Reliable Auto DB

2019 BMW X3 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2019 BMW X3 has 170 complaints with NHTSA after 8 years, or 17 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 X3 years on this site. NHTSA has 10 recalls on file, including Structure, Frontal, and Camera.

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

170

Per year

17

Recalls

10

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (47 of 170), then Engine (34) and Structure (31). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 X3 has 75 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2020 has 109 complaints, 8 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 BMW X3. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (10)

Recall Structure 2024-10-15 · NHTSA campaign 24V764000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Structure 2024-07-17 · NHTSA campaign 24V534000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall air bags, frontal 2021-07-08 · NHTSA campaign 21V521000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2021-02-19 · NHTSA campaign 21V096000
Summary 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."
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.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2020-03-18 · NHTSA campaign 20V152000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V684000
Summary 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."
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.
Recall Seats 2019-07-31 · NHTSA campaign 19V563000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2019-04-10 · NHTSA campaign 19V291000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-07-06 · NHTSA campaign 18V453000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Lane-keep steering assist 2018-06-06 · NHTSA campaign 18V374000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (170 total)

Electrical system
47
Engine
34
Structure
31
Forward collision avoidance
13
Service brakes
12
Engine and engine cooling
7
Powertrain
7
Exterior lighting
6
Back-over prevention
5
Air bags
4
Fuel and propulsion system
4
Speed control
4
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Seat belts
2
Suspension
2
Visibility
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Seats
1
Steering
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

29201911202010202111202292023282024452025272026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Oil pump failure after 48,000 miles"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-21
  • "On Sept 16th, 2026 my wife was operating the vehicle under normal, routine driving conditions. While she was completely stopped at a stop sign the vehicle spontaneously caught fire. Description of the Issue and Damage:…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-17
  • "UNKNOWN cause. while driving approximately 45–55 mph, the vehicle experienced a sudden and unexpected braking event and engine shut down. •The vehicle automatically came to an abrupt, complete stop. •The engine shut off…"
    Unknown or other, Engine, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-09-14
  • "The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. While the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for maintenance, the technician discovered an active coolant leak coming from the coolant expansion tank. The mechanic stated that the…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-08-25
  • "I was driving in my bmw x3 going about 35 miles an hour and hit a small pothole next thing I know is I got a flat tire when I pulled over the perch plate on the strut had slipped down and hit the tire causing it to blow…"
    Suspension · filed 2026-08-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2019 BMW X3 SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2019 BMW X3 SUV RWD 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 M40i 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $3450
X3 sDrive30i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 23 30 26 MPG $3050
X3 xDrive30i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 22 29 25 MPG $3200

Specs and fitment

G01 generation, 2018–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic , 5.3 qt capacity
Tire size 225/60R18 to 245/45R20 (trim-dependent) front / 225/60R18 to 275/40R20 (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 2018 BMW X3 Next year 2020 BMW X3 See every BMW X3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 BMW X3 reliable?

The 2019 BMW X3 has 170 complaints with NHTSA after 8 years, or 17 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 X3 years on this site. NHTSA has 10 recalls on file, including Structure, Frontal, and Camera.

What are common problems with a 2019 BMW X3?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (47 of 170), then Engine (34) and Structure (31). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2019 BMW X3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 X3 has 75 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2020 has 109 complaints, 8 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 BMW X3 been recalled?

The 2019 BMW X3 has 10 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 2019 BMW X3?

Owners have filed 170 complaints about the 2019 BMW X3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 BMW X3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 BMW X3 is 24.7 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.