself and others on the road. I’m also reading there are people and shops who will enable the feature but with only an 80% solution which means there’s a potential to have a lot of cars on the road that are not correctly providing anti-glare to other vehicles. I think BMW should stop decoding (removing) this feature and recall all cars that have been decoded to have the feature re-enabled. This is 100% a safety issue.
Rear differential bolt failure: Failure has not happened yet, but will happen eventually with enough mileage as seen with many other BMW X3M vehicles. Problem is with the rear differential bolt. The bolt is prone to shearing or snapping, noises may be heard from differential up until failure occurs at some point. Once this occurs it can wreak havoc on the differential and associated parts and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage if you are outside of the warranty period. The bolt needs to be stronger or something needs to be added to the bolt area to lessen the movement of the differential under power. If bolt is to snap on the road this will cause safety issues as you will lose power and potentially break many things on vehicle that could cause road debris and also require you to pull over immediately. Problem can't be reproduced as it's a single bolt that can fail at any time. No inspections have taken place, no warning lights or problems before hand. However, some may hear noises in the rear differential under power.
When a passenger front door is opened, it is possible for the person exiting the car to catch an upper arm in the metal opening and sustain an injury.
I have noticed that my vehicle seems to be lagging behind when driving at the poster speed limit. Other vehicles were catching up rapidly and stacking up behind me. I compared the indicated vehicle speed with two separate GPS devices and found the indicated speed was slower the the GPS indicated speed. At highway speed, 75 mph as indicated on the speedometer, the vehicle is traveling at 70 to 71 mph as reported be the GPS. I confirmed this by pacing another on vehicle with an accurate speedometer. I took my vehicle (2023 BMW X3 with 2218 miles on it) to the dealer for warranty service to address the issue for inaccurate speed reading on the speedometer. They provided me with a BMW service information bulletin (#B26 06 12 SI dated April 2012) which indicated that most speedometers have a tolerance of approximately 10% plus 2.5 mph, being necessary to compensate for negative tolerances in tire diameter and other outside factors. If a vehicle speedometer reads within that tolerance, no repairs should be attempted. This means that a vehicle traveling at highway speeds (75mph) as indicated on the vehicle’s speedometer, the vehicle could be actually traveling at 65 mph. While traveling at 65 mph in a 75 mph speed zone in legal, it is not really safe and leads to unsafe traffic slow downs and possibly road rage incidents. I questioned the impact of the “speed advance” on the total actual mileage the odometer, along with the computed MPG performance of the vehicle. Interesting enough, the service bulletin notes that the mileage does not incorporate any “advance tolerances” yet it obtains its information from the same source as the speedometer. A 10% “speed advance” (as identified) is unrealistic, unsafe, and unnecessary. Additionally, as related to tire diameter, as a tire wears and thus has a reduces circumference indicate speed becomes higher than actual speed, thus negating the need for the speedometer advance. I want an accurate speed reading while driving.
Filed by owners of this model year and unverified by NHTSA — one person’s account, not an established fact.