Third generation
2019 BMW X3
The most reported problem on the 2019 BMW X3 is overheating, with 29 complaints, usually around 70,000 miles.
- 170owner complaints
- 10recalls
- 5involved a crash
- 22,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 21, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your X3 doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2019 model year.
Is the 2019 BMW X3 reliable?
The 2019 BMW X3 has 170 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, below the median of 281 for 2019 SUVs on this site. Of the 13 X3 model years since 2014, it has the most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2018 and 2020
- At 21 complaints for each year on the road, the 2019 runs 2.5 times the 2018 (8) and above the 2020 (16).
- Top problem
- Two problems run close. Overheating has 29 complaints and infotainment has 28, out of 170 in all. A quarter of the 10 owners who gave a mileage for overheating saw it by about 40,000 miles, and half by about 70,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 9 of the 170 complaints (5%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 5 reports mention a crash, 2 mention a fire and 3 people were hurt.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- Infotainment has a recall on the same system (20V-152). Overheating has none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 45, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 27 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: engine overheats or leaks coolant, 29 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
170 complaints is 1.4 times fewer than the median 2019 model on this site and 1.7 times fewer than the median 2019 SUV. Among the 5 X3 model years here it ranks 1st for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2019 BMW X3
BMW filed 330 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2019 BMW X3. 44 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Engine overheats or leaks coolant 1 bulletin · 29 complaints
COOLANT LINE QUICK DISCONNECTS LEAK IN LOW TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW -15Ë?C (5Ë?F): The coolant reservoir in the high or low temperature cooling system is low There may be a coolant leak under the vehicle There may be a check control message (ID166) to top up ...
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 26 bulletins · 28 complaints
The Central Information Display goes black intermittently due to resets of the Head Unit (HU-H3). FaultB7F8F9 ¢ ¢HU-H: Reset¢ will be stored in the HU-H3.
Headlight check control (CC) message 128 "High beam headlight failure" is displayed. The following fault codes are stored during a vehicle test: 80419A - Left high-beam headlight: Short circuit and/or 8041A5 - light outputs: Number of permitted short circuit ...
24 more on this problem
Issues with the various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (KAFAS system) can possibly lead to following customer complaints: KAFAS camera system deactivates itself, due to system restrictions that are not clear to the customer KAFAS ...
Customer states there is no audio playback (telephony, navigation, radio) and system sounds (PDC, turn indicators, acoustic signals) may also have failed.
The Sirius(r) Satellite Radio is inoperative.
Service Action: Retrofit Satellite Radio. The Sirius(r) Satellite Radio is inoperative.
The customer complains that the radio stations change by themselves.
After programming, the customer may complain that the Sport Mode display is not fully displayed in the instrument cluster. Instead of a red background in sport mode, the background is displayed in blue (like ECO PRO mode).
SiriusXM satellite radio is not working and does not display a channel list.
The customer complains that under moderate throttle application or on deceleration after throttle application, a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is displayed in the instrument cluster.
Check control message (CCM-ID 49) "You can continue driving. Drivetrain". In addition, the following information is shown on the Central Information Display (CID): "You can continue to drive. No roadside assistance necessary.
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DISPLAY SHAKES-SHIFTS TO THE LEFT: The Instrument cluster intermittently flickers, shakes and has shifted to the left.
Plus 14 older ones not listed here.
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 2 bulletins · 12 complaints
Brake squeak may occur with cold brakes and driving slowly or reversing
INCORRECT CONDITION BASED SERVICE DATA FOR BRAKE FLUID SERVICE. "Brake fluid service due since 12/2001" is displayed in the instrument cluster although the vehicle is only a maximum of 1 year old. Software error in the KOMBI (Instrument Cluster).
Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 1 bulletin · 11 complaints
Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.
Water leaks into the cabin 3 bulletins · 8 complaints
?Water leaking into the vehicle from the headliner/microphone area.
SUNROOF WATER LEAK DIAGNOSIS: This bulletin outlines multiple known areas of possible water entry for the vehicles listed above.
1 more on this problem
SUNROOF WATER LEAK DIAGNOSIS: This bulletin outlines multiple known areas of possible water entry for the vehicles listed above. It serves only as a diagnostic resource in troubleshooting water leak complaints from the roof area.
Backup camera goes black or freezes 4 bulletins · 8 complaints
SURROUND VIEW PARKING VIEW IMAGES DISPLAYED INCORRECTLY: After programming and shifting into reverse, there may be various sporadic concerns regarding the rearview camera and the surround view (top view) camera images in the CID (Central Information Display).
REAR VIEW CAMERA FAILS TO DISPLAY IMAGE: This Service Information Bulletin (Revision 6) replaces SI B66 08 17 dated January 2020. Sporadically when the rear view camera is activated no image appears in the display. The rear view camera can be activated by either: 1.
2 more on this problem
REAR VIEW CAMERA FAILS TO DISPLAY IMAGE: This Service Information Bulletin (Revision 5) replaces SI B66 08 17 dated March 2018. Sporadically when the rear view camera is activated no image appears in the display. The rear view camera can be activated by either: 1.
REAR VIEW CAMERA FAILS TO DISPLAY IMAGE. Sporadically, when the rear view camera is activated, either via selecting reverse with the shift selector or by direct camera selection, no image appears in the display. Camera function returns after terminal change.
Battery dies or the car will not start 7 bulletins · 7 complaints
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery.
Due to a software error, the vehicle sporadically does not achieve sleep mode. As a result, the 12-volt battery becomes discharged and may cause a no-start condition.
5 more on this problem
HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY CONDITION VERIFICATION (20V-601): After additional in-depth research and analysis of the corresponding data for these vehicles, we can safely conclude that the issue identified in Recall Campaign 20V-601 has been satisfied and no further repair is required.
COMFORT ACCESS AND COMFORT GO NOT POSSIBLE: Vehicle cannot be unlocked/locked or started via Comfort Access. Remote control functionality is restored by pressing any of the key buttons or by removing and reinstalling the remote control key battery.
VEHICLE DOES NOT START BATTERY TOTALLY DISCHARGED: The customer's vehicle does not start due to a totally discharged battery.
VEHICLE DOES NOT START BATTERY TOTALLY DISCHARGED This Service Information bulletin replaces SI B61 04 19 dated March 2019.
THE VEHICLE DOES NOT START BATTERY TOTALLY DISCHARGED. The customer's vehicle does not start due to a totally discharged battery.
Complaints filed by year
45 complaints came in 2025. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
Recalls that include the 2019 BMW X3
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2022 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the rear cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicles in this recall were previously remedied for this issue under recall number 24V-534 and will need to have the new repair completed.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2023 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the interior cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant classification system may have been improperly assembled, which could result in the misclassification of the seat as unoccupied, and deactivate the front air bag.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat foam, which includes the occupant classification system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le, 745Le xDrive, X5 xDrive45e, X3 xDrive30e, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, M760i Drive, M760Li xDrive, 750Li xDrive Alpina, Alpina B7 xDrive, and 2021 4 Series Coupe 430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive vehicles. When shifting into Reverse, a small portion of the rearview image may be obscured, or the screen may not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 X4 xDrive30i and X4 M40i, and 2018-2020 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3M vehicles. The instrument panel casing may not have been tightened properly to the passenger air bag.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel casing, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, xDrive30i and M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i and M40i vehicles. The front seatback frames may have been improperly welded, allowing the seatback to unexpectedly fold forward or rearward.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seats, free of charge. The recall began September 27, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The instrument panel assembly may have been improperly manufactured, possibly affecting the deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 BMW X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and certain 2019 X4 xDrive30i and X4 M40i vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the rear brake circuit, free of charge. The recall began August 31, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 BMW X3 xDrive30i, X3 sDrive30i, and X3 M40i vehicles equipped with the "Active Lane Keeping Assistant" option. The steering wheel may be incompatible with the lane keeping assistant function and may not detect if the driver's hands are off the wheel.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering wheel, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
All 10 recalls on the 2019 BMW X3, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2019 BMW X3?
Overheating, with 29 of the 170 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 70,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2019 BMW X3 problems start?
Of the 65 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 8,000 miles and half by about 22,000.
Is the 2019 BMW X3 better or worse than the 2018 and 2020?
Counted per year on the road, the 2019 has more complaints than both the 2018 and the 2020: 21 a year against 8 and 16.
How many 2019 BMW X3 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
9 of them (5%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for overheating on the 2019 BMW X3?
No recall on file for the 2019 BMW X3 is on the same system as overheating. Another recall may still cover your car, so check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.