VehicleVerdict

2019 BMW X3 problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

With 225 complaints filed to NHTSA — about 1.8 times the median X3 year — the 2019 model ranks #2 of 23 X3 years for complaint volume. It lands on the years-to-avoid list.

No single system dominates the record — complaints spread across electrical system (50), other (40), and engine (36), which usually points to general build quality rather than one defect. In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

225

NHTSA complaints

10

Recalls

0

Investigations

9

Crash-involved

0

Fires reported

6

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2019 compare to other X3 years?

See all X3 years to avoid →

What are the most common 2019 BMW X3 problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Electrical System5022%
Other4018%
Engine3616%
Body & Structure3214%
Driver Assistance198%
Brakes125%
Transmission73%
Lighting63%
Visibility & Wipers52%
Airbags52%
Speed Control42%
Fuel System31%
Seat Belts21%
Suspension10%
Latches & Locks10%
Steering10%
Seats10%

Does the 2019 BMW X3 have recalls?

10 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

24V764000Body & StructureOctober 15, 2024 · 8,725 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2022 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the rear cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.

Consequence

Interior rear cargo rail detachment during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicles in this recall were previously remedied for this issue under recall number 24V-534 and will need to have the new repair completed.

24V534000Body & StructureJuly 17, 2024 · 282,387 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

Interior cargo rail detachment during a rear crash can increase the risk of injury.

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.

21V521000AirbagsJuly 8, 2021 · 138 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant classification system may have been improperly assembled, which could result in the misclassification of the seat as unoccupied, and deactivate the front air bag.

Consequence

A deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat foam, which includes the occupant classification system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

21V096000Driver AssistanceFebruary 19, 2021 · 13,858 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le, 745Le xDrive, X5 xDrive45e, X3 xDrive30e, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, M760i Drive, M760Li xDrive, 750Li xDrive Alpina, Alpina B7 xDrive, and 2021 4 Series Coupe 430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive vehicles. When shifting into Reverse, a small portion of the rearview image may be obscured, or the screen may not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence

If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

20V152000Electrical SystemMarch 18, 2020 · 15 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 X4 xDrive30i and X4 M40i, and 2018-2020 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3M vehicles. The instrument panel casing may not have been tightened properly to the passenger air bag.

Consequence

In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag could damage the instrument panel and cause small pieces of the panel to strike the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel casing, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

19V684000Driver AssistanceSeptember 27, 2019 · 257,473 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Consequence

The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

19V563000SeatsJuly 31, 2019 · 20 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, xDrive30i and M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i and M40i vehicles. The front seatback frames may have been improperly welded, allowing the seatback to unexpectedly fold forward or rearward.

Consequence

In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the seatback folds forward or rearward.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seats, free of charge. The recall began September 27, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service 1-800-525-7417.

19V291000AirbagsApril 10, 2019 · 50 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The instrument panel assembly may have been improperly manufactured, possibly affecting the deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag.

Consequence

If the front passenger air bag does not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the occupant has an increased risk of injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

18V453000BrakesJuly 6, 2018 · 5,594 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 BMW X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and certain 2019 X4 xDrive30i and X4 M40i vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Consequence

A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the rear brake circuit, free of charge. The recall began August 31, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

18V374000Driver AssistanceJune 6, 2018 · 51 units

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 BMW X3 xDrive30i, X3 sDrive30i, and X3 M40i vehicles equipped with the "Active Lane Keeping Assistant" option. The steering wheel may be incompatible with the lane keeping assistant function and may not detect if the driver's hands are off the wheel.

Consequence

If the sensors do not properly detect the driver's hands are off the wheel, the driver may not be alerted by one or more warning signals, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering wheel, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

My digital gauges were frequently going off center in my vehicle. I scheduled service with the dealer however they did not have a loaner available for weeks so they scheduled the appointment for a few weeks out, my car subsequently completely died on the road and after a minute or two I was rear…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · January 27, 2022 · crash

We were towing a rental travel trailer (~3500 Ib), going east bound on highway 80 near Martinez, CA. The travel trailer suddenly went into oscillation, the amplitude got larger and larger, and finally both SUV and trailer landed on the sides on the embankment. The SUV was supposedly in "tow" mode,…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · October 19, 2022 · crash

Subject: Rear Differential Mount Failure and Driveshaft Breakage — Sudden Loss of Vehicle Control at Highway Speed Complaint Summary: While driving at highway speed, I experienced a sudden and extremely loud bang from the rear of the vehicle. Immediately afterward, I lost complete control of the…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · May 1, 2025 · crash

MY 2019 BMW X3 WITH COMFORT ACCESS OPTION PACKAGE WILL OPEN THE HATCH WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES NOW AND ALL WHEN LOCKED WITH THE KEY IN MY POCKET AND I WAS WELL OVER 100 FEET AWAY. THIS CAN INJURE PEOPLE/KIDS IN PARKING LOTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO MY GARAGE OR HATCH. SOME…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Body & Structure · April 18, 2021

1- Passenger Restraint System Malfunction error codes- related to wiring or front passenger seat- long timeframe and expense to diagnose 2- Engine mounts broken Oct 2023 and again Aug 2025- known issue by BMW service- high repair cost & repeat failure 3- Front crash assist will brake for shadows…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · October 31, 2024

2019 BMW X3 — common questions

Is the 2019 BMW X3 reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 225 complaints put the 2019 model at #2 of 23 X3 years. It is one of the X3 years to avoid.

What are the most common 2019 X3 problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are electrical system (50 complaints), other (40 complaints), engine (36 complaints).

Does the 2019 BMW X3 have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns affecting the 2019 BMW X3. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Which BMW X3 years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the X3 years to avoid are 2013, 2019, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2014, 2016, 2012. The cleanest record among X3 years belongs to 2023.

How safe is the 2019 BMW X3?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2019 BMW X3 earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.