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2019 BMW X3

Gas Compact SUV

20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100
FSafety Signal · 35 / 100
10Recalls · NHTSA campaigns
167Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
26 mpgFuel economy · best combined

The 2019 BMW X3 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the X3 sDrive30i, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 167 complaints, most often about electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
X3 sDrive30iGasRWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233026$3,000
X3 xDrive30iGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo222925$3,100
X3 M40iGasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo202723$3,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

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Recalls (10)

Structure

high
8,725 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 24V764000 · reported Oct 15, 2024 · BMW of North America, LLC

Structure

high
282,387 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 24V534000 · reported Jul 17, 2024 · BMW of North America, LLC

Air Bags

high
138 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 21V521000 · reported Jul 8, 2021 · BMW of North America, LLC

Back Over Prevention

minor
13,858 vehicles

Problem: 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 43

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 21V096000 · reported Feb 19, 2021 · BMW of North America, LLC

Electrical System

high
15 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 20V152000 · reported Mar 18, 2020 · BMW of North America, LLC

Back Over Prevention

minor
257,473 vehicles

Problem: 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

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 19V684000 · reported Sep 27, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Seats

high
20 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 19V563000 · reported Jul 31, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Air Bags

high
50 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 19V291000 · reported Apr 10, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

high
5,594 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 18V453000 · reported Jul 6, 2018 · BMW of North America, LLC

Lane Departure

high
51 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 18V374000 · reported Jun 6, 2018 · BMW of North America, LLC

Owner complaints

167 complaints filed

5 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 3 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2019: 29 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 28 · 2025: 45 · 2026: 24

Most-cited components

  • Electrical System — 47
  • Unknown Or Other — 42
  • Structure — 32
  • Engine — 31
  • Forward Collision Avoidance — 13
“FIRST PROBLEM IS THAT ONE THREE SEPARATE OCCASSIONS MY REAR HATCH/TAILGATE HAS OPENED ON ITS OWN WHILE PARKED. EACH OF THE THREE TIMES THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND HAS HIT MY GARAGE DOOR CAUSING DAMAGE. WHILE IN THE GARAGE, MY KEYS WERE INSIDE THE HOUSE AND NO BUTTONS WERE PUSHED ON THE KEY FOB. I HAVE COMPLAIN…”Jul 17, 2019 · Structure · NHTSA owner report
“I'M HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SUV'S "HATCH" DOOR OPENING ON IT'S OWN. I'VE OWNED THE CAR SINCE FEB 2019. TWICE IT HAS OPENED ON ITS OWN WHILE PARKED. YESTERDAY MORNING, IT OPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN SLOW TRAFFIC ON A VERY BUSY ROAD DURING RUSH HOUR, AND I HAD A LOT OF THINGS IN THE TRUNK. THE HATCH WOULD NOT CLOSE WITH…”Jul 2, 2019 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“THE LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM ON MY NEW BMW X3 (PURCHASED MAY 3, 2019) DOES NOT WORK. THIS IS A NON-TRIVIAL FAILURE IN BMW'S SO-CALLED "INTELLIGENT SAFETY SYSTEM." THE RESPONSE I'VE RECEIVED SO FAR FROM MY BMW DEALER IN OCALA, FLORIDA IS UNSATISFACTORY. THEY INSIST IT IS WORKING, JUST AT A SLIGHT VIBRATION. I FEEL …”Jul 2, 2019 · Unknown Or Other · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%
SUV RWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Other X3 model years

B

2026 X3

2 recalls · 16 complaints

F

2025 X3

9 recalls · 34 complaints

D

2024 X3

4 recalls · 36 complaints

D

2023 X3

4 recalls · 12 complaints

F

2022 X3

8 recalls · 70 complaints

F

2021 X3

11 recalls · 106 complaints

F

2020 X3

16 recalls · 109 complaints

F

2018 X3

11 recalls · 73 complaints

F

2017 X3

6 recalls · 92 complaints

F

2016 X3

5 recalls · 82 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 40078, 40357, 40513). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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