2014 BMW X3 Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The message “Fuel Supply Malfunction” was displayed. Additionally, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V527000 (Air Bags) and stated that the passenger’s side air bag was not replaced. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11752985

Incident

Jul 25, 2026

Mileage

80,000 mi

I am filing a safety complaint regarding a catastrophic timing chain failure on my 2014 BMW X3 xDrive28i equipped with the N20 engine. While driving, the timing chain and oil pump drive chain failed without warning. This is a well-documented defect on BMW N20/N26 engines that has been the subject of extended warranties and numerous consumer complaints. This failure can cause sudden engine seizure, immediate loss of power steering and braking assist, and creates a serious risk of crash while the vehicle is in motion. BMW issued an Extended Limited Parts Warranty for this exact defect (timing chain and oil pump drive chain), acknowledging a manufacturing defect. However, BMW is refusing to cover my repair even though this is a known safety issue affecting thousands of vehicles. The vehicle had been properly maintained, and there were no warning signs before the failure. I purchased the vehicle in October 2021, and this defect occurred during normal use commuting to work. The cost of repair is extremely high due to the internal engine damage caused by the timing chain defect. This is not normal wear and tear. This is a known design/manufacturing defect that BMW has been aware of for years. Also, when I purchased this vehicle, the headlights, and taillights on the hatchback were not working. I had brought this up to the dealership they replaced the headlights, but did not address the tail lights. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this defect further, and the tail lights as these failures create a significant safety hazard for drivers and other vehicles on the road.

NHTSA ID

11732798

Incident

Apr 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheating and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving on a busy highway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that only a shield had been replaced. In addition, the contact was informed that the failure was not covered or associated with the recall repair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was performed. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred after the vehicle was retrieved. The contact stated that directly after driving the vehicle, the dealer was made aware that there was an issue with the vehicle after the recall repair was performed. The contact was assured that the vehicle was fine, and the vehicle was test-driven to ensure that there were no issues with the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 171,150.

NHTSA ID

11706503

Incident

Dec 20, 2025

Mileage

171,150 mi

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11681850

Incident

Aug 20, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11671558

Incident

May 1, 2025

Mileage

123,286 mi

The contact owns a 2014 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11665352

Incident

Oct 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11664918

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was an abnormal winding sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the brake was inoperable. The contact activated the parking brake to stop the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: SIB: 11-03-17. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the timing chaining needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11663656

Incident

May 26, 2025

Mileage

130,000 mi

There was a recall back in October 2024 and there still is no remedy as of yet and it can cause a fire risk.

NHTSA ID

11656998

Incident

Oct 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available .

NHTSA ID

11656616

Incident

Aug 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. 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 dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 158,897. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11654912

Incident

Apr 16, 2025

Mileage

158,897 mi

The contact owns a 2014 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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11651980

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 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 not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11650842

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 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 that the engine overheated, and the drivetrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle until the engine had cooled down. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 170,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11648693

Incident

Mar 17, 2024

Mileage

170,000 mi

The contact owns a 2014 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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11647913

Incident

Mar 12, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11646695

Incident

Mar 6, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11645512

Incident

Feb 28, 2025

Mileage

97,000 mi

This recall was announced last August. Now, more than 6 months later, BMW still has NOT announced a remedy for this recall. Because this recall involves the potential for an engine fire, it is not wise to continue without a recall remedy. What's taking BMW so long? NTSB recall number: 24V608 [XXX] , [XXX] Tell (cell): [XXX] [XXX] February 27, 2025 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11645251

Incident

Feb 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the contact discovered that there was an unknown fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11641753

Incident

Feb 10, 2025

Mileage

90,000 mi

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11640274

Incident

Jan 9, 2025

The high beams on the car malfunctioned. The sheathing material on the wires is supposedly “Soy based” and breaks down with heat and time. When the wire insulation breaks down beyond a certain point, it will crumble off of the wires, leading to exposed wires, which may touch each other, and cause certain functions of the headlamp to fail. If the headlamp fails while driving at night, vision may be impaired, or completely impossible. The issue likely affects almost every bmw produced from ~2007, to at least 2014. The vehicle was never taken into a shop, or dealership for the issue, as it was repaired by the owner, instead of being replaced. The vehicle was never inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. The “Lamp faulty” malfunction message would appear on the dash when the adaptive function was activated, the high beams also did not work, but there was no error code present for this issue without the use of a code scanner. One of the codes present when using a code scanner implied that there was a short circuit inside of the headlamp, causing certain functions to cease operation.

NHTSA ID

11633264

Incident

Sep 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11633169

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

In May 2022, BMW of Bellevue performed recall service on my BMW X3 with a car wash. Within miles of leaving the dealership, the car displayed a warning "Passenger restraint system: malfunction. Continue wearing safety belt. Consult nearest service center." My understanding is that the airbag will no longer deploy in an accident, posing a serious risk to my family. Both BMW of Bellevue and Eastside Bavarian have confirmed the issue. Eastside Bavarian confirmed that the defect could have been triggered by the dealership's service. BMW of Bellevue denies responsibility, and has quoted $3k to repair the airbag. Based on internet searches, this error message is a frequent defect in BMWs. Attached is a photo of the error message and two invoices from BMW of Bellevue: the first is for the recall and the second is for their inspection of the fault.

NHTSA ID

11628874

Incident

May 2, 2022

My car has a water pump recall and BMW notified me on August 13. BMW said they will send a letter out to take my car in to service by October 4th 2024. I called BMW and they sent a letter out saying they still don't have a remedy for my car yet. It's been 5 months and still haven't fixed my car yet and when I call they still don't have an answer. I am highly upset. It shouldn't take this long.

NHTSA ID

11628412

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11627585

Incident

Oct 26, 2024