Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 BMW X3 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
CHECK OIL LIGHT CAME ON SO VEHICLE WAS PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WITHIN SECONDS, SMOKE HAD ENGULFED THE ENGINE BAY. THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES WITHIN A FEW MINUTES.
WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND I COULDN'T CONTROL IT OR STOP IT WHILE PUSHING HEAVILY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OR ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW X3. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS UNABLE TO RESTART ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. BURDICK BMW (5947 E CIRCLE DR, CICERO, NY 13039, (315) 459-6000) WAS CONTACTED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
THE ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET BOLTS HAVE ALL SHEARED OFF INSIDE THE ENGINE BLOCK CAUSING A SAFETY CONCERN WITH THE ENGINE NOT BEING FULLY SUPPORTED. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, BUT RATHER VERY COMMON ON ALL X3 MODELS. THE INTERNET IS FULL OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THE CAR AND JUST AFTER PURCHASE I FOUND THE PROBLEM. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THIS FAILURE OCCURRED A LONG TIME AGO, CONSISTENT WITH THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF FAILURE AT 60,000 MILES. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND BMW SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED A LONG TERM SOLUTION. YET TO THIS DAY, NONE EXISTS. REPLACEMENT BOLTS WILL STILL HAVE THE SAME FAILURE MODE.
AFTER JUST SPENDING $2400 LAST WEEK ON MY CAR. I WAS TRAVELING 65 MPH ON INTERSTATE 78 WHEN MY 2004 BMW X3 LOST ALL POWER. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GLIDE MY CAR FROM THE LEFT LANE TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. I TRIED TO START THE CAR AGAIN AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD KEPT FLASHING ON & OFF AND CAR WOULD NOT START. AS I SAT IN MY CAR ON BARELY A SHOULDER 18 WHEELER'S AND CARS FLEW BY ME SHAKING MY CAR. I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE. *TR
DRIVING IN NEIGHBORHOOD WITH STOP SIGNS AND CROSS STREETS. SPOUSE DRIVING. OTHER PASSENGER IN FRONT. ME IN REAR SEAT PASS SIDE. 10 MIN INTO TRIP. APPROACHING STOP SIGN, A FEW SECONDS AFTER BRAKE INITIALLY APPLIED, ENGINE BEGINS TO REV. HEAVY BRAKING STOPS VEHICLE, BUT ENGINE STILL REVVING. FROM BACK SEAT, I HAVE CLEAR VIEW OF DRIVER'S FEET AND CAN SEE THAT PROBLEM IS NOT MISAPPLICATION OF PEDALS. CAN ALSO SEE THAT HAND POSITION IS "10 & 2" AND NOT NEAR CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS DRIVER TURNS OFF ENGINE TO STOP REVVING. WE CHECK FLOOR MATS TO SEE IF THIS WAS PROBLEM. THEY WERE NORMAL POSITION AND NOT NEAR ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WHEN ENGINE RESTARTED, PROBLEM DISAPPEARS. FRIGHTENING INCIDENT. THERE WAS A PEDESTRIAN IN CROSSWALK WHO WALKED IN FRONT OF VEHICLE WHILE THIS HAPPENED. *TR
WHILE DRIVING AT FREEZING TEMPERATURE, WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM THE ENGINE ROOM. I STOPPED THE ENGINE AND FOUND HUGE LEAK OF OIL FROM THE VALVE COVER. I NEEDED TO ADD 1 QUART OIL WHICH MEAN 1 QUART OF OIL WAS LEAKED OUT. I HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT IT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY FREEZING OIL SEPARATOR. SINCE THE OIL SEPARATOR WAS DESIGNED INCORRECTLY, IT STOPS WORKING BY THE FROZEN CONDENSATE IN COLD CLIMATE. AND, IT CAUSE HIGH PRESSURE IN THE CRANKCASE AND CONSEQUENTLY OIL LEAK THROUGH THE VALVE COVER GASKET. THE PROBLEM MAY CAUSE A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. *KB
FAULTY OIL SEPERATOR - CHRONIC PROBLEMS. *TT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW X3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE SERVICE ENGINE AND EML LIGHTS WOULD ALSO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DURING THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT TO REPLACE THE DME MODULE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW X3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. UPON RESTART, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES LATER WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN. THE BRAKE, 4X4, AND FUEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE UPON RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 80,000.
AUGUST 1, 2010 TOOK CAR TO LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP NORTHPOINT TO HAVE AIR CONDITIONER CHECKED PRIOR TO 100,0000 MILE WARRANTY EXPIRING. TOLD BY DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPEAT DIAGNOSIS OF WHY AIR WAS NOT COOLING. ON 11-15-2010 AT 107,215 AFTER WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED A 3RD PARTY DIAGNOSED CAR AS NEEDING A EVAPORATOR COIL WHICH IS A $2000-$2500 REPLACEMENT. IN ADDITION TO ANOTHER PROBLEM OF THE ENGINE BURNING AND LEAKING OIL WHICH IS $6000 TO REPLACE. *TR
1. NO ADVANCE WARNING. 2. FAILURE OF PCV VALVE SYSTEM, WITH RESULTING IMMEDIATE CONSUMPTION OF ENGINE OIL THROUGH COMBUSTION PROCESS. ENGINE STALLS AND VEHICLE IS BROUGHT TO COMPLETE STOP. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES IN THE PAST 3 YEARS. 3. PCV RELATED HARDWARE REPLACED IN FIRST INCIDENT, WITH CLAIM THAT "REDESIGN" WOULD PREVENT RECURRENCE. SAME IN SECOND AND THIRD INCIDENT. THIS IS NOT ONLY AN INCONVENIENT PROBLEM, IT IS ALSO SAFETY RELATED, AS THE PROBLEM CAN RESULT IN THE VEHICLE BEING IMMOBILIZED IN TRAFFIC. IT IS ALSO NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM, BASED ON WHAT BMW TECHNICIANS AND OTHER MECHANICS HAVE RELATED. *TR
ENGINE POWER FAILURE ON A 2004 BMW 330CI. REPEATED FAILURE OF ENGINE POWER WITHOUT WARNING (5 TIMES IN AN INTERSECTION). BMW REPLACED ENG. COMPUTER, THEN INSTALLED NEW SOFTWARE AFTER SECOND INCIDENT. ADDITIONALLY BMW REQUESTED THAT I START USING REGULAR GAS INSTEAD OF PREMIUM. THE ISSUE WENT AWAY AFTER THAT. *JB
FAILURE OF CRANKCASE VENTILATION VALVE IN 2004 3 SERIES BMW. THIS FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY MOISTURE BUILD UP IN THE VALVE, WHICH THEN FROZE AT AN EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SEIZE. APPARENTLY, BMW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AS THE REPLACEMENT VALVE IS "RE-ENGINEERED". APPARENTLY, THIS PROBLEM ONLY OCCURS IN THE SIX CYLINDER ENGINE, AT EXTREMELY LOW TEMPERATURE, AND IN CARS WHICH ARE USED ONLY IN "SHORT TRIPS". THE CAR HAS BEEN DOWN FOR OVER TWO WEEKS, AWAITING PARTS. *NM
I HAVE A 2004 330CI WITH A 6 SPD TRANSMISSION. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST BUT THIS PAST WEEKEND MY CAR WAS IN IDLE IN TRAFFIC. MY VEHICLE WOULD DO ROUGH IDLING AND THE ENGINE RPM WOULD DIP THEN SURGE EVENTUALLY LEADING THE CAR TO LOSE ENGINE POWER AND DIE. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY CONCERN WHEN THERE IS A POSSIBLY OF SOMEONE REAR ENDING YOU IF THE CAR JUST LOSES ENGINE POWER. IT'S NOT A HUMAN PROBLEM BUT ENGINE DEFECT. *NM
DEAR NHTSA, I AM WRITING TODAY TO TELL YOU MY PERSONAL EPXERIENCE WITH MY CAR. I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BMW 330CI ON JULY 18, 2003. ONE WEEK AFTER THE PURCHASE, THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED TO ENGAGE WHEN I START UP THE CAR. AFTER I BROUGHT IT IN FOR A FIX, I WAS TOLD IT WAS FIXED. TWO MONTHS LATER, THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM CAME BACK AGAIN, AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED TO NEED REPLACEMENT. IN DECEMBER 2003, THE TRANSMISSION IS REPLACED AFTER A FEW MONTH'S WAITING FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION. IN MAY 2004, THE CAR'S ENGINE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. AND BMW TOLD ME IT CAN NOT BE DIAGNOSED. FROM MAY 2004 TO MARCH 2005, THE ENGINE STALL-IN-TRAFFIC PROBLEM HAPPENED FIVE TIMES. NO CONCLUSIVE DIAGNOSTIC WAS EVER MADE. ON OCT 4, 2005, THE TRANSMISSION FAILS AGAIN IN THE MORNING. AND ALL THESE PROBLEMS LISTED HERE ARE JUST MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES, AND DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SMALL PROBLEMS SUCH AS DOOR GUARD COMPLETELY FALLS OFF. AT THIS POINT, AFTER THE PROBLEMS OF THIS CAR BECOMES CHRONICLE, I FEEL THAT MY SAFETY IS COMPROMISED, AND BWM WILL NOT HELP ME TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP ME! SINCERELY, JINWEN XIAO. *JB
I WAS HELPING ONE OF OUR CONSUMERS RESOLVE AN ISSUE WITH THIS MFG. WHEN I LOOKED AT THEIR STREET LEGAL MOTORCYCLES, I DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAVE NO EMISSION CONTROL EQUIPMENT AT ALL, YET THEY CLAIM THEY ARE C.A.R.B., D.O.T. AND E.P.A. CERTIFIED. HERE IS A LINK TO THE IMPOSTERS WEB PAGE. HTTP://WWW.BI-TANK.COM/ IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME OR CONTACT ME BY PHONE. RANDY CASTLEMAN PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVE II'S (949) 320-2041 *NOTE* I PUT IN VEHICLE INFORMATION FOR A MOTORCYCLE MFG. THAT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MFG THAT THE COMPLAINT IS ABOUT. YOUR WEB COMPLAINT FORM WOULD NEED AN "OTHER" OPTION WHEN SELECTING VEHICLE MFG INFO. *NM
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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