Reliable Auto DB

2015 BMW X3 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 BMW X3 holds 0 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 0 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most X3 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 8. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Pump, Diesel fuel system, and Fuel pump.

2012 BMW X3
Photo by Alexander-93, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

0

Per year

0

Recalls

7

Years on the road

12

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 X3 has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2016 has 82 complaints, 8 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 BMW X3. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall engine and cooling, cooling system, pump 2024-08-13 · NHTSA campaign 24V608000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall diesel fuel system 2021-11-19 · NHTSA campaign 21V907000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Remedy Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall diesel fuel system, delivery, fuel pump 2021-07-29 · NHTSA campaign 21V586000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall engine and cooling, exhaust system, emission control, EGR valve 2018-10-25 · NHTSA campaign 18V755000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-09-21 · NHTSA campaign 16V683000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 BMW X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, X3 xDrive35i, X3 xDrive28d, X4 xDrive28i and X4 xDrive35i vehicles, and model year 2014-2015 X5 xDrive35i, X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, and 2014 X5 xDrive35d vehicles. The affected vehicles have a driver's frontal air bag inflator that may have been improperly welded.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall child seat, LATCH strap 2016-05-23 · NHTSA campaign 16V333000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011-2017, X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i and X3 xDrive35i, vehicles manufactured July 2, 2010 to April 14, 2016, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014 to March 31, 2016, and 2015-2017 x4 xDrive28i, X4 xDrive35i and X4 xDriveM40i vehicles manufactured March3, 2014 to April 15, 2016. The affected vehicles have lower anchor bars for securing child restraint seats that may become damaged when using the European-ISOFIX-type, rigid-style connector, child restraint system.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars and the vehicle body, free of charge. The recall began on July 13, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall visibility, rearview mirrors, exterior 2014-10-16 · NHTSA campaign 14V648000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 X3 and X4 Sports Activity Vehicles manufactured July 28, 2014 to July 29, 2014. The affected vehicles may have been produced with a driver's side exterior rearview mirror that was designed to meet non-US market requirements. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side exterior rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall began on December 16, 2014. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

Complaints by component (0 total)

No complaints on file with NHTSA for this model year.

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 BMW X3 Sdrive28I SUV RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 BMW X3 Xdrive28D SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 BMW X3 Xdrive28I SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 BMW X3 Xdrive35I SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
X3 sDrive28i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $3300
X3 xDrive28d 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 27 33 30 MPG $3150
X3 xDrive28i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $3300
X3 xDrive35i 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 19 26 21 MPG $3800

Specs and fitment

F25 generation, 2012–2017
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 full synthetic , 5.3 qt capacity
Tire size 245/50R18 to 245/45R19 (trim-dependent) front / 245/50R18 to 275/40R19 (trim-dependent) rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V598000 covers certain 2019-2021 BMW X3 sDrive30i and xDrive30i vehicles (with many other BMW models in the same campaign) where an improperly welded tow hook receiver may break when used, increasing crash risk if a trailer becomes detached. Recall 21V096000 covers certain 2019-2021 X3 models (with X4, X5, and other BMW models) for a similar tow hook receiver weld concern; dealers inspect and replace the receiver as needed.

Compare

Previous year 2014 BMW X3 Next year 2016 BMW X3 See every BMW X3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 BMW X3 reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 BMW X3 holds 0 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 0 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most X3 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 8. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Pump, Diesel fuel system, and Fuel pump.

Is the 2015 BMW X3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 X3 has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2016 has 82 complaints, 8 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 BMW X3 been recalled?

The 2015 BMW X3 has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 BMW X3?

Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 2015 BMW X3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 BMW X3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 BMW X3 is 24.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2019 BMW X3?

G01 generation (2018-on).

What oil does a recent BMW X3 take?

G01 US notes list 0W-20 full synthetic; F25 (2012-2017) notes often list 5W-30 full synthetic.

What tire sizes does a BMW X3 use?

F25 fits often run 245/50R18 to 245/45R19; G01 trims commonly use 225/60R18 to 245/45R20.