Automatic Emergency Braking problems of the 2019 BMW X3

The automatic emergency braking system randomly applied itself while I was driving 40mph down a highway where there was no obstacle/animal of any kind. My vehicle braked hard and quickly and a red car image appeared in the dash simultaneously. Thankfully there were no other vehicles around me at the time. Prior to today, my vehicle has had regular maintenance and has had no issues. I have not yet brought his forward to a dealership, service center, police, insurance, etc.

Hello I am formally reporting: safety?critical failures and applicable federal requirements the attached 2019 BMW X3 – VIN [xxx] 1. Rearview camera failure federal requirement: fmvss 111 – rear visibility relevant obligations: - rearview image must activate automatically when shifting into reverse. - system must provide a minimum field of view. - system must function reliably under normal operating conditions. Failure: the rearview camera failed completely, resulting in loss of federally required rear visibility. 2. Emergency call (ecall) system malfunction federal requirement: 49 cfr § 573 – defect and noncompliance responsibility (NHTSA considers ecall part of the post?crash safety architecture. ) relevant obligations: - manufacturers must investigate safety?related failures. - manufacturers must determine defect scope and affected population. Failure: the vehicle displays “emergency call system malfunction” warnings, indicating loss of automatic crash notification capability. 3. Forward collision warning / pedestrian warning failure federal requirement: fmvss 126 – electronic stability control (esc) - NHTSA adas safety guidance (forward collision warning, pedestrian detection) relevant obligations: - adas systems supporting collision avoidance must function reliably. - failures must be investigated for potential safety defects. - manufacturers must document defect determination and scope. Failure: the vehicle displays warnings indicating failure of forward collision warning and pedestrian detection systems, impairing collision?avoidance capability. 4. Telematics control unit (tcu) failure federal requirement: 49 cfr § 573 – defect reporting - NHTSA safety recall rules (tcu failures affecting safety systems) relevant obligations: - tcu failures affecting safety?critical subsystems must be investigated. - manufacturers must determine whether the failure constitutes a defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

At some point in June 2025, between approximately 11 a. M. And 2 p. M. , I was driving southbound on the 110 freeway in los angeles, just south of the 134 interchange, at approximately 45 mph. Traffic was light, with no vehicles in front of me and no vehicles attempting to merge into my lane. Without warning, a bright red alert appeared on the dashboard of my 2019 BMW X3 and the vehicle suddenly applied full braking. The position of my arms at that moment caused an injury to my right elbow, which has remained painful since the incident. In January 2026, under nearly identical circumstances, the emergency warning appeared again. This time, the brakes did not engage. In July, I contacted BMW corporate and service center regarding these incidents. I found their response dismissive, stating that “sometimes that happens. ” a service center later informed me that this is a known issue referred to as “phantom braking. ” having experienced this firsthand, I believe this represents a serious safety concern. In addition to my injury, I could easily have been rear-ended at freeway speed. Despite acknowledging the issue, BMW corporate requested that I sign an indemnity waiver in exchange for covering only the inspection cost. This response feels inappropriate, as their initial focus appeared to be limiting liability rather than addressing a known safety defect. Given that this is reportedly a known issue, I believe an inquiry is warranted into how often this has occurred and whether others have been injured.

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 caused by trees or adjacent trucks and has nearly caused accidents.

When driving on citi street at 40mph the vehicle randomly initiated the automatic emergency breaking system. The vehicle almost came to a complete stop in the middle of morning traffic. Almost had the vehicle behind me rear end me. The vehicle was taken to BMW dealer and a software update was performed. This is the second time that this has occurred. The vehicle will periodically still display collision warning light when nothing is even near the vehicle.

My car has been at the BMW dealership twice for these incidents. The incidents have happened a total of 4 times. The first time, I was driving about 45 miles per hour along the city street, woodruff Ave in long beach. It was a sunny day and there were no other cars around me when the car suddenly starts beeping and dash blinks and then car slams on brakes automatically until it comes to a stop. I am not sure what caused the problem but I think it may be the sensors for the automatic collision braking system. The second time I was going about 15 mph coming up to a right turn in the right turn lane of a city street. There was a car in the left lane that was stopped at the traffic light. My car then sounds the alarm, flashes the warning and slams on the brakes to a stop. My business partner was in the car with me during this time. The third time was October 16, 2020 when I was driving on a city street and there was a car stopped about 30 feet ahead. I was slowing down when the car sounded the alarm, flashed on the screen the warning (which I took a pic of) and the brakes applied automatically and the car stopped. The fourth and last time, the car did not apply the brakes but the warning systems came on and the dash flashed. I took the car again to BMW and BMW north America sent out a field engineer. They have the car from October 23, 2020 to November 18, 2020 at which time they said they could not find anything wrong with my car.