2007 BMW X3 Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Exhaust system › Emission control › Crankcase (pcv)
  2
• Engine › Gasoline
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  27%
• 25k–50k
  00%
• 50k–75k
  620%
• 75k–100k
  827%
• 100k–150k
  1033%
• 150k+
  413%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 BMW X3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the coolant temperature and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact then noticed smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle and he smelled a burning plastic odor. The contact and his family exited the vehicle. The contact opened the hood and sprinkled water to prevent a fire. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. …

The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor of burning plastic inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the heater was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle overheated. The contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood. There were no warning lights on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over safely. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. (RECALL RELATED INCIDENT) TS

I received a Recall notice in April 2022 regarding the PCV valve issue stating there was an issue and no fix was avaliable. The veichle caught fire in the drive way on 1/14/2023 and spred to the garage. 2 weeks after the fire on January 31, 2023 I received a fix is avalible notice.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact stated that on various occasions when starting the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the failure recurred, and the vehicle was stalling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced, and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer; however, the contact was informed that the recall remedy would not be completed due to the failures and was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

After hearing a very loud bang. I noticed a very bad vibration during normal operation of the vehicle. Today I was able to find the problem. The 4 bolts that hold the motor mount bracket to the engine block were sheared off. After just a little research on this issue. It seems this a very common incident on all newer bmw vehicles. In the course of this damage, I now need several thousand dollars worth of repairs that are directly attributed to this bolt failure. The rest of the owners that have experienced this issue have had the same outcome. I am having my vehicle towed to a shop in a few days to get an estimate on the damages. Since this is obviously an ongoing and known issue for BMW vehicles, BMW should issue a recall or a service bulletin that will cover repairs to their vehicles.

I have contacted NHTSA and BMW several times. I want this in writing in the case myself or my children are injuried when in this vehicle. My bmw x3 is my only form of transportation the engine light is on and it has started to smoke twice when engine is off. I just purchased the car second week of March 2022. It is hard for the car to accelerate and once the car is stopped at light or stop sign, the car does not have enough power to drive away or pull off. The car RPM goes very high and then low. This issue is unsafe and unfair that a customer can not drive their vehicle to work and appointments for my son with autism as well as my other 3 children. The burden is on BMW and NHTSA to remedy this issue. I will be contacting my local congress person to address this issue is well.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine And Engine Cooling). However, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to complete the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving and the AC was hot. The contact stated that he smelled a burning odor inside the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that he would need to pay a diagnostic and repair fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I just purchased a bmw x3 2007 the 2nd week of March 2022. Immediately, after driving home and parking the car. I turned the car off and the car began to make a loud noise and the engine start smoking very bad. I contacted bmw via email, and was told that there is not a remedy to the recalls effecting my car. The bmw x3 2007 is my only form of transportation and bmw cannot fix the problem. This car can catch on fire or worse kill me and children in the fire in the car. After research this is an ongoing problem with bmw. Bmw should be liable for any damages caused my this recall. I have car that i cannot drive because it is not safe to drive, by no fault of my own.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 experienced several failures that were unstated and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was unknown.

Related recalls

Engine complaints in other X3 years