Service Brakes Problems of BMW X3 - part 1

When starting the vehicle, the message center displays "loss communications brake system control module a. " the vehicle losses power steering, speedometer indication, tire pressure monitoring, and stability control. There are numerous codes displayed for brake system, power steering, parking brake and stability control. This is the third time that this event has happened. Turning the vehicle off and restarting after approximately 1 hour the codes were clear and everything appears to work properly. This event occurs randomly and resets after the vehicle is turned off and restarted after a period of approximately 1 hour. The loss of power steering and speed indication is a safety hazard. I have been driving this vehicle when the power steering and speedometer stopped working. The steering requires a lot more effort to turn and you do not know the current speed of the vehicle. The BMW dealer charged us the customer for a software update to fix this issue. We are not confident that the vehicle is fixed because this is a random event. I believe this should be a safety recall. There is a recall on BMW 2023 and 2024 models for the same issue. The recall does not include the 2022 model at this time. Codes displayed: u0129, u0418, p15c9, p15c8, p15b9, p15b8, p0507, p0610, p152b, p152a.

See all problems of the 2022 BMW X3 🔎.

I am reporting a persistent and concerning mechanical issue with my 2025 BMW X3. A clunking noise is occurring frequently, particularly over uneven road surfaces and during normal driving maneuvers such as turning, accelerating, or braking at low speeds (generally below 20 mph). This noise is accompanied by a noticeable vibration that can be felt through the steering wheel and the brake pedal. The sound has been heard and confirmed by several passengers who have ridden in the vehicle with me. I have brought this issue to the attention of my local BMW dealership on August 6, 2025. During my visit, the service team was unable to replicate the issue and stated they could not confirm a problem. They advised me to continue driving the vehicle and suggested that if a defect exists, it would likely worsen over time and become easier to diagnose. I have since contacted the dealership again to request a more thorough inspection, as the issue has not resolved and remains a significant concern.

The car suddenly braked without warning, and the road was clear and no interference.

See all problems of the 2020 BMW X3 🔎.

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the braking system malfunctioned and erroneously activated, causing the brakes to grab. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the brake caliper and brake lines were flushed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v627000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 123,286.

See all problems of the 2014 BMW X3 🔎.

Parking brake is malfunctioning and has seized in lock position, and will not release. Making the vehicle unmovable and not drivable, leaving me stranded.

See all problems of the 2019 BMW X3 🔎.

As I was pulling into a parking stall at work, I pressed on the brake and the vehicle did not stop. It went up over the sidewalk which is stepped up from the parking lot 4-6". I continued to press the break in as far as I could and the vehicle continued to travel at least 20 and stopped when it hit the building. The vehicle is equipped with the automatic emergency breaking and collision warning in which neither worked. The brick on the building was only scrapped. However, there are windows right at the brick line at the location that my car stopped. The car did not go through the window or the building. If it would have, it could have injured those inside. I was pressing on the breaks so hard that I have an injury to my toe. I have not seen a doctor yet, but it's possible that I broke it as I was pressing that hard. The vehicle has not been inspected by the insurance company, manufacturer, or dealership yet. I called the dealership and asked that it be inspected and a diagnostic run immediately. The dealership said they cannot get me in for a week. My vehicle is equipped with a event data recorder.

See all problems of the 2024 BMW X3 🔎.

While driving on the highway I had an error message pop up on the dash that said right brake light electrical malfunction and as soon as the error message popped up I saw a bunch of debris and smoke coming from the back right side of my car and the engine shut off. After sitting for some time while waiting for roadside assistance and trying to make it to safety since my car shut off in the middle of the highway it finally turned back on however I am unable to switch gears to be able to make it to safety.

See all problems of the 2017 BMW X3 🔎.

My vehicle doesn't warn me about rear cross-traffic or it stops for emergency. I paid for this option. Delaer checked the system and reassured me that everything is working. I have to backup to a busy street a few times a day and this system is not protecting me and I am afraid that I will get into a crash. I had several close calls and I am afraid of a crash with this system.

While driving at highway speed, my vehicle began to drag and slow down, I had to apply more on the gas pedal to keep it going. It scared me very much. I took it to my shop where they diagnosed a bad abs pump, they also told me they had done several of these pumps on the same vehicles. I hope this helps, something needs to be done.

Constant emergency braking when I’m not near another vehicle.

See all problems of the 2021 BMW X3 🔎.

My vehicle malfunctioned last week because of the fault harness. Vehicle had a slight fire and now is not drivable. BMW does not want to comply.

See all problems of the 2009 BMW X3 🔎.

I emailed BMW of arlington on 5. 13. 2024 detailing the critical safety issue I experienced with my BMW X3 2012 on Sunday, 5. 12. 2024. I was driving on the tollway northbound from i20 in grand prairie in the pouring rain with my wipers on, and the car suddenly started braking and decelerating from the 70 mph cruising speed to 40 mph in seconds. The car behind me nearly hit my vehicle, and since it kept doing that, I had to turn on my hazard lights till I exited. The car was doing that irrespective of whether it was on cruise control or my driving speed. I discovered by googling it that this is a known defect in Bmws since their shop foremen and certified technicians who know more than me think I am dreaming this up—https://w w. Bimmerfest. Com/threads/sudden-momentary-deceleration-braking-at-highway-speeds. 1447635/-. Driving this car on the highways in dallas regularly is extremely dangerous as I could end up in a major multivehicle mva pileup. Also, the previous time I had this issue before I brought it in on may 7, it wasn't raining, and it started with the car not even moving when I put it in reverse and pressed the gas. Then it suddenly started decelerating on the road, backfired, and shook violently at normal speeds. The car overheated as the radiator coolant leaked, and I had to replenish it. Carshield, the auto warranty company, and I paid approximately $7,000 to BMW Mini of arlington between June 2023 and today (see attached invoices_receitps_diagnosis reports). The last two times (10. 21. 2023 and 5. 7. 2024), their multi-point diagnosis on my vehicle identified no issues that need attention. Two of their service advisors who worked on my car in June and October 2023 quit immediately after completing it. The dealership does not respond to the bbb or my calls, emails, faxes, etc. BMW USA advised me to contact NHTSA. On June 1, while driving on city streets, the brakes were squealing even without engaging, and the car overheated/ backfired again/ almost caught fire.

See all problems of the 2012 BMW X3 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 BMW X3. The contact stated while approaching a stop light at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal stiffened while the contact was attempting to stop the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact ran the red light; however, the brake pedal function returned soon after the failure. The contact was unaware if any warning light was illuminated during the failure. Despite the brake failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to a dealer and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,500. The VIN was not available.

On December 27, 2023, vehicle was taken to the service center of the dealership where it was purchased. The primary concern was that the car would at times suddenly launch forward and increase in speed on its own. Employees/repairmen test drove the vehicle, scanned the codes and the concern was not duplicated. On January 14, 2024, when slowing to park this vehicle, it suddenly raced forward, causing driver to hit a post. I have this documentation. Vehicle was totaled (at loss to me). I need some remedy.

We have had several occurrences of the following issue during the last several months. When slowing the vehicle down at a traffic light/stop with the goal of bringing the vehicle to a complete halt, as the vehicle decelerates to almost a stop with the foot firmly on the brake pedal, there have been several instances where the engine suddenly revs up and the vehicle lunges forward instead of stopping. It is an intermittent issue which is very hard to predict. It has occurred on flat roads, or going downhill, a couple of times with the air conditioner on. It's a split second lunge needing one to apply brakes even harder. Since at other times, this doesn't happen it's very concerning since we're questioning the reliability of the vehicle. It's a matter of chance that this may cause rearending the vehicle ahead. Thankfully, that hasn't happened but have come within a hair of happening.

See all problems of the 2016 BMW X3 🔎.

While driving on the freeway my brakes failed. I had pushed the pedal all the way down and the vehicle was still moving. This caused a rear end collision. There were no warnings that appeared.

Trying to come to a redlight stop at about 35mph. Brakes stopped working and engine started revving really high by itself while trying to stop. Almost slammed into the car in front. Could not reproduce the problem and have no idea what is going on. The car also has all the safety features to prevent hitting something but did not work. Luckily the car in front moved forward to avoid the collision. Turned car off and back on to try to reset the car.

The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v608000 (engine and engine cooling, electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The contact used the parking brake to assist while stopping the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the brake pads needed to be replaced. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired, the chassis failure and traction control failure warning lights light illuminated. The vehicle was returned to the mechanic and was diagnosed with brake failure. The contact was unsure of the parts that needed to be replaced to repair the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted about the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 133,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I was driving down the street from my home and I slowed down turned right and my car was out of control I steered to the curb. I got out and saw that the tire had blown-up and a large piece of the tire which was cut in half was on the ground. I couldn’t drive the car I called a tow truck driver who was there within 30 min he towed my car to BMW. It hasn’t been fully inspected I am waiting for usaa to inspect with spectrum collision. Several people from the collision company have said it may be a tire failure.

My BMW is signaling “secure vehicle against rolling” notification when put in reverse. The mechanics are saying that Bmws e springs are defected. Very dangerous for me and my children.

The break pads wore out on the car at around 16,000 miles. Generally brake pads are supposed to last 35,000 to 40,000 miles. My sister in law has a BMW 4 series and their cars brake pads wore out at around 15,000 miles. I'm sure there are thousands of other BMW owners who have been experiencing this same issue when the dealership was confronted they admitted that BMW has changed to a different "softer" type of brake pads and they are regularly seeing that this should be considered as a defect and the cars recalled because BMW knowingly changed their brake pads to save money and has been installing cheap brake pads that don't even last 1/2 of what regular brake pads last BMW knowingly did this because before their service included the brake pads to be changed within 3 years or 36,000 miles. They removed the brake pads as part of the service included within the 36,000 and started selling additional warranty for the brake pads this would confirm that they knew the new brake pads that they were going to be installing were cheaply made and they were going to have a lot of people coming in to get them changed within the service time period of 36,000, so they removed that as being included and starting selling additional warranty for that. The NHTSA should have minimum standards for car parts across the board, so that BMW doesn't take advantage of their customers and install cheap parts so they can make more money we have leased/owned BMW's for 15+ years and have never had this issue. Since this was done on purpose by BMW, there should be a recall issued for the defective brake pads that they have been installing.

1. My car is very old and has 189,000 miles. Takata airbag recalls are now known and issued by the nhsta, it shows that I have 6 recalls and BMW does not see the recalls. As well as my brakes they are super soft and the only thing I did for the brakes is replace new brake pads they are oem and also my emergency parking brakes are not working. It is avaible for inspection. 2. My safety while driving the car is at risk because I dont know if the airbag will work or fail at any moment. 3. The problem has not been solved and BMW seattle states that, "we do not see any recalls, and I am not saying that there isn't but because of the age of the car I don't know. " BMW seattle service receptionist states. 4. The vehichle has not been inspected for any safety recalls or notices. I have tried to call them about the safety and they always deny and say I dont know. 5. First it was the engine warning and now the low tire preasure light. But I always keep my car on top of things. But like I said 6 recalls that BMW don't see and I have called them about is very concerning for my safety and they safety of my passengers as well as kids that ride with me.

See all problems of the 2007 BMW X3 🔎.

I have two major concerns 1) when I drive in the snow and engage "traction control" the brakes stop working properly - to the point that I had to stomp on the pedal with both feet to get them to kick in. It was truly terrifying. Another friend with a 2023 model X3 experienced the exact same thing. No warning signs appeared and my car only has 9000 miles. This just happened so I have no complained to the dealer yet. 2) when I leave my house and head down hill to the stop sign the transmission automatically kicks itself out of "drive" into "neutral. " this is also dangerous as I pull away from the stop sign into the street I have no idea when I hit the gas nothing will happen and I've almost gotten t-boned by cars who find me stalled in the middle of the road. I had the dealer look at this and they could not duplicate it. Meanwhile I had a 2023 loaner car from them that did the exact same thing! they said there have been no recalls for this so I felt it should be reported too.

When the vehicle is moving at a speed of 4mph and lower, it is impossible to shift the vehicle from neutral to drive without applying the brakes. I was pulling out onto a 4 lane road from a side street when I accidentally bumped the transmission gear shifter into the "n" neutral position. When I realized this (I was only going 4 mph at the time) I tried to shift it back into drive but it would not work. The vehicle made a sound that I was doing something wrong. I tried to shift it again (vehicle was probably now moving around 3 mph) and it gave me that same warning sound but this time I looked at the instrumentation panel and saw that the warning text displayed on the panel said that I needed to apply the brakes before I could shift it from neutral to drive. When I applied the brakes the vehicle came to a complete stop because I was going only 3mph and at that point I could shift the vehicle into drive. I believe that if I had pulled out with cars coming at a high rate of speed that I could have been hit on the drivers side because I had come to a complete stop in the right hand lane of the roadway. I could only imagine what could have happened to an inexperienced driver because I somewhat panicked and I have over 35 years of driving experience. This safety issue was brought up to BMW through their customer service/satisfaction center. The representative that I spoke with said he would forward the concern to their "research and design" unit but didn't know if they would respond. I have not brought the issue up with the dealership where I purchased the vehicle because I notified BMW directly. I am concerned that this design fault will one day cause catastrophic injuries.

I was slowly pulling into a parking space and as I applied pressure to the brakes, there was no response. In fact the car seemed to rev up and accelerate, jumping the curb and ramming a tree. I was able to steer away from the tree to avoid hitting the center of the front end, but smashing the left front. Even after hitting the tree the car did not slow and I’m trying to pump the brakes, there was no response… I kept going over a grassy area, across a sidewalk and back into the driveway in front of the building, finally the brakes engaged and the car came to a stop. I was then able to pull into another space safely out of the way. I was so lucky it was only 7:15 am and no pedestrians were around and no other vehicles. So I did not hit anyone and did not injure myself.

Vehicle has consistently presented with a loud screeching noise from the brakes. When emergency braking needed, there are incidents of a slipping feel to the brakes where they do not seem as through they are applying properly. The slipping feel and noise of the brakes increases during wet/snowy weather. The noise is not a safety concern as much as the slipping feel of the brakes is significantly concerning. When emergency braking is applied, any slipping is putting my safety and the safety of passengers in my vehicle/surrounding vehicles is at high risk. Multiple service appointments surrounding this persistent problem have resulted in dismissive responses from BMW. The service center has inspected the brakes, acknowledged the loud consistent screeching noise, but BMW states the brakes are normal and the noise is expected because they are "sport brakes". BMW now recommends replacing rotors but insists it is only due to the "noise complaint". The vehicle is only serviced at a BMW dealer/service center and has been inspected by BMW. There are no warning lamps or messages related to the problem. The problem was existing when I first purchased the vehicle in 2022, was acknowledged by BMW, and has been persistently reported at every service appointment as not subsiding and in fact increasing in volume. I believe there is a manufacturing problem with the BMW X3 sav model that impacts the braking system (brake pads and rotors), causing slipping when emergency braking is engaged and causing excessive noise from front and rear brakes.

As I was pulling into my assigned parking spot in my building complex. Both me and my 6yr old daughter were in the vehicle. As I was pulling into my parking spot and went to brake and put my vehicle in park- my brakes locked, gave out and the vehicle continued to proceed forward. As it proceeded forwarded, I immediately kept trying to brake- but because the vehicle is all wheel drive it accelerated forward pushing through the concrete parking bumper guard located on the floor of the parking spot. Because of the acceleration, the vehicle crashed into the storage units connected to the building structure. I immediately tried reversing and forced the car into park without braking. Thankfully my daughter was still in her car seat. It was terrifying and we were in so much panic and scared. My neighbors came to our rescue- because I was distraught knowing that we had literally just come off of the highway and that could have happened at any point with my child in the car. My insurance is able to cover the damages - but, the auto repairs do not consist of checking the brakes/malfunction. I cannot see myself staying with this vehicle and putting the safety of myself and daughter in jeopardy. I am praying that BMW takes the necessary measures to assist in addressing this.

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed; however, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. The contact was able to steer the vehicle into a gas station before the vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with brake master cylinder failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

See all problems of the 2018 BMW X3 🔎.

X3 started locking up the brakes, it seems that every time you pressed the breaks the calipers will engage and would not release them, making the vehicle completely stop or force you to accelerate to move the vehicle forward by force and get out of the moving traffic. No error codes came up at all or warning lights on the dashboard. The only way to resolve the issue was to turn the vehicle off and start again after a few minutes. The same issue occurs if you use the auto hold function, the vehicle will automatically engage the emergency breaks and you lose complete control of the vehicle, until the car is turned off to reset. The calipers were replaced and drained the brake fluids as a measure since no error codes were detected. Problem persisted and it got worse, making it very unsafe to continue to drive the vehicle. Fields BMW in winter park florida, confirmed the problem as the dsc hydro unit failure, although no error codes or warnings still and shared that they had several BMW's come in with the same issue and no error codes detected. 4k for the part only and in back order in germany for 2 months. I contacted BMW corporate to discuss the problem. It seems BMW corporate is aware of the issues with the hydro unit in some models, but not on my model, it seems to me that this is not only a major BMW design failure but a safety problem with the vehicle I believe needs to be addressed by the company.

See all problems of the 2015 BMW X3 🔎.

When driving and after using brakes, the brakes do not let off, they drag. I was driving on the highway, and had to slow down for traffic and the car would not accelerate. This happened several times and I brought it to a BMW repair shop. They diagnosed it to be the abs pump, replaced it with a used one and I have not had any problems since. I have researched this issue and found others with like make & model have had similar problems. Since this could cause the vehicle to slow down without actually braking, I worry about someone hitting the car from the back because the brake lights don't come on when this happens.

See all problems of the 2013 BMW X3 🔎.

My emergency brake keeps malfunctioning, I have been unable to use them for about 3 months now. Also starting around 2/20/21 when im at a red light for more than a minute and the light turns green, my transmission gets stuck and the car wont go, a warning sign comes on. Then I have to re put it in drive and can go.

Parking distance control is faulty and sometimes locks up the brakes in a jarring manner when backing up even when there is nothing behind the car, close to the car or in the adjacent parking spaces. BMW even says to turn off pdc when using parking assistant plus. Manual says car can still hit curb using pdc. 3 times already.

Tl the contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact was attempting to stop at a stop sign and pressed down on the brake pedal but the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle hit another vehicle stopped in front at the stop sign . There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle hit the back bumper of the other vehicle at 5 mph. There was no visible damage with only the license plate being torn off. The dealer and manufacturer had not yet been called. The other person filed a claim with the contact's insurance company. The failure mileage was 16,420.

August 10, 2020. I was driving to the store abut 10 miles from home on a major highway and my 2013 BMW X328i, suddenly started to go crazy in a manner that I never experienced before a lot of lights such as, (engine, abs, dsc, dtc, brakes,powertrain, and stimulation. The vehicle became non-drivable and a safety hazardous in nature that it almost cause an accident. I act in a emergency state of mind and was able to pull into a nearby parking lot at 15315 merry cat ln, belle haven, va 23306. I proceeded in calling the aaa towing company to take the vehicle to my place of resident.

On August 1st, we experienced a dangerous situation on the highway; the vehicle slowed down in traffic, hard jerking, smelled of burning fuel or fumes. We then took it to the BMW dealership in tallahassee which was two days after the incident. After they did a diagnostic on it, we were told it was a mechanical failure within the brake system and after they examined it and took it for a test drive, the brakes on both sides became extremely hot with extreme heat and smoking from both brakes. They explained the experience was very unusual and could have caused dangerous results on the road. We were told it wasn't in our best interests not to attempt to drive it more than 2 miles. We had no choice but to leave it across the street with carmax, the lien holder. Even though it is a manufacturer's issue the BMW dealership wouldn't help us unless we paid nearly 5k out of pocket. Carmax also wouldn't help unless we agreed to pay them as well. We are out of a major loss considering it's was defected by the manufacturer and we've only had the car 2 years. We were told we were lucky and that the tires would have caught on fire on the road. ! we would appreciate your full investigation into this matter; we are not financially stable to incur such a financial loss as well as losing the vehicle. Thanks.