Problems · NHTSA complaints
2023 BMW X3 M problems
Owners filed 17 complaints about the 2023 BMW X3 M with NHTSA between Apr 2023 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is engine (5).
Complaints
17
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine5
- Electrical system4
- Structure3
- Steering1
- Latches/locks/linkages1
- Exterior lighting1
- Power train1
- Forward collision avoidance1
- Other / unknown1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
5
2
2
8
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 | 8 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine
5 reports
“The manufacturer is failing to provide a remedy in a reasonable sound of time. There is still no remedy for this safety recall. It’s been almost iver 4 months.”
Electrical system
4 reports
“The contact owns a 2023 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.”
Structure
3 reports1 crash
“As I was driving today in the freeway my sunroof exploded. As far as I can tell, It was not caused by rocks or other cars, it just exploded putting my wife and I in a dangerous situation having to park on the side of the freeway. We first thought someone shot at us. We stopped the car and it took us a minute to feel safe to go out, trembling, to check car for gun fire. We looked the entire body while the freeway was full, even for a Sunday, and discovered nothing wrong. As we entered the car and closed our door, we heard the noise of shared glass, so we both left the car again to reinspect it putting our lives in danger as other drivers were passing by. We re-enter the car again and the same thing happened, left the car again to inspect the tires at this time, each time exposing our lives to the freeway traffic. Upon entering the car for the third time, heard freeway noise and thought window was probably opened. It was then that we realized our sunroof was probably broken, upon checking, we were shocked when saw hundreds of pieces of glass on top of our car. It was then that we realized we would have to clean the top of our car with the wind blowing glass…”
Steering
1 report
“On the evening of Wednesday March 6th 2025, as I turned into the street where I live, my car became difficult to steer. It felt like I had developed a front flat tire on one side, but there was no indication of low tire pressure on the dash. I was moving around 5 miles an hour and with some difficulty, could navigate the car to the curb on my street and park it in front of my home. I could not attend to the car on Thursday or Friday since I was busy at work. On Friday night I contacted BMW towing and arranged the car to be towed on Saturday to the dealer from whom I had purchased the car. The dealer confirmed that the car was not steerable. They put up the car on the rack and sent me a video. They noted that the left tie-rod steering linkage was broken. They noticed scratches on the under side of the car, and "Curb rash" on the wheels suggestive of possible brushing of the front wheels to the curb which may have caused the steering problem. They indicated that because it was caused by accidental damage, it was not covered under warranty. I cannot recall any accidents, big or small , while driving this vehicle. I have brushed along curbs occasionally, but none…”
Latches/locks/linkages
1 report
“The driver-side front door sometimes gets stuck and cannot be opened from the outside. Additionally, the left rear door cannot be opened from the inside. This issue has been occurring since [provide the earliest date you remember, e.g., “mid-2023”] and happens intermittently. It poses a serious safety risk in case of an emergency, as passengers may be unable to exit the vehicle quickly. The problem has not been confirmed or repaired by a dealer yet. There were no warning lights or error messages related to this issue. Additionally, the air conditioning system is not functioning properly, and there is no cold air even when the A/C is turned on. This issue started around [2024], and no warning lights were displayed.””
Exterior lighting
1 report
“The 2023 BMW X3 is equipped with automatic high beams that includes an anti-dazzle feature. The anti-dazzle/non-glare (matrix) feature have been available on non US Spec vehicles since 2013 but US legislation did not allow this feature to enabled in the United States. In the meantime legislation has changed however my BMW has been decoded by the manufacturer so that my car does not have that feature and they cite legislation as the issue. My car is capable of the feature but bmw is refusing to enable it thus reducing night time visibility and safety for myself and others on the road. I’m also reading there are people and shops who will enable the feature but with only an 80% solution which means there’s a potential to have a lot of cars on the road that are not correctly providing anti-glare to other vehicles. I think BMW should stop decoding (removing) this feature and recall all cars that have been decoded to have the feature re-enabled. This is 100% a safety issue.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.