2019 BMW X3 Body & structure Problems

While driving our BMW 2019 X3 on the highway, other drivers honked to get my attention that our vehicle's rear hatch was partially open. When we came to a stop light, I had my son riding in the passenger seat press the hatch button on the key fob to close the hatch. Instead this fully opened the back hatch. We continued pressing the fob button in an attempt to get the hatch to close without having to exit the vehicle. Rather than exit the vechicle in the middle of the roadway, we drove about 50 yards until we could pull over safely. A motorcyclist had been following us, and came up behind and communicated that he wanted to press the button to close the hatch. After I gave my consent, he pressed the close button and the hatch closed and latched. My husband has previously had incidents where after parking the BMW, he finds the back hatch open. He's also researched online this is apparently an issue. Reference: [XXX] NHTSA claim XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11740123

Incident

May 25, 2026

2019 BMW X3 with operable sunroof. Significant leakage occurred in front and rear of car risking electrical failure and therefore accident. Dealer denies that this is a problem and Bmw takes no responsibility for what is a hidden defect of the drainage system for the sunroof. Hundreds of individuals have the same exact problem. Hundreds are automatically denied any assistance or responsibility by dealer or manufacture. In a prior claim, it appears that Bmw lost and was found guilty of concealment of a manufacturers defect and was instructed to pay $500 million to plaintiff. Examination of law firms indicate that this significant problem affecting hundreds perhaps thousands of Bmw x-3 has not been registered as a significant complaint, notwithstanding the fact that they have already been in court and been found guilty. Please contact me 804-241-2773 Cell. Or [email protected]. Examination of owner handbook produced by Bmw informs owner that rails and drains for sunroof must be cleaned. But they indicate that problems with this issue are not covered by the warranty. This needs to be verified. Anecdotal Reports indicate that hundreds of complaints have been received. Bmw is denying any responsibility. Conversation with attorneys indicate this is a habitual problem with Bmw. In this case, it’s a manufacturers defect, on disclosed, causes damage, all problems are denied by manufacturer. Consider this a formal submission of a complaint and a violation of variety of rules and laws covering local, state, and federal jurisdiction Richard grossberg 405 Westham Parkway, Richmond, VA 23229

NHTSA ID

11702247

Incident

Nov 26, 2025

Regarding SIB 65 12 22, NHTSA ID Number 10227571, Manufacturer Communication Number B651222. Summary: The seal of the roof-mounted antenna housing is separating from the vehicle. Affected Products: (20) Vehicle BMW X3 2018-2022 - BMW X4 2019-2022 - BMW X5 2019-2022 - BMW X6 2020-2022 - BMW X7 2019-2022 I would like to mention that, this issue was known by BMW and acknowledge as Painting Process Deffect, BMW havent release a recall. BMW released on oct 2022 a BMW Service Information Bulletin detailing a defect in the paint and sealant of the roof-mounted antenna housing, which can allow water to leak into the vehicle and damage electrical components, including the emergency call system and GPS. Vehicles produced before January 10, 2022, are affected. The bulletin provides instructions for dealers to inspect for water ingress, remove the affected antenna housing, inspect the paint for separation on the sealing surface, and replace the housing if the paint is separating. Even when this production deffect main consequence is the damage of the Telematics Control Unit (tcu) due to physical closeness and consequently failure of the vehicle’s emergency call system and other communication systems and gps. The bulletin only focus on replace of antenna and painting of area (approx cost $700) and doesnt mention any alternatives for solution to damaged TCU (approx cost $3000) and on top the solution mentioned is even more restricted to Coverage under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks. Please, respectfully request you to consider reviewing this situation due to affects 20 models and a considerable big amount of people.

NHTSA ID

11686559

Incident

Jul 15, 2025

The seal of the roof-mounted antenna housing adhesive was faulty. This caused separating from the vehicle allowing water into the vehicle, which damaged emergency call components and equipment. BMW told me this was a know issue, but that NHTSA had not yet applied this to my vehicle. Please issue an advisory on this known issue. My car is under 40,000 miles and fairly new still. Adhesive should not be deteriorating this early. Preventative maintenance could not have addressed this factory issue. - Excerpt from BMW inspection: Concern Critical Client States Emergency Call Malfunction On. Aux Battery Replaced Twice. Ref Ro 871625 And Ro 907864. Please Check And Advise Cause FOUND SHARK FIN COVER GLUE TO BE LOOSE AND TO HAVE A SLOW WATER LEAK. WATER DAMAGED TCB MODULE. NO COMMUNICATION WITH TCB MODULE. Correction REPLACE TCB MODULE. REPLACE ROOF ANTENNA. REPLACE SHARK FIN. PROGRAM AND ENCODE TCB MODULE Cost: $2,8550.50

NHTSA ID

11637557

Incident

Jan 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "Emergency Call System Notification Failure" was displayed on the instrument cluster, causing the speedometer and the odometer to become inoperable. The service warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the navigation system was inoperable, and the vehicle function setting on the infotainment system also indicated that the Emergency Call System Notification had failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the TBC module and battery had failed due to water intrusion in the shark fin of the roof. The dealer determined that the TBC module and the TBC module battery needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the shark fin needed to be resealed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

NHTSA ID

11636532

Incident

Dec 17, 2024

Mileage

62,000 mi

My 2019 BMW X3 posted this error on the instrument display "Emergency call system malfunction". BMW service informed me that the shark fin roof mounted antenna is leaking. It causes issues with the SOS feature, navigation (reporting wrong location). There are numerous complaints on BMW owners message boards with the same problem. There is at least one BMW Service Information Bulletin (SIB) that applies to this issue for my vehicle. It is number B65 12 22. I was told this issue is not covered under my certified pre-owned warranty. This is a safety issue affecting thousands of BMW owners. BMW should do the right thing, issue a recall on the affected models and repair this problem. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11631848

Incident

Nov 27, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that the Navigation system had become inoperable. Additionally, the message "Emergency Call Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the seal of the roof-mounted antenna housing had separated from the vehicle, causing water to leak into the antenna housing wiring and causing the electrical failures. The contact was charged a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: SIB 65 12 22. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting an email from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11630044

Incident

Nov 20, 2024

Mileage

85,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11624191

Incident

Nov 8, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (STRUCTURE) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11619829

Incident

Sep 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11615247

Incident

Sep 18, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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

11614770

Incident

Sep 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that after a rainstorm, water would leak through the Telematics Control Unit (TCU) located on the roof at the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak caused a short circuit of the TCU wiring harness. The contact stated that a warning for the "Emergency Call System" was illuminated. The contact stated that the message covered the instrument cluster. The contact was unable to see the speedometer or other gauges on the instrument cluster because the message could not be cleared due to the short circuit. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCU needed to be resealed and the wiring harness and transponder module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB: SIB 65 12 22 - Roof Mounted Antenna Seal Not Adhering (Structure, Electrical System). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ID

11612981

Incident

Jun 6, 2024

Mileage

48,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (Structure); 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

11608983

Incident

Aug 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (Structure); 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 issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11607558

Incident

Jul 17, 2024

Multiple times while driving, my key FOB in my pocket has opened the trunk. Extremely dangerous, and apparently very easy to accidentally press. Same thing with the alarm, almost caused me to have an accident.

NHTSA ID

11472609

Incident

Jul 2, 2022

On September 7, 2021, the tailgate of my 2019 BMW X3 opened on its own in my garage. The car had been turned off for approximately 20-25 minutes. My key was inside the house, nowhere near the garage. No one had touched the car after it was turned off. My husband was in the garage, standing approximately 6-10 feet away from the car when the tailgate opened on its own. I believe this is both a Safety and Security issue. The tailgate opened on its own. This could have occurred while driving on a highway (safety), or while parked on a public street (security).street. On 9/9/21 I reported the problem to Zach Santillo in the Service Dept of our dealer: BMW-Newton, NJ.

NHTSA ID

11444948

Incident

Sep 9, 2021

Trunk opened while vehicle was in motion. It’s possible that the trunk button of the remote was accidentally depressed when it was in a pocket but I strongly believe that the vehicle should ignore such commands when the vehicle is in motion or even in gear.

NHTSA ID

11426385

Incident

Jul 25, 2021

Tailgate suddenly opens without warning. Happened twice this month while car was parked and engine was turned off, as well as while car was stopped, in Park, and engine was running. Note that this happened repeatedly during the first year of ownership, and BMW Monterey (California) tried at least 4 times to fix it. Claimed it was finally fixed, and it did not recur for some months, but once again it is happening.

NHTSA ID

11424696

Incident

Jul 9, 2021

MY 2019 BMW X3 WITH COMFORT ACCESS OPTION PACKAGE WILL OPEN THE HATCH WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES NOW AND ALL WHEN LOCKED WITH THE KEY IN MY POCKET AND I WAS WELL OVER 100 FEET AWAY. THIS CAN INJURE PEOPLE/KIDS IN PARKING LOTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO MY GARAGE OR HATCH. SOME PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED ONLINE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILST DRIVING!

NHTSA ID

11412910

Incident

Apr 18, 2021

Mileage

8,000 mi

THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED WITH THE VEHICLE STOP AND WE INSIDE. THE GLASS BROKEN PIECES FELL ON THE COVER THAT WAS LUCKILY CLOSED. THE SUN ROOF HAD A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE. THE AUTO DEALER PROVIDE AN ESTIMATE OF $7,900 FOR THE REPAIR AND TOLD US TO CLAIM THE INSURANCE. WE UNDERSTAND THIS REPRESENT A DEFECT IN THE SUN ROOF AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11361316

Incident

Sep 24, 2020

Mileage

8,400 mi

TWO RECENT PROBLEMS: (1) THE TAILGATE OPENED ON ITS OWN TWICE. BOTH TIMES THE CAR WAS PARKED, ONCE OVERNIGHT. NO KEYS WERE PRESSED. (2) COMFORT ACCESS WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. SEVERAL TIMES, PRESSING THE HANDLE GROOVE EVOKED A CLICK BUT DID NOT UNLOCK THE CAR. THE DOOR DID UNLOCK WHEN I PRESSED THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE FOB.

NHTSA ID

11322192

Incident

Apr 3, 2020

I WAS DRIVING AND HAD JUST ENTERED INTO HWY. I WAS TRAVELING APPROX 45-50MPH. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND, WHEN I SUDDENLY BEGAN HEARING A POPPING OR CLICKING SOUND, FOLLOWED BY WHAT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION. I COULD HEAR GLASS SHATTERING ABOVE MY HEAD, BUT WAS PROTECTED FROM INJURY BECAUSE THE SUNROOF SHADE WAS CLOSED. I SLOWED DOWN AND PULLED OFF THE HWY AT THE NEXT EXIT RAMP, GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO INSPECT AND SAW A HUGE GAPING HOLE IN THE SUNROOF.

NHTSA ID

11288182

Incident

Dec 10, 2019

Mileage

22,000 mi

TRUNK OPENS INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD AS WELL AS OTHER TIMES WHEN VEHICLE RUNNING OR NOT

NHTSA ID

11287780

Incident

Nov 22, 2018

Mileage

600 mi

WHILE REVERSING OUR CAR IN OUR GARAGE, THE CAR TRUNK POP OPEN AND HIT OUR GARAGE ROOF CREATING SCRATCHES AND PEELED PAINT ON THE TRUNK LID.

NHTSA ID

11244804

Incident

Jul 25, 2019

Mileage

1,175 mi

TAIL GATE OPENS RANDOMLY WHEN CAR IS PARKED AND STATIONARY. TAIL GATE HAS ALSO OPENED WHEN TRAVELING AT A LOW SPEED (UNDER 30 MPH). ISSUE HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. RETURNED TO DEALER TO ADDRESS ISSUE BUT WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

11243130

Incident

Aug 11, 2019

Mileage

10 mi