2018 BMW X4 Engine Problems

We heard a whining sound under the hood on November 1st, 2025. Prior to noticing this noise, there were no warming lamps or messages appearing. Following a short drive we smelled burning in the garage. We did not drive the vehicle the following day and intended to take it to our mechanic on Monday morning, the 3rd. Upon trying to start the car it was dead. We had to have it professionally jumped as standard jumping with our personal jumper cables would not start it. Our mechanic explained both the battery and the water pump would need to be replaced. Upon further examination, he realized that the cable or water pump harness that connects the two had been burned and discovered a recall on thousands of 2017/2018 X4 models. He called us and encouraged us to take it to BMW as he found the recall and assumed they would take care of it. Upon calling our local dealership, they looked up our VIN and said our model was not part of the recall. We proceeded with the repair as we had to have our vehicle. Once those parts were replaced, it was also discovered that the issue caused the entire DME/ECU unit to go bad. Our mechanic then ordered that directly from BMW. Once in he had it reprogrammed and we got the car back. We were without a vehicle for a month. We would ask that you please review this as it's clear, this was the exact issue that has affected thousands of other BMW X4 Models. It is a safety issue as we smelled the burning in our garage and learned later that it could have started a fire either while driving it or in our garage at home. Our VIN should be included in the recall. Upon calling BMW of North America Customer Service, they told us to file a complaint on nhtsa.

NHTSA ID

11706580

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

The water pump was found to have extreme corrosion after several other components on the car were damaged from the coolant leak into the electrical system. The car was suddenly losing power while driving and the DME was smoking, potentially causing an engine fire. So far the water pump, Digital Motor Electronics (DME) and throttle body were replaced over a 15 day period in service. The day the car was picked up, the chassis stabilization light came on and the dealership was receiving codes saying multiple additional electrical systems are now triggering the codes. The car was back at the dealer for service and now they are saying even more systems have been damaged by the leak. There is currently a recall on the water pump for this model and year, although this exact VIN is not included in the recall. Initial overheat warnings came on July 22, 2025 just prior to the car going in the shop although the dealer didn't see that the car was overheating. The fault codes were coming up as electrical. Only the dealer has inspected the car thus far. I content this car should have been included in the recall for the water pump as the description of the recall fits the exact damage to the water pump in my car.

NHTSA ID

11682608

Incident

Jul 22, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. 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 dealer was contacted on several occasions; however, the contact was informed that parts were not 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11674611

Incident

Jul 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. 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 a burning odor coming from the engine compartment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11656823

Incident

Sep 25, 2024

Mileage

75,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. 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

11646510

Incident

Sep 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle occasionally failed to move. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11626932

Incident

Oct 22, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. 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 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

11626924

Incident

Nov 22, 2024

I got 2018 bmw x4 and 7year/80000km warranty from the bmw store in vancouver on jun 25,2019.I used to drive to seattle to shopping and eating. I and my husband drived this car from vancouver to edmonton on jun 1,2022. On jun 4,the engine sign and change oil sign all light up . on jun 6 we drived to the bmw edmonton to maintanance.on jun 7 they told me this car eccentric shaft faulty,the car mechanic show us the eccentric shaft already broken ,if i direct drived back to vancouver the engine maybe suddenly shut down or slower down on the highwat.and I must repair car in edmonton and pay total repair fee later back to vancouver to claim the warranty ,i called the bmw store vancouver rep he said ok.that time this car is 64500 km. when I back to the bmw store vancouver to claim this case.they answer me this case is my fault ,i was not done the maintenance for a while, so on july 20 2022 i sued thr bmw store. A trail will be held on oct 12,2022. today i do this complaint i just want to know the reason for eccentric shaft faulty ,what cause this engine problem,it possible make engine suddenly shut down or slower down ,very dangerous ,sometimes somebody will not immediately to change oil. actually i did regular maintance on 45000km,51800km,59000km. just give me a email back before the trail day oct 12,2022 ,thanks a lot.

NHTSA ID

11487774

Incident

Jun 5, 2022