2005 BMW X3 Electrical Problems

VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED TO THE GROUND TAKING MY OTHER CAR WITH IT. THIS HAPPENED WHILE PARKED AFTER WASHING THE CARPETS.

NHTSA ID

11325900

Incident

May 25, 2020

Mileage

180,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW X3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A BURNING ODOR INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT SEAT LUMBAR CUSHION OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TAYLOR BMW (4180 WASHINGTON RD, EVANS, GA 30809, (706) 868-6400) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11091068

Incident

Mar 13, 2018

Mileage

118,000 mi

THE CAR IS HAVING A TRIAD OF LIGHTS WITH NO PROBLEM FOUND. KEEP GETTING 4X4, ABS, BRAKE, AND NOW MY PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG WARNING LIGHTS. AND RESEARCHING ONLINE I FOUND THAT SMILIAR YEAR MODELS WERE RECALLED FOR THE AIRBAG SENSOR.

NHTSA ID

11064318

Incident

Jan 10, 2018

Mileage

144,000 mi

BOTH SEATS. PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE WITH 183K MILES. WAS GETTING COLD OUT, TURNED ON THE HEATED SEAT FUNCTION AND NOTICED A BURNING SMELL UPON DRIVING DOWN THE COUNTRY ROADS FROM MY HOUSE. THE SIDE OF THE DRIVERS SEAT MELTED THROUGH. COULD SEE IT GLOWING INSIDE OF THE SEAT. SOMEONE HAD DONE A SEAT REPAIR PREVIOUSLY TO COVER THIS ISSUE. APPROX. 1 YEAR LATER I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY PASSENGER HAD TURNED ON HIS HEATED SEAT. HE STARTED YELLING AND NOTICED THE SEAT HAD BURNED THROUGH THE LEATHER. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENTS WERE CAUSED.

NHTSA ID

10845926

Incident

Feb 2, 2016

Mileage

183 mi

AIR BAGS STARTED BLINKING LAST WEEK AND NOW IT JUST STAYS ON. BMW WEBSITE STATES MY CAR IS NOT COVER IN RECENT TAKATA AIR BAGS RECALL. ALSO, YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN RAIN CAR'S WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTED GETTING JERKY, STICKY AND NOT WORKING PROPERLY CREATING A DANGEROUS DRIVING. THE CABIN LIGHTS ALSO STARTED TO GO ON & OFF DURING MY DRIVE HOME... WHEN I REACH HOME THE RADIO STAYED ON WHEN THE CAR IGNITION WAS OFF AND ONLY TURNED OFF WHEN I TURN-OFF THE RADIO. CHECK FUSE AND AIR BAG WIRING BUT SO SIGNS OF LOOSE WIRES AND BAD FUSE. CAUSE OF PROBLEMS UNKNOWN. PROBLEMS REMAINS UNCHANGED TODAY.

NHTSA ID

10786837

Incident

Oct 28, 2015

Mileage

30 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW X3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE HEATED SEAT FUNCTION OVERHEATED. IN ADDITION, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THE KEY BECAME DIFFICULT TO RELEASE FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

NHTSA ID

10690568

Incident

Feb 1, 2012

Mileage

80,000 mi

THE DRIVER'S SEAT (BOTTOM) CONTAINS A HEATING ELEMENT. WHEN ON, EVEN ON THE LOWEST SETTING, A HOT SPOT DEVELOPS NEAR THE LEFT REAR SIDE THAT IS SO HOT I HAVE TO SHUT OFF THE HEATER OUT OF FEAR OF A FIRE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10680933

Incident

Dec 1, 2014

Mileage

95,000 mi

WAS DRIVING WITH SEAT HEATER ON. THE SEAT FELT VERY HOT ON MY LEGS AT IT SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE SEAT HEATER. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND EXITED THE CAR. I NOTICED A BURN MARK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT. THERE IS A MATCHING BURN MARK ON THE WOOL COAT I WAS WEARING. THE COAT IS WHAT PREVENTED ME FROM BEING INJURED. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE IF YOU NEED IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10677119

Incident

Jan 20, 2015

Mileage

183,700 mi

THE SEAT HEATER IN MY 2005 BMW X3 CAUGHT FIRE AND MELTED A HOLE IN THE SEAT AND BURNED MY LEFT BUTT CHEEK WHILE I WAS DRIVING. MY LEFT BUTT CHEEK WAS BURNED A LITTLE BUT I WAS OTHERWISE UNINJURED. I READ ONLINE THAT A TON OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME/SIMILAR MAKE AND MODEL CAR AS ME HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALER SAID IT WOULD COST ABOUT $2000 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE SEAT. THERE IS CLEARLY A MAJOR FLAW IN THE SEAT HEATER AND IT COULD POSE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD A FIRE OCCUR AND THE DRIVER IS NOT ABLE TO LEAVE THE CAR RIGHT AWAY. BMW SHOULD RECALL AND/OR PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT/REPAIR OF THE SEAT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10661214

Incident

Nov 3, 2014

Mileage

152,803 mi

I'D UNLOCKED MY DOOR AND WHEN I TRIED TO CLOSE IT, IT WOULDN'T CLOSE LIKE IT SHOULD. IT'S LIKE THE ACTUATOR WAS STUCK & WOULDN'T CLOSE. IT DOES THIS FOR A FEW MINUTES OF ME CRANKING AND TURNING OFF THE IGNITION. FINALLY, AFTER I CRANK IT UP AGAIN, IT JUST CLOSES LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED! I WAS STUCK IN A PHARMACY PARKING LOT FOR LIKE 15 MINUTES THINKING OF HOW I WAS GOING TO GET HOME BECAUSE MY DOOR DIDN'T CLOSE! VERY, VERY INCONVENIENT! I ALMOST HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK & WOULD'VE BEEN OUT OF A COUPLE HUNDRED OF DOLLARS FOR THIS!!! WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN!!!?! THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND FIXED! *TR

NHTSA ID

10660683

Incident

Nov 5, 2014

Mileage

102,500 mi

I BELIEVE THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (AKA SZL) IN MY 2005 BMW X3 IS FAULTY AND THUS POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK GIVEN ITS ROLE IN PROVIDING INPUTS TO THE DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC) SYSTEM. IT CERTAINLY WARRANTS INVESTIGATION. MY VEHICLE HAS GONE INTO AN UNCONTROLLED SKID ON THREE OCCASIONS, EACH TIME WHILE TRAVELING DOWNHILL AT MODERATE SPEEDS ON CURVES. (ONLY ONCE DID IT DO SO FOLLOWING A LIGHT RAIN; ON ALL OTHER OCCASIONS THE PAVEMENT WAS DRY.) LUCKILY, NO ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES ENSUED. I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM THE YEAR I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED IN 2010; THE PREVIOUS OWNER LIKEWISE HAD NOTICED THE ISSUE AND INFORMED ME OF IT AT THE TIME I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. TODAY, SEPT. 15, 2014, MY LOCAL BMW DEALER PROPOSED REPLACING THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (SZL) IN OUR VEHICLE, SAYING A READOUT OF THE FAULT CODES DETECTED FAULTS IN THE SENSOR. I HAVE ELECTED TO REPLACE THE SENSOR AT A COST OF $1098. BASED ON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ISSUE, WHICH SOME CURSORY INVESTIGATING ON MY PART APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM SHARED BY MULTIPLE OWNERS OF SIMILAR MODEL/YEAR VEHICLES, I URGE THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10633167

Incident

Sep 15, 2010

Mileage

33,900 mi

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG IS TURNED OFF (LIGHT NOTIFICATION), WHEN NO ONE IS IN PASSENGER SEAT AND NO ITEMS ARE ON SEAT THE WARNING LIGHT GOES ON AND BUZZER WILL NOT STOP, AS IF SOME WEIGHT IS ON SEAT. BMW HAS ISSUED RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM (76536 & 72651), BUT NOT FOR THIS VIN. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE SINCE AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF BY CAR AND CAN NOT BE TURNED ON BY DRIVER OR PASSENGER. ALSO, HAVE TO HAVE SEAT BELT ACTIVATED ALL THE TIME. HAVE NOTICED THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE MADE THIS SAME COMPLAINT ONLINE AND BMW HAS NOT CORRECTED ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10575579

Incident

Dec 1, 2012

Mileage

73,863 mi

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND TURNED ON THE DRIVER SIDE HEATED SEAT. I TURNED IT ON TO THE FIRST SETTING WHICH IS THE HIGHEST. AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES I STARTED TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. THEN I ALSO FELT MY LEG BURNING. THE HEATED SEAT HAD HEATED UP SO MUCH THAT IT MELTED A SMALL HOLE IN THE LEATHER WHERE MY LEFT OUTSIDE THIGH WOULD TOUCH THE SEAT. I AM UNABLE TO USE THE HEATED SEAT ANYMORE BECAUSE I AM AFRAID OF GETTING BURNED WORSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10496267

Incident

Jan 14, 2013

Mileage

100,000 mi

SEAT WARMER CAUGHT ON FIRE! WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, I TURNED ON BOTH MANUFACTURER-INSTALLED FRONT SEAT WARMERS (OUTSIDE TEMP. 36 DEGREES FARENHEIT) FOR MY SON AND I. I FELT A PINCHING ON UPPER LEFT THIGH / BUTTOCK. THOUGHT IT WAS A BUG. SHIFTED IN THE SEAT, AND FELT IT AGAIN, MORE PAINFUL THIS TIME. LIFTED MYSELF FROM THE SEAT A BIT TO LOOK AT THE SEAT AND SEE WHAT WAS POKING OR PINCHING ME, SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OF A NEW HOLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SEAT. LOOKED THROUGH THE HOLE, AND SAW FLAMES AND SMELLED BURNING. IMMEDIATELY, TURNED OFF THE SEAT WARMER, GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE, REACHED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE SEAT SMOLDERED FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF MINUTES. CALLED MY SPOUSE TO CHECK IF IT WAS STILL SMOLDERING, BUT IT HAD STOPPED. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO GET IT CHECKED OUT.

NHTSA ID

10438587

Incident

Dec 5, 2011

Mileage

83,869 mi

HEATED DRIVERS SEAT BURNED THROUGH LEATHER AND SCORCHED DRIVERS PANTS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10436835

Incident

Nov 19, 2011

Mileage

68,000 mi

HEATED SEAT CAUGHT FIRE, BURNING THROUGH THICK LEATHER UPHOLSTERY. 2005 BMW X3, 36,000 MILES. NOT REPAIRED, OUT OF WARRANTY, BMW ONLY WILLING TO PAY FOR HALF OF REPLACEMENT, CONSUMER COST 700 DOLLARS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10373462

Incident

Dec 5, 2010

Mileage

37,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW X3. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE BUT DID ADVISED THAT THE SUN ROOF EXHIBITED A LEAK AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 51,000

NHTSA ID

10327755

Incident

Nov 2, 2009

Mileage

51,000 mi

I WAS IN A UNSAFE AREA SO I LOCKED THE DOORS AN CLOSED ALL THE WINDOWS WITH MY KEYS INSIDE WITH ME TO WAIT FOR MY HUSBAND TO RETURN. WHEN HE RETURNED A FEW MINTUES LATER I COULD NOT OPEN THE CAR TO LET HIM IN. I WAS LOCKED INSIDE MY CAR WITH KEYS IN HAND. POWER WINDOWS WOULD NOT OPEN,SUNROOF WOULD NOT OPEN, DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT OPEN. THE CAR WOULD NOT MANUALLY OPEN EVEN WHEN TRIED ON ALL DOORS MANY TIMES USING THE "2 PULL" METHOD. I COULD DRIVE THE CAR AND DROVE TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AT. THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO UNLOCK THE CAR AND THEY HAD ME CRAWL TO THE BACK HATCH TO TRY TO USE A RELEASE BUT THERE WAS NONE. I HAD BEEN IN THE CAR A FEW HOURS AAT THIS POINT AND BEGAN TO FEEL PANICKED. AT THAT POINT THEY HAD TO BREAK A WINDOW TO GET ME OUT. THE CAR IS STILL AT DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THEY ARE LOOKING INTO WHY AND NO RESPONSE IS YET AS TO WHY THE MANUAL UNLOCK WOULD NOT WORK WHEN ALL THE ELECTRIC STOPPED WORKING. I HAD PAID FOR A EXTRA WARRENTY ON THE CAR AND IT IS CURRENTLY COVERED.

NHTSA ID

10323402

Incident

Mar 30, 2010

Mileage

39,000 mi