2014 BMW X3 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 30about this part
- Share
- 35%of 86 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 81,500miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 30 complaints about the electrical system of the 2014 BMW X3, 35% of the 86 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 81,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“As an electrical vehicle I ran out of gas and was not able to put my vehicle in manual neutral and the vehicle automatically went into park which if a lot of oncoming traffic was coming I would have been hit. Safety hazard for not gear shift to press for parking”
NHTSA complaint #11142317, filed 2018-10, 100,000 miles“Animal chewed electrical wiring on three different occasions rendering the car not drivable. Had to be towed three times. My car was parked in my garage the first two times and the third time in my driveway. I have all insurance documentation.”
NHTSA complaint #10864686, filed 2016-05, 20,000 miles“Our parked Bmw X3 was in our driveway turned off when it suddenly burst into flames and also caught our house on fire and our neighbors house. There is currently no recall on this year and model. No engine lights were on and we regularly service our car only with certified Bmw mechanics. The car is completely burnt to the ground. After further research this is not the first time the X3 has caught on fire and burnt down someone's home and yet no recall and Bmw has yet to take responsibility. We have everything on our security cameras.”
NHTSA complaint #11353777, filed 2020-09, 60,000 miles“Received multiple error messages battery discharging while stopped and increased battery discharge . I smelled burning plastic. Next day I received error the tpm has malfunctioned. I contacted my servicing dealer and explained the problem. He stated he sees this all the time and the cost to repair is $324 for a new rdc module + one hour labor + two hours to reprogram. I removed the rdc module and found extreme moisture damage and melted plastic near the connector in the module. In the attached photo, I attempted to clean off corrosion. …”
NHTSA complaint #11189753, filed 2019-03, 73,000 miles“1) at 14k miles, the transmission transfer case failed. Local Bmw service shop replaced the case to resolve the issue. I was surprised by this issue at this low mileage as I have been driving many cars for past 25+ years, but never had such problems. 2) in last week of jan , my car engine completely stopped and car came off drive mode while I was driving my car on highway. Fortunately, there was none behind my car and I was able to safely stop my car with the emergency lights on. Car would not go in drive mode until I had stopped engine completely. …”
NHTSA complaint #10825713, filed 2016-02, 17,000 milesRelated recalls
- 24V608000Aug 13, 2024BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018…Covers: BMW X3 2013–2017, 528I 2012–2016, 328I 2012–2016 +8 more
Related service bulletins
- 10249437Jan 16, 2024The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
- 10249027Jan 11, 2024The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery…
- 10238090May 1, 2023After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails.
- 10235205Mar 1, 2023The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE…
- 10218420Jul 1, 2022The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via Voice over LTE (VoLTE)…
- 10218384Jun 1, 2022Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column. Note…
- 10218381Jun 1, 2022A check control message for the restraint system appears. In the instrument cluster, the red air bag warning light lights up permanently. One of the following fault codes is…
- 10214990May 1, 2022The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map…
- 10200249Jun 1, 2021The discontinuation of 3G cellular communication for Combox, TCB 3G and ATM 3G (Telematics ControlModule) can no longer be supported by the cellular network provider starting…
- 10179009Jul 1, 2020NAVIGATION SYSTEM - REPORTING MISSING OR INCORRECT ROADMAP DATA: Do not replace parts and do not program the vehicle. Roads can change by up to 15% every year. To ensure the best…
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 14% |
| 2025 | 15 | 39% |
| 2024 | 13 | 31% |
| 2023 | 3 | 20% |
| 2022 | 18 | 21% |
| 2021 | 34 | 30% |
| 2020 | 35 | 32% |
| 2019 | 47 | 27% |
| 2018 | 22 | 29% |
| 2017 | 30 | 33% |
| 2016 | 23 | 28% |
| 2015 | 22 | 21% |
| 2014 | 30 | 35% |
| 2013 | 29 | 13% |
| 2012 | 2 | 5% |
| 2011 | 22 | 19% |
| 2010 | 4 | 13% |
| 2009 | 5 | 26% |
| 2008 | 5 | 8% |
| 2007 | 10 | 10% |
| 2006 | 13 | 9% |
| 2005 | 18 | 17% |
| 2004 | 18 | 13% |
Other parts of the 2014 BMW X3
19 complaintsEngine cooling
19 complaintsBrakes
11 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsExterior lighting
7 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsElectronic stability control
3 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsFuel system
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2014 BMW X3
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology