Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2020 BMW X3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and turning the engine off, approximately 10 minutes later a burning rubber odor was present inside the cablin of the vehicle and smoke was present coming from under the hood. The contact opened the hood discovered flames coming from the engine. The fire and police departments were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished the flame. During the incident the vehicle destroyed and later lowed away. A fire and police report was taken. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: ( ). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 65,000.
I am submitting this complaint regarding ongoing and potentially dangerous mechanical failures involving my vehicle that have repeatedly occurred despite numerous repair attempts by the dealership. Over the past year, I have taken my vehicle to the dealership more than 10 times for serious recurring issues. The problems have included: drivetrain malfunction warnings engine warning lights oil leaks smoke coming from the vehicle the vehicle unexpectedly shifting into neutral while driving sudden loss of drivability requiring the vehicle to be towed the dealership has repeatedly stated that the issues were repaired, and at one point even provided a one-year warranty on the repair work. Despite this, the same problems have continued to occur. Most recently, the drivetrain malfunction warning and engine light returned again, smoke came from the vehicle, and the car shifted into neutral on its own, becoming completely undriveable and requiring towing. I have spent more than $10,000 on repairs related to these ongoing issues, yet the vehicle remains unreliable and unsafe. My primary concern is the safety risk posed by the drivetrain failure and the vehicle unexpectedly shifting into neutral while in operation. I am requesting that this matter be reviewed as a potential vehicle safety issue. I believe these repeated failures may present a serious risk not only to myself but potentially to other drivers as well. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the drivetrain warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, causing the vehicle to jerk and run rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a heat management module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,404.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was released, the auto start feature failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine starter. The contact was informed that the engine starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced a recall, NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system) however the contact's VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); however, parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was contacted; however, the parts were still not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact had received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system). The local dealer was contacted who confirmed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who confirmed the recall status. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool showed no open recall.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the fire risk was a major concern. In addition, the contact stated that the temperature was 14 degrees below freezing the past weekend where the contact resided. The contact inquired about what might happen if the vehicle were parked on the street in the neighborhood. The manufacturer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); however, the part to do 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that several attempts were needed while cold-starting the vehicle. The contact stated that prior to receiving notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); the battery was replaced; however, the vehicle was still difficult to start. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the remedy was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the emergency sensor warning light illuminated, as well as the camera system, the forward collision avoidance warning light, and the key proximity features malfunctioned. The contact stated that the shark fin cover was missing from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the backup battery and wiring harness were damaged due to water intrusion from the missing shark fin cover. The contact was informed that the backup battery, wiring harness, and shark fin cover need to be replaced; however, the vehicle remained unrepaired. The contact had contacted the insurance provider, and the insurance provider declined to cover the repairs under the comprehensive coverage, citing that the failure was a known issue with BMW vehicles. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Emergency call system - tcb module failure. A telematics control box, is an embedded computer in my X3. It processes, and transmits data wirelessly. It is a hub for my car to connect services like gps tracking, diagnostics, infotainment, emergency calls (e. G. , ecall), and vehicle-to-everything (v2x) communication, enabling real-time monitoring for safety, efficiency, and fleet management. It connects the car to the internet for emergency services. If the tcb were working properly it would call 911 automatically. It has failed and now it will not call automatically if I get into an accident. The car had less than 50k miles and the dealer wanted to charge $2500 to fix. This should be a recall due to the safety issue. This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's a critical safety feature failure, disabling automatic crash notification and location services. It has disabled all other msg and the error msg stays on continuously and I am unable to see any other msg that could appear.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting. The contact then stated that while at a relative's home, the vehicle failed to start after multiple attempts, with white colored smoke coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact used a code reader and retrieved dtc: 216113, 21611a, 21a511, and 216115. Due to the failure, the vehicle remained at the relative's home. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); and linked it to the failure. The manufacturer and the dealer were notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,500.
Appears to be related to recall 25v636. Vehicle is 2020 BMW X3 m40i, equipped with same engine as the supra (b58). Engine would not start with the push of the "start button". Pressing a second time would sometimes start, but as time went on the number of presses required to start took minutes to up to 30 minutes before engine would start. Had starter motor replaced October, 2025 and mechanic observed that starter motor was shorting out, similar to existing recall. However, my vehicle is not included in the recall.
Announcing the recall in September 2025 and still no remedy available 4 months later is unacceptable. My car is at risk of catching fire randomly even if it's parked with ignition off. I need a fix and I need BMW to pay for it.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system). The local dealer was contacted on three occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.
There is an open recall(NHTSA recall number25v636) for my vehicle since September 2025 and there is still no remedy available from the manufacturer (BMW). I am told by the dealer that they won't have the part for next several months. This is unacceptable as I need to get the urgent safety recall fixed as soon as possible.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal thumping sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was informed to leave the vehicle at the dealer overnight. 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 vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Backup camera failure , missing rearview image when car gear is shifted to r, increasing the risk of crash and injury. When reversing the backup camera does not display any image/video feed on the screen, only the collision warning system is displayed.
The contact owned a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 10-15 mph in a parking lot and attempting to make a turn, the brake pedal was depressed, but the pedal travelled down to the floor, and the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the steering wheel seized, and the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the pedal travelled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle became inoperable, causing the front driver's side bumper and door of the vehicle to crash into the rear-end of an unoccupied parked vehicle, and then the front end of the vehicle crashed into the side of another occupied parked vehicle. All the air bags of the vehicle deployed. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The police report confirmed that the impacts occurred a few moments before the contact received failure notifications on the vehicle mobile app. The vehicle remained inoperable and was towed to spitler's collision, where it was deemed a total loss. The Chevrolet dealer where the vehicle was purchased was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent engineers who inspected the vehicle at spitler's collision 8 months later. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the collisions occurred because the driver did not turn away from the other vehicles and did not depress the brake pedal as needed, which the contact stated was the description of the failure. No further assistance was provided. The manufacturer and the auto finance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The failure mileage was 67,540.
The accident happened at noon on [xxx] at the amazon fresh/post office parking lot’s far right exit lane facing [xxx] the address is [xxx] . We were leaving the parking lot and I stopped at the exit lane with 2 cars in front of us. After the first car exited, the second car, a black Ford explorer, moved forward. I released the brake slightly but my foot was still on the brake pedal. At this moment, my car suddenly accelerated and quickly approached the explorer. I immediately pressed the brake pedal hard but was unable to stop my car and hit the back of the explorer. The explorer was forced out in front of the stop sign but the driver was able to turn right to park at the roadside. With my foot still firmly on the brake pedal, my car kept on accelerating into [xxx] , crossing 5 lanes of traffic until we hit the roadside curb of westbound [xxx] . The car then swerved left and hit a roadside tree, turning sideways into [xxx] middle turn lane. During this entire time, I did not press the accelerator and the car was violently shaking and jerking right and left. As the car slowed down, I was able to steer the car to the right eastbound lane of [xxx] , next to the parking lot near bank of America’s atm sign. After I got out of the car, I noticed the front and right sides of the body and tires were damaged including crushing, dents, and significant scratching. The problem I believe is as follows: 1. Sudden unintended acceleration and control circuit malfunction. 2. Airbags did not deploy even though we hit a car, curb and tree. 3. Onboard data recorder should have the information needed. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Vehicle began intermittently turning lights on and off while parked and driving. Upon dealer inspection, sunroof frame failed causing water to leak and corrode the vdp module which controls items like the headlights and suspension. Dealer did confirm, vehicle is being repaired at this moment. There were no warning lights about the headlight malfunction, noticed it while driving and while parked. There was a warning light regarding the suspension however it turned off next start and only came back on once more, again disappearing next start. Upon completion of repair, can provide parts inspection, receipts and video of the lighting issue while parked.
I have records of over 900 other consumers including myself that have been asking BMW to fix a potential deadly lighting malfunction that leaves you with no dash lighting or a whiteout. This problem effects all the dash and hvac controls where you can't see any the dash and safety components. I've reached out to BMW and they refuse to acknowledge the problem and have asked me to stop.
This is the message I get: "driver restraint system malfunction. Passenger knee airbag rewired to control module . Carefully drive to the closest service center. Driver restraint system is reduced. Increased risk of injury in case of a collision. Continue wearing safety belt. Driver restraint system malfunction. " I went to cavender BMW and was told the problem is with the passenger knee airbag rewired to control module. The cost would be $1,400. I have 24,122 miles on the car. My salesman said that there have been quite a few of these problems. It seems there should be a recall if that is the case.
Received warning on screen. “driver restraint system malfunction carefully drive to the closest service center driver restraint system is reduced. Increased risk of injury in case of collision. Continue using safety belt. ” I took the car in, and this was the diagnosis: “driver restraint system malfunction. Passenger knee airbag rewired to control module” 24,122 miles on the car. $1400.
The contact owns the 2020 BMW X3. The contact purchased the vehicle in March of 2021 and then received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v601000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at the dealer since December of 2021 unrepaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact was provided with a loaner vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v601000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. 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. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tailgate opened spontaneously while driving on a city street. Had to stop and close the tailgate from the outside (interior switch did not work).
Alarm spontaneously triggered (whistling sound and flashing lights) twice. The first time, the vehicle had come to a stop and was in park (passengers in vehicle), with the engine running in drive-ready mode. The alarm turned off by itself after about 10 seconds. The second time, the alarm triggered while driving on a city street. It stayed triggered for several minutes, even after stopping and turning the vehicle off and on several times. (we didn't try to lock the vehicle. ) the alarm was finally turned off pressing the alarm button on the key fob.
Media counsel keep shutting down.
On August 31, 2020, I purchased a new 2020 BMW X3e, manufactured and warranted by BMW, from habberstad BMW, located at 945 east jericho turnpike, huntington station, new york 11746. On or about October 14, 2020, I was notified by a BMW safety recall regarding a defective battery in my hybrid vehicle. I later learned that on or about September 2, 2020, BMW submitted a part 573 safety recall report to the NHTSA, that on August 11, 2020, BMW decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall, and that per the safety recall in August 2020, BMW dealerships were expressly told not to sell any new motor vehicles that were subject to this recall. Thus, when I purchased my new vehicle, BMW and the dealership knew about the safety recall and they still sold me the vehicle. The value of the vehicle has cratered since the safety recall was announced and I made payments for the vehicle and maintained insurance on the vehicle for many months while the safety defect was being addressed by BMW. I attempted to resolve these issues with Bmwna for a sum on money and for BMW to take back the defective vehicle, but no agreement was reached. Finally, I recently filed a lawsuit against BMW of north America, llc and habberstad motorsport, inc. Under the new york state lemon law, for unlawful and deceptive trade practice, and for fraudulent inducement. All relevant documents, including the summons and complaint from the lawsuit are attached to this vehicle complaint form. I would be happy to provide additional documentation or answer additional questions on this matter.
The back up camera fails to show the images and pdc sensors do not beep. Even when in reverse the cameras malfunction and freeze. Was parking in a tight spot and none of the pdc sensors and cameras worked. Even with option to automatically come on the pdc and camera system did not turn on even at very slow speed in the parking garage. After parking and lifting the foot off the brake the car hit the wall and then pdc sensors beeped after the impact and created damage to the front end of the car.
1. Whenever I refill my tank the car will start knocking. It will be only for 1 or 2 sudden jerks. I have tried every grade and nearly all the brands of fuel but its still the same. Even I escalated the same issue when I had my car service done. But to no avail. It happens when I refuel the tank. Otherwise, no issue to my surprise. I need to know if it’s a known issue? if yes then why no one reached out to me to provide solution for it? its been years I have tried to escalate it but no resolution. 2. When I use turn signals (either left or right) it start skipping click sound. Even when the engine is on and even when auto engine start is switched off. It happens not all the times but occasionally. I also escalated it when I went for service but I was told if its not logged in system then nothing cant be done. For both issues I dont see any resolution. First issue is way too annoying as sometimes I loose power to engine.