Reliable Auto DB

2021 BMW X3 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 BMW X3 holds 110 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 12 per year. That is more complaints per year than most X3 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 10 recalls on file, including Starter, Relay, and Structure.

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

110

Per year

12

Recalls

10

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (33 of 110), then Engine (23) and Structure (11). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 X3 has 109 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2022 has 77 complaints, 13 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 BMW X3. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (10)

Recall electrical system, starter 2026-01-30 · NHTSA campaign 26V056000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDrive Convertible), 2021-2023 4 Series (Coupe), 2021-2024 3 Series, 2021-2023 X4, 2021-2024 X3 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all models. The engine starter may overheat and catch fire due to wear on an internal component.
Remedy Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 24, 2026.
Recall electrical system, starter, relay 2025-09-23 · NHTSA campaign 25V636000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Remedy Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov November 14, 2025.
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 Seats 2023-03-29 · NHTSA campaign 23V211000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i xDrive, 2020-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, 2021 X3 xDrive30e, X4 xDrive30i, and X4M vehicles. The seat frame may not have been welded properly to the seat rails.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat frame and back rest, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall gasoline fuel system, storage, tank 2021-03-24 · NHTSA campaign 21V199000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, and X4, and 2021 X4 xDrive30i vehicles. The inlet check valve weld may fail, allowing the filling pipe to separate from the fuel tank.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall is scheduled to begin May 17, 2021. Owners were also contacted by telephone. To date, all repairs have been done. No further owner notification letters will be sent. 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 back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2020-09-30 · NHTSA campaign 20V598000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall electrical system, propulsion system, traction battery 2020-09-30 · NHTSA campaign 20V601000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 530e iPerformance and X3 xDrive30e and MINI Cooper Countryman All4 SE, 2020 BMW i8, and 2021 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le xDrive and X5 xDrive45e vehicles. Debris may have entered one or more of the hybrid battery cells during their production.
Remedy BMW will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery module free of charge. The remedy is currently being developed. Until the remedy is completed, drivers are instructed to not charge their vehicles. Drivers are instructed to not drive in manual mode, sport mode, and to not use the shift paddles. Owners were notified of the safety risk October 23, 2020. The recall began November 24, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall electrical system, 12V/24V/48V battery 2020-08-18 · NHTSA campaign 20V490000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330e and X5 xDrive45e, 2020-2021 X3 xDrive30e, and 2020 MINI Countryman SE ALL4 vehicles. Loose welding beads may form a conductive path between the hybrid battery cells which could lead to a short-circuit.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery modules, free of charge. BMW issued owners an interim notification on October 16, 2020. Although potentially affected BMW owners received interim owner notification letters, all potentially affected BMW owner vehicles have been remedied; therefore, BMW Final owner notification letters will not be necessary. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Complaints by component (110 total)

Electrical system
33
Engine
23
Structure
11
Speed control
8
Exterior lighting
5
Forward collision avoidance
5
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Powertrain
5
Service brakes
5
Steering
5
Suspension
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Back-over prevention
2
Seats
2
Air bags
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Lane departure
1
Seat belts
1
Tires
1
Visibility
1
Wheels
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

3202015202142022132023182024222025352026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My vehicle was serviced at arrowhead bmw and they found most steering bushings were cracked front and rear, and only wanted $4,500.00 for repair"
    Steering, Suspension · filed 2026-09-17
  • "The contact owns a 2021 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the vehicle…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-11
  • "The contact owned a 2021 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle in front suddenly stopped, and the contact moved over to the left lane and into the grass due to incoming traffic. The vehicle…"
    Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-09-10
  • "On XXX, while in the parking lot, after placing the car in 'park' I then placed the auto into 'reverse' to straighten out the auto in the parking in the space. However, the car automatically changed back to 'park.' Then…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-09
  • "The contact owns a 2021 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Electrical System). The local dealer confirmed that the remedy was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-25

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 BMW X3 30e xDrive SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2021 BMW X3 M SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2021 BMW X3 SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2021 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 M 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $5000
X3 M Competition 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $5000
X3 M40i 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $3450
X3 sDrive30i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 25 29 27 MPG $2950
X3 xDrive30e 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 27 24 MPG / 340 mi range $3300
X3 xDrive30i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 23 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 2020 BMW X3 Next year 2022 BMW X3 See every BMW X3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 BMW X3 reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 BMW X3 holds 110 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 12 per year. That is more complaints per year than most X3 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 10 recalls on file, including Starter, Relay, and Structure.

What are common problems with a 2021 BMW X3?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (33 of 110), then Engine (23) and Structure (11). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 BMW X3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 X3 has 109 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2022 has 77 complaints, 13 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 BMW X3 been recalled?

The 2021 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 2021 BMW X3?

Owners have filed 110 complaints about the 2021 BMW X3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 BMW X3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 BMW X3 is 21.8 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.