2009 BMW X3 Sav Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2009 BMW X3 Sav, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags1045.5%
- Electrical313.6%
- Interior & seats313.6%
- Fuel system14.5%
- Seat belts14.5%
- Suspension14.5%
- Tires & wheels14.5%
- Driver assistance14.5%
- Engine14.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE IN OCTOBER 2017 AND BMW HAS YET TO HAVE A REMEDY/SOLVE FOR THE ISSUE. WE ARE OVER 6 MONTHS SINCE THE RECALL AND THIS IS FAR PAST A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO ADDRESS A SAFETY ISSUE.
BMW SENT LETTER 3/2016 ABOUT RECALL AND CONTINUE TO TELL ME THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PARTS FOR MY CARS RECALL.I HAVE CHECK SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE LAST YEAR LOCALLY AND THEN ANOTHER NEARBY DEALERSHIP CLOSE BY IN ANOTHER TOWN. THEY SAID THEY WOULD PLACE ME ON A CALL LIST AND THAT HAS BEEN 7 MTHS AGO. I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE WAITING FOR ME TO GET RID OF THE CAR, BUT IN THE MEANTIME I AM AT RISK IF I GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. WHAT DO I DO? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ADVICE
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
NHTSA INVESTIGATIONS PE07045 AND EA08001 DETERMINED MICRO-CRACKS COULD DEVELOP IN THE SIDE FLANKS OF THE FRONT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT CAUSING A BROKEN CIRCUIT AND DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE ILLUMINATION OF BOTH THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT. WHEN BOTH OF THE LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED, THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN A FRONTAL CRASH. NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER 08V384000 WAS ISSUED HOWEVER ONLY COVERS MODEL YEARS 2004-2006 OF THE BMW X3 SAV. REQUEST NHTSA CONDUCT FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS TO EXPAND THE EXISTING RECALL TO COVER ALL 2004-2009 MODEL YEARS OF THE FIRST GENERATION BMW X3 SAV WHICH MANY OWNERS ONLINE CAN CONCUR EXHIBIT THE SAME SYMPTOMS OF THIS SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT POSES A SEVERE SAFETY RISK.
THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND UNMOVED IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. IT SUDDENLY BROKE OUT IN FLAMES (ORIGINATING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT). THE FIRE GREW QUITE LARGE AND THE CAR EXPLODED (THE POLICE OFFICER'S WORD). SECURITY CAMERAS ON THE PROPERTY SHOW NO ONE IN THE AREA TO TAMPER WITH THE CAR. THIS WAS SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. A GOOGLE SEARCH OF "2009 BMW X3 FIRE" SHOWS MANY OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE IN OCTOBER 2017 AND BMW HAS YET TO HAVE A REMEDY/SOLVE FOR THE ISSUE. WE ARE OVER 6 MONTHS SINCE THE RECALL AND THIS IS FAR PAST A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO ADDRESS A SAFETY ISSUE.
NHTSA INVESTIGATIONS PE07045 AND EA08001 DETERMINED MICRO-CRACKS COULD DEVELOP IN THE SIDE FLANKS OF THE FRONT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT CAUSING A BROKEN CIRCUIT AND DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE ILLUMINATION OF BOTH THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT. WHEN BOTH OF THE LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED, THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN A FRONTAL CRASH. NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER 08V384000 WAS ISSUED HOWEVER ONLY COVERS MODEL YEARS 2004-2006 OF THE BMW X3 SAV. REQUEST NHTSA CONDUCT FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS TO EXPAND THE EXISTING RECALL TO COVER ALL 2004-2009 MODEL YEARS OF THE FIRST GENERATION BMW X3 SAV WHICH MANY OWNERS ONLINE CAN CONCUR EXHIBIT THE SAME SYMPTOMS OF THIS SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT POSES A SEVERE SAFETY RISK.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND UNMOVED IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. IT SUDDENLY BROKE OUT IN FLAMES (ORIGINATING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT). THE FIRE GREW QUITE LARGE AND THE CAR EXPLODED (THE POLICE OFFICER'S WORD). SECURITY CAMERAS ON THE PROPERTY SHOW NO ONE IN THE AREA TO TAMPER WITH THE CAR. THIS WAS SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. A GOOGLE SEARCH OF "2009 BMW X3 FIRE" SHOWS MANY OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
WITH NO OCCUPANT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE SEAT BELT WARNING ALARM WENT OFF ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, FORCING THE DRIVER TO FASTEN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO OCCUPANT. THIS WARNING ALSO OCCURRED ONCE WHEN THERE WAS AN OCCUPANT IN THE FRONT SEAT AND HAD THE SEAT BELT PROPERLY FASTENED. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
LOUD RATTLE FROM REAR SUSPENSION, SOUNDED LIKE LOOSE SHOCK TOWER. TOOK TO DEALER, BOTH REAR SUSPENSION SPRINGS WERE BROKEN. I AVOID ALL ROAD HAZARDS AND DO NOT 'BEAT' MY CARS. BMW SERVICE ADVISOR HAD A BROKEN SPRING ON HER DESK TO EXPLAIN THE ISSUE. IT HAPPENS THAT OFTEN. REPAIR COST ME $987.38. I CALL MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
PIRELLI SCORPION TIRE 235/55HR17 99H BLOW-OUTS IN SIDE WALLS. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE MAKING A BROKEN U-TURN IN A PARKING LOT, THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT INTO EXTREME RAPID ACCELERATION. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND UNMOVED IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. IT SUDDENLY BROKE OUT IN FLAMES (ORIGINATING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT). THE FIRE GREW QUITE LARGE AND THE CAR EXPLODED (THE POLICE OFFICER'S WORD). SECURITY CAMERAS ON THE PROPERTY SHOW NO ONE IN THE AREA TO TAMPER WITH THE CAR. THIS WAS SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. A GOOGLE SEARCH OF "2009 BMW X3 FIRE" SHOWS MANY OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .