Warnings Problems of BMW X3

Due to a TSB (sib 65 12 22) wherein the roof antennae leaks water and causes a short in the telemetry module, the car does not have pedestrian warning, navigation or backup camera / cross traffic warning. The car is drivable, but compromised from a safety perspective.

See all problems of the 2020 BMW X3 🔎.

Starting in July/August 2025, my 2019 BMW X3 (g01) suffered a total failure of multiple safety-critical systems, including the emergency call (ecall) system, the rearview camera, and frontal collision/pedestrian alert sensors. These failures were accompanied by a persistent "emergency call system malfunction" warning on the dashboard. BMW service information bulletin sib 65 12 22 acknowledges a manufacturing defect where the roof-mounted antenna housing seal was "not optimal," leading to water ingress. This water ingress has damaged the telematics control unit (tcb), which manages these safety features. I have contacted BMW north America and local dealerships; however, they have provided a written refusal to repair the damaged internal electronics because the vehicle is out of its original 4-year warranty. Safety risk: this defect leaves the vehicle in a non-compliant safety state. In the event of a crash, the vehicle cannot automatically notify emergency services (ecall failure). Furthermore, the loss of the rearview camera and collision avoidance systems significantly increases the risk of a crash or injury. BMW is aware of the defect that causes these safety systems to fail but has not issued a safety recall to address the resulting hardware damage. This issue is currently the subject of the craft v. BMW of north America class-action lawsuit.

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Beginning in July–August 2025, my 2019 BMW X3 (VIN [xxx] ) began experiencing multiple safety?critical system failures affecting federally regulated components. The rearview camera intermittently failed to activate and later stopped functioning entirely, resulting in loss of rear visibility required under fmvss 111. The emergency call (ecall) system displayed repeated malfunction warnings, indicating loss of automatic crash notification capability. The vehicle also displayed “driver assistance restricted,” “collision warning malfunction,” and pedestrian detection failure messages, showing that forward collision warning and related adas functions were not operating properly. During the same period, the telematics control unit (tcu) lost functionality. This caused loss of connecteddrive services, backend communication, remote diagnostics, remote status reporting, and safety?related over?the?air updates. These failures match known BMW defect patterns involving water intrusion into the antenna/telematics module and backend provisioning issues. I submitted a detailed written escalation to BMW of north America. BMW issued two brief responses on February 11–12, 2026 that did not address any of the safety issues, did not provide the engineering basis for excluding my VIN from the applicable recall, and redirected me to a dealer, which has no authority over recall determinations. BMW closed the case without providing any investigation results, defect determination, or technical explanation, contrary to obligations under 49 cfr § 573. These failures materially impair federally regulated safety functions, including rear visibility, collision avoidance, emergency crash notification, and telematics?based safety communication. The pattern suggests a potential broader defect affecting additional vehicles. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

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The malfunction involves the collision warning system and sudden braking functionality. The dealership inspection identified a problem with the kafas (camera) unit, specifically its housing being deformed from heat, which affected the functionality of the collision sensor and caused the system to malfunction intermittently. The component is still installed in the vehicle and available for inspection if required. The system triggered sudden braking without an actual threat, creating a serious risk of being rear-ended by vehicles behind me. This issue has occurred twice in the last month, with no warning or actual collision risk present. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, the problem was confirmed by the dealership. Their inspection found that the kafas camera housing is deformed due to heat exposure, causing malfunction warnings and erroneous braking behavior. They stated this is not a covered warranty issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? the dealership performed an inspection and provided an inspection report, but no other entities (e. G. , manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives) have inspected the component or vehicle. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? yes, the malfunction indicator light for the collision sensor appeared intermittently. The dealership’s report attributes this to the deformation of the kafas camera housing due to heat exposure.

See all problems of the 2021 BMW X3 🔎.

The front collision warning failed and had not given any problem prior to the failure. We were in a car accident where a person turned left (we were going straight) and passed right in front of us when we hit them. The forward collision warning did not display and our vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance. We may of avoided the accident if the sound and display of the warning had triggered.

See all problems of the 2022 BMW X3 🔎.

The main windshield bracket holding the front camera (responsible for driver's assistant including front collision warning, pedestrian warning, lane departure warning, etc. ) has the tendency to break on its own. The bracket is made of thin plastic and can melt under direct sunlight and/or usage of vehicle as the camera gets hot as well. Any reasonable exposure or usage will eventually cause the bracket to melt/deform and fail, causing the camera to fall from its original position. The misalignment of camera will cause a cascade of error codes and completely fail to work, rendering the entire safety systems to be useless. The bracket itself is not sold separately and requires the manufacturer to install a completely new windshield which is the only method of fixing this issue. Manufacturer and/or dealerships refuse to warranty if preventative methods are used (such as windshield tint) even though the camera or mounts remain untouched.

- bracket holding kafas camera system to windshield failed causing driver assistance system errors in vehicle; surrounding area gets very hot to the touch - system errors restricted certain driver assistance features including collision warnings - problem was found by two dealerships; first dealership denied claim, second repaired via windshield replacement - service advisor mentioned another vehicle had similar failure - BMW forum (bimmerpost) confirmed several identical failures.

Test complaint ***** do not process ***** April 2021 patch testing ' 1.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW X3 🔎.

Repeated warning of 'rreduced driver assistance support.