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2019 BMW X3

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns10
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA167
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA26 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2019 BMW X3 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the X3 sDrive30i, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 167 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
X3 sDrive30iGasRWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233026$3,000
X3 xDrive30iGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo222925$3,100
X3 M40iGasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo202723$3,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 40078, 40357, 40513.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2019 BMW X3 is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (10)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Structure

8,725 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskInterior rear cargo rail detachment during a crash can increase the risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 24V764000reported Oct 15, 2024BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Structure

282,387 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskInterior cargo rail detachment during a rear crash can increase the risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 24V534000reported Jul 17, 2024BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Air Bags

138 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskA deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V521000reported Jul 8, 2021BMW of North America, LLC
○minor

Back Over Prevention

13,858 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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 43RiskIf the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V096000reported Feb 19, 2021BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Electrical System

15 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskIn the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag could damage the instrument panel and cause small pieces of the panel to strike the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 20V152000reported Mar 18, 2020BMW of North America, LLC
○minor

Back Over Prevention

257,473 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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 adjustedRiskThe lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 19V684000reported Sep 27, 2019BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Seats

20 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskIn the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the seatback folds forward or rearward.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 19V563000reported Jul 31, 2019BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Air Bags

50 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskIf the front passenger air bag does not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the occupant has an increased risk of injury.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 19V291000reported Apr 10, 2019BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

5,594 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskA reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 18V453000reported Jul 6, 2018BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Lane Departure

51 vehicles
ProblemBMW 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.RiskIf the sensors do not properly detect the driver's hands are off the wheel, the driver may not be alerted by one or more warning signals, increasing the risk of a crash.FixBMW 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.
NHTSA campaign 18V374000reported Jun 6, 2018BMW of North America, LLC

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
167complaints filed

5 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 3 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2019: 29 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 28 · 2025: 45 · 2026: 24

Most-cited components

Electrical System47
Unspecified42
Structure32
Engine31
Forward Collision Avoidance13
Service Brakes12

What owners describe

“URO Parts Engine Oil Filter Housing There was no sensors that went off to indicate that there was an issue with my coolant or my oil and I went to drive my car and broke down on the side of the road. The dealership and the repair shop and mechanics I’ve called have told me that this is a common issue with Bmw because…”Jul 6, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“I am writing about the BMW Telematics Control Unit (TCB). This is a safety device installed on all BMWs for the past 6 years or more. It is an electronic tracking and communication device that is activated either automatically on manually in the event of an emergency. For minor emergencies such as a flat tire or runnin…”May 15, 2023 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“The headlights will flicker on and off randomly. They will also go from low beams to high beams randomly. This is with the headlights switch set to automatic. I've never tried any other settings.”Apr 13, 2023 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%
SUV RWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Other X3 model years

B

2026 BMW X3

2 recalls · 16 complaints

F

2025 BMW X3

9 recalls · 34 complaints

D

2024 BMW X3

4 recalls · 36 complaints

D

2023 BMW X3

4 recalls · 12 complaints

F

2022 BMW X3

8 recalls · 70 complaints

F

2021 BMW X3

11 recalls · 106 complaints

F

2020 BMW X3

16 recalls · 109 complaints

F

2018 BMW X3

11 recalls · 73 complaints

F

2017 BMW X3

6 recalls · 92 complaints

F

2016 BMW X3

5 recalls · 82 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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