10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,882 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2015 BMW X3 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2015 BMW X3:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2015 BMW X3 Owner Comments

problem #6

Oct 162019

X3

  • 60,983 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was about to park in a parking lot, driving slowly and carefully between two parked cars. As I very gently put my foot on the brake to stop, the car jolted intensely and did not stop. I then pressed on the brake pedal harder but the vehicle accelerated to a very fast speed. I drove through some large plants and went over a side walk and made a sharp turn to avoid a large building in front of me. I then drove through the parking lot, maneuvering around parked cars, buildings and other objects while the car was speeding up. My efforts to slow the car down failed even after applying auxiliary brake. Luckily there were no pedestrians or moving cars while this was happening! finally I ended up driving up a hill, hoping that the elevation would stop the car. Instead due to high speed, the vehicle was lifted up about 7 feet in the air, hit a large tree and fell in the ground with much force. I have some injuries as a result and currently receiving medical support, hoping that I will not have permanent health issues, which I very much doubt! my car was severely damaged and was totaled. It is clear and evident that there was some kind of technical malfunction that caused the brake failure and acceleration. I contacted BMW dealership where we had purchased the car and also where I had the car serviced one month earlier! they said I must pay for the car to be delivered to their facility in order for them to examine the cause of brake failure. I refused to pay the high price. It is also important to mention that I have been driving for over forty years and I consider myself a very capable driver. I should also add that on the internet there are at least a dozen similar reported cases of this model. Obviously, BMW has neglected to look into this matter. They should investigate their X3 models before someone dies!

- Easton, CT, USA

problem #5

Dec 102018

X3

  • 60,000 miles
My car was stationary or in very slow motion and then suddenly went into a very high speed on my driveway ramp on its own. The brakes would not work till I went into someone's lawn and as it skid on the grass it gradually stopped. I almost had a near fatal accident. I have a witness who was taking a walk and saw the car suddenly fly at a very high speed and was beyond control

- Murrysville, PA, USA

problem #4

Aug 192015

X3

  • 4,000 miles
Pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake to park, the car kept lunging forward with a reving sound, not constant but pulse sating until the vehicle hit a concrete wall. The airbag never went off. I went online later to find that there were several complaints about this problem. I contacted BMW and a rep. Stated that there have been" multiple complaints about this problem, but it has never been BMW fault." She sent a BMW engineer out to inspect the vehicle he finally inspected it 3 weeks later. Three weeks later I have not heard from him about the results. There is over $9,000 in damages.

- Clarkston, MI, USA

problem #3

Jul 062015

X3

  • 7,700 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was turning off a residential street into the parking lot of our neighborhood swimming pool. The parking spot was straight ahead (a very short distance). I was traveling at a very slow speed. I couldn't stop the car no matter how hard I stepped on the brake. I hit a brick wall which stopped the car. It all happened so quickly in such a short distance. I was in shock and amazed at the amount of damage to the car and the brick wall. I believe the car suddenly accelerated as I was pulling into the parking spot. I have notified my insurance company that there are other instances of this reported on the NHTSA site involving the same make and model as my car. Updated 09/10/15

- Clifton, VA, USA

problem #2

Feb 212015

X3

  • 112 miles
There were a total of 4 incidences. 2/21/15 took BMW X3 xdrive28I to dealer with 112 miles on car, after car engine revved higher as I was coming down a hill to a complete stop. I had to practically stand on the brake for car to stop. Acceleration lasted about 4 seconds after stopping. Had to keep my foot on brake during that time. It happened a second time on the way to dealer; going up a slight hill, while coming to a complete stop. Prior to the above date, on 2/16/15, car also accelerated by itself while driving about 55 mph on the highway. I had to step on break to slow down. Later that day the car accelerated by itself while rolling in a parking lot. I had to break hard to stop it. On 2/21/15 the dealer requested BMW na to send their engineers to check out the car. 2/24/15 BMW na advised me that "the car only does what you tell it to do with one of the controls.the engineers will be going to the dealership to check if anything is wrong with" my 2015 X3 xdrive. I advised them "they were looking for the wrong thing since there is something wrong with a car that accelerates when you are stepping on the break." They "should be looking for what is wrong with my X3." 3/4/15 BMW na advised that engineers had looked at the car at the dealership and it will take 7 to 10 business days for their decision. 3/10/15 BMW na advise me that the engineers checked out my X3 and the car is "performing as designed". I asked "is the X3 designed to accelerate when you are trying to stop the car"" the dealer also says there is nothing wrong with the car. When I told dealer "if it starts acting up again I will bring it right back" dealer said "that's up to BMW". since my BMW X3 sometimes accelerates when you are trying to stop and while at road speed, something is wrong with the car. Everything has to go through the computer. Might it be the computer program design"

- Huntington, NY, USA

problem #1

Jan 082015

X3

  • 4,500 miles
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated causing the contact to crash into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 4,500.

- South Fallsburg, NY, USA

Not what you are looking for?