What 105 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 BMW X3 Sdrive28i

BMW WAS REAR-ENDED WHEN VEHICLES WERE SLOWING DOWN AT SIGNAL. THE IMPACT FORCED MY CAR TO IT THE VEHICLE AT FRONT. BMW HAD GOOD IMPACT BOTH AT REAR AND FRONT PORTION. THE FRONT DRIVER AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY FOR THE FORCE OF IMPACT MY VEHICLE HAD.

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I AM WRITING THIS LETTER TO COMPLAINT THE RIDICULOUS EXPERIENCE WITH BMW. I BOUGHT MY BMW X3 2015 BRAND NEW FROM P & W BMW DEALER ON DEC 16, 2014. I DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM UNTIL SIX MONTHS AGO. MY COMFORT ACCESS FEATURE IS BROKEN. ON 06/18/2018 I WENT TO SEWICKLEY BMW TO COMPLAINT ABOUT MY COMFORT ACCESS NOT WORKING PROPERLY, THEY DID NOT DO ANYTHING. THEN AGAIN ON 08/30/2018 I WENT TO SEWICKLEY BMW AGAIN, THIS TIME THEY CLAIM THAT IT MIGHT BE THE KEY FOB BATTERY. SO, I PURCHASED BATTERY FROM AMAZON AND REPLACED THEM. THEY ARE STILL NOT WORKING. ON NOV 26 2018, I WENT TO P & W BMW, THEY ONLY GAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS AND NO ANY REPAIR ATTEMPT. ON DEC 4 2018 I BROUGHT MY CAR TO P & W BMW AGAIN AND STILL NOTHING. THEY ARE STILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIX IT. I COMPLAINT TO BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANY TIMES. THEY CLAIM THAT DEALER IS ONLY PLACE CAN DO ANYTHING FOR ME. I COMPLAINT TO P & W BMW SERVICE DIRECTOR TONY DAVE, THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING IF BMW IS NOT AUTHORIZED. BASICALLY, NOBODY WANTS TO DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I TRIED TO TALK TO TECHNICIAN TO HELP THEM TROUBLESHOOTING, NOBODY WANTS TO TALK TO ME. I AM SO AMAZED THAT THEY ARE HOPING NOT DOING ANYTHING WILL FIX MY PROBLEM OR JUST BLAME USER WILL WORK. I HAVE ATTACHED MY SERVICE INVOICE AND VIDEO FOR YOUR REVIEW.

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MY CAR WAS STATIONARY OR IN VERY SLOW MOTION AND THEN SUDDENLY WENT INTO A VERY HIGH SPEED ON MY DRIVEWAY RAMP ON ITS OWN. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK TILL I WENT INTO SOMEONE'S LAWN AND AS IT SKID ON THE GRASS IT GRADUALLY STOPPED. I ALMOST HAD A NEAR FATAL ACCIDENT. I HAVE A WITNESS WHO WAS TAKING A WALK AND SAW THE CAR SUDDENLY FLY AT A VERY HIGH SPEED AND WAS BEYOND CONTROL

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WE HAVE A BMW X3. WE PRESSED THE BRAKES TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, BUT IT DID NOT STOP AND KEPT GOING. THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, WHEN WE WERE BACKING THE CAR, IT JUMPED BACKWARD EVEN IF MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. WE SEARCHED ON THE INTERNET FOR BMW X3 PROBLEMS, AND MANY PEOPLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AND SOME OF THEM GOT INTO ACCIDENTS. IT IS SCARY TO DRIVE THE CAR, BUT THE BMW DEALERS HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING FOR ANYBODY WHO HAD THE SIMILAR PROBLEM.

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BMW DIESEL RECALL - WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY MY VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED TO INDICATE ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THE CAR LOST POWER AT 72 MPH AND MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY.

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THE REAR LIFT GATE WINDOW IS PERMANENTLY TINTED DARK. THIS MAKES DRIVING IN CLOUDY, RAINY, LOW VISIBILITY AND NIGHT TIME VERY DANGEROUS BY GREATLY REDUCING VISIBILITY THRU THE REAR VIEW MIRROR!! ALSO, THE AUTO-DARKENING FEATURE OF REAR VIEW MIRROR AT NIGHT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE!! THIS SHOULD BE A CLEAR WINDOW. TALKING TO LOCAL BMW DEALER WAS OF NO HELP.

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SUNROOF SUDDENLY EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. IT WAS LIKE AN EXPLOSION FROM THE INSIDE AND THE GLASS SHATTERED. NO EXTERNAL OBJECT HIT THE ROOF. THE EXPLOSION IMPACTED ALL THE GLASS SURFACE.

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PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILURE. REPORTED UNDER WARRANTY WHEN PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT, WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. PROBLEM NOW PERSISTENT AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED AND FAILED STATE INSPECTION, CAN'T DRIVE UNTIL IT'S FIXED. THIS WAS A RECALL ITEM ON 2005-2010 X3'S AND SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY MODELS AND YEARS OF BMW. CAR WARNS ABOUT PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE, RED AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON. CONSTANTLY CHIMES WHILE DRIVING.

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON DIESEL ENGINE COME ON MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE CAR HIT 40K MILES. LUCKILY IT'S UNDER WARRENTY, OVER 10K IN REPAIRS IN 2 MONTHS. NEW FILE INJECTORS, OIL PUMP, DTF FILTER, ECT.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 BMW X3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVETRAIN INDICATOR ILLUMINATED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (BMW OF TENAFLY, 301 COUNTY RD, TENAFLY, NJ 07670) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVETRAIN NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

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IT WAS IN THE MORNING AND I WAS DRIVING OUT OF MY TOWNHOUSE NEIGHBORHOOD. I WASN'T DRIVING FAST MAYBE 10-15 WHEN I APPROACHED THE THE STOP SIGN. I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN BUT MY CAR WASN'T SLOWING DOWN SO I PRESSED THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD. THE CAR REVVED UP AND ACCELERATED WITH FORCE OUT INTO THE CROSS STREET. THANKFULLY THERE WASN'T A CAR COMING OR I WOULD OF BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE A FEW MILES VERY SLOWLY. I WAS ALL SHOOK UP AND CONFUSED AS TO WHAT JUST HAPPENED.I CALLED BMW TO TELL THEM AND MAKE A APPOINTMENT TO BRING THE CAR IN. I STOPPED IN A PARKING LOT AND PARKED WASN'T THINKING I PARKED ACROSS FROM A CAR. I DECIDED TO TRY JUST PRESSING ON THE BRAKES IN THE PARKING SPOT. I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES AND STARTED TO PRESS HARDER THE CAR REVVED UP HIGH AS IF I WAS PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR IN PARK.. BUT I WASN'T IT WAS IN DRIVE AND I WAS ONLY PRESSING THE BRAKES. THEN SUDDENLY IT STARTED JERKING FORWARD. I ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME I HAD TO PUT IT IN PARK TO STOP IT. I MOVED TO A DIFFERENT PARKING SPOT THERE WAS A HUGE MOUND OF SNOW MY BUMPER WAS RIGHT UP CLOSE TO IT. I TRIED IT AGAIN AND IT DID THE SAME THING BUT THE SNOW STOPPED ME. BMW HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECIPROCATE THE PROBLEM AS OF NOW. I FOUND ONLINE SIMILAR ALMOST EXACT INCIDENTS OF THIS ON OTHER X3 ALL DIFFERENT YEARS. SOME OF THEM HAD BEEN IN ACCIDENTS. I HAVEN'T PICKED UP MY CAR YET I AM WAITING STILL TO SEE IF THEY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE IT. I AM NOT SURE WHY WITH ALL THE INCIDENTS I FOUND OF THIS THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN SOME SORT OF RECALL. I AM HOPING THEY WILL FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED THIS AND FIX IT SO I CAN FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR ON THE ROAD. SO FAR IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKELY. I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO DO IF THEY DON'T FIND THE PROBLEM AND CAN'T FIX IT. I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD TAKE SOMEONE TO DIE FOR THIS TO BE INVESTIGATED.

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ON MARCH 4, 2018, WHILE AT A RED LIGHT AT AN INTERSECTION IN BOCA RATON, FL, ALL OF SUDDEN, NO WARNING, MY BMW X3 STARTED TO SMELL OF SMOKE, THEN SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE HOOD. I HAD TO BARELY MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, LEAVE IT AT AN ENTRANCE OF A PLAZA, WHICH THEN BEGAN TO SMOKE OVERWHELMINGLY. ONCE I MADE IT OUT OF THE CAR, THE FLAMES CAME OUT OF THE HOOD AND THE CAR BECAME FULLY ENGULFED WITHIN SECONDS.

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PASSENGER SIDE 'AIRBAG OFF' WARNING LIGHT COMES ON ON INITIAL START, GOES OFF MOMENTARILY AND COMES BACK ON WITH ADULT MALE SEATED IN PASSENGER SEAT OR SEAT EMPTY. PAST MODELS SUFFERED FROM PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR CRACKING. IS THIS A PROBLEM WITH 2015 X3?

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NHSTA DATABASE IS SAYING OUR VEHICLE HAS AN ACTIVE ISOFIX BRACKET RECALL (16V333) BUT EVERY TIME WE TRY TO SCHEDULE WITH BMW, THE DEALER INFORMS US THAT OUR VEHICLE IS NOT AFFECTED. I AM A SERVICE MEMBER LIVING OVERSEAS AND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO SHIP MY CAR UNTIL THE ACTIVE RECALL IS RESOLVED BUT THE MANUFACTURER IS TELLING US THAT THERE IS NOTHING TO FIX. HOW DO WE RESOLVE SO THAT WE MAY SHIP OUR CAR?

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I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA MISSING RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE IN 2015. I WAS NOT AWARE THE RECALL AND INFORMED ABOUT THE CAMSHAFT TIMING ADJUSTMENT VANOS ENGINE STALL ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS ABOUT THE BOLTS THAT SECURE THE HOUSING FOR THE VARIABLE CAMSHAFT TIMING ADJUSTMENT (VANOS) UNIT LOOSEN OVER TIME AND MAY POSSIBLY BREAK WHICH REDUCES THE POWER OF ENGINE OR STALL. I OWN A 2012 BMX X3 2.8I (VIN: 5UXWX5C58CLXXXXXX), STARTING LAST YEAR, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON AND OFF FROM TIME TO TIME. I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THIS DEFECTIVE VANOS DESIGN WAS THE REASON UNTIL LAST MONTH I CHECKED MY VEHICLE IN FOR ENGINE PROBLEMS WITH RPM AUTOMOTIVE, THEY RAN A FULL DIAGNOSTICS AND CONFIRMED WITH ERROR CODES 130C01,130108 AND 131508 WHICH INDICATES VANO AND CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS FOR MY N52T 6-CYLINDER ENGINE. I CONTACTED BMW DEALER AT ORANGE PARK, FL, THEY IGNORED MY REQUEST AND TOLD ME MY VEHICLE IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. I HAVE DONE THE RESEARCH AND CONFIRMED MY VEHICLE X3 XDRIVE 28I IS ON THE RECALL LIST. PLEASE SEE THE RECALL AT HTTPS://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/CAR-NEWS/BMW-RECALLS-156137-VEHICLES-FOR-LOOSE-BOLTS-THAT-COULD-LEAD-TO-ENGINE-STALL.HTML . I AM CONTACTING YOU TO REPORT THEIR RECALL MALPRACTICES, ENGINE SAFETY ISSUES AND FRAUD WARRANTY PROMISES. *JS PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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BURNING SMELL , INSIDE AND OUT SIDE

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THIS MORNING AROUND 10AM CENTRAL TIME WHILE I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET AT ABOUT 10MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BY ITSELF. I IMMEDIATELY HIT THE BRAKE HARDEST TRYING TO STOP IT. THANKS GOD, IT STOPPED. FORTUNATELY, NOTHING CLOSER IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE, NO ONE GOT HURT. BUT I LIKE TO REPORT IT AND WANT TO KNOW IF THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE.

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TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 BMW X3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V683000 (AIR BAGS); 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.

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AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY IN HIGH-IMPACT FRONT END CRASH. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 30-35 MPH. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.

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WHEN RAINY DAY , MY CAR SOMETIMES CAME OUT SMOKE ON A CITY STREET. I TOOK INTO DIFFERENT BMW DEARLER, BUT THEY CLAIM THAT IS THE DESIGN OF THE CAR, BECAUSE THE AVIATOR TOO CLOSE WHEN RAINING IT WILL CAME OUT SMOKE. I RECORDED AND SHOW TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND HE SHOW IT TO THE MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THAT IS WHAT THE MECHANIC TOLD HIM.

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WHILE BRAKING TO A STOP ON CITY STREET, UNCOMMANDED ENGINE ACCELERATION OCCURS MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO BRAKE TO A STOP. ADDITIONALLY, TRANSMISSION HAS SELF-SELECTED "SPORT MODE" IN THE COURSE OF DRIVING AND HAS, WHILE IDLING IN DRIVE, SELF-SELECTED "PARK" MODE.

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UNCOMMANDED ENGINE ACCELERATION WHILE SLOWING TO A STOP: WHILE SLOWING TO A STOP AT A STOPLIGHT WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SURGED VIOLENTLY. I HAD TO APPLY FULL BRAKING PRESSURE TO STOP THE VEHICLE, FIGHTING AGAINST THE POWER OF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE TOOK MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL TO STOP.

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PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO PARK, THE CAR KEPT LUNGING FORWARD WITH A REVING SOUND, NOT CONSTANT BUT PULSE SATING UNTIL THE VEHICLE HIT A CONCRETE WALL. THE AIRBAG NEVER WENT OFF. I WENT ONLINE LATER TO FIND THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I CONTACTED BMW AND A REP. STATED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN" MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN BMW FAULT." SHE SENT A BMW ENGINEER OUT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE HE FINALLY INSPECTED IT 3 WEEKS LATER. THREE WEEKS LATER I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HIM ABOUT THE RESULTS. THERE IS OVER $9,000.00 IN DAMAGES.

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I WAS TURNING OFF A RESIDENTIAL STREET INTO THE PARKING LOT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SWIMMING POOL. THE PARKING SPOT WAS STRAIGHT AHEAD (A VERY SHORT DISTANCE). I WAS TRAVELING AT A VERY SLOW SPEED. I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR NO MATTER HOW HARD I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. I HIT A BRICK WALL WHICH STOPPED THE CAR. IT ALL HAPPENED SO QUICKLY IN SUCH A SHORT DISTANCE. I WAS IN SHOCK AND AMAZED AT THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE CAR AND THE BRICK WALL. I BELIEVE THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS I WAS PULLING INTO THE PARKING SPOT. I HAVE NOTIFIED MY INSURANCE COMPANY THAT THERE ARE OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS REPORTED ON THE NHTSA SITE INVOLVING THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL AS MY CAR. *TR UPDATED 09/10/15*LJ

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COMPLETE FAILURE OF POWER STEERING, WITHOUT WARNING OR APPARENT REASON IN A BRAND NEW CAR TREMENDOUS EFFORT REQUIRED TO STEER CAR ERROR MESSAGE ON DASHBOARD STATED "DRIVE MODERATELY INCREASED STEERING EFFORT REQUIRED CONSULT SERVICE CENTER" VEHICLE SENT TO SERVICE CENTER- NO UPDATES YET

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