2021 BMW X3 Technical Service Bulletins

196 technical service bulletins (TSBs) are on record for the 2021 BMW X3. TSBs are notes manufacturers send to dealers about repair procedures for issues seen in the field. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault.

• 10235198Mar 1, 2023Electrical system. In SPORT mode, a black square appears in the RPM gauge (tachometer) section of the instrument cluster display.
• 10235196Mar 1, 2023Electrical system. The gear selector switch (GWS) consists of the control electronics circuit and the selector lever. The sensors for recording the gearshift lever position and for inhibiting inadvertent gearshifts are integrated in the control electronics.
• 10235191Mar 1, 2023Electrical system. Due to a software error, the vehicle sporadically does not achieve sleep mode. As a result, the 12-volt battery becomes discharged and may cause a no-start condition.
• 10235182Mar 1, 2023Body and structure. While driving the vehicle on normal roads at 10mph and above, a cracking sound from the top of the B-pillar(s) is heard.
• 10235179Mar 1, 2023Engine cooling. There is a howling or whistling noise from under the vehicle at 30 -37 mph (50 -60 km/h) when driving after a cold start, when the outside temperature is 32 F (0 C) or lower.
• 10236387Feb 6, 2023Engine. Engine Variants Updated.
• 10233157Feb 1, 2023Transmission and drivetrain, Engine cooling. There is a howling or whistling noise from under the vehicle at 30 -37 mph (50 -60 km/h) when driving after a cold start, when the outside temperature is 32 F (0 C) or lower. The noise goes away as the vehicle/driveline reaches operating temperature.
• 10230740Dec 1, 2022Equipment. Customer is shown an incorrect GPS location in the vehicle (i.e., Nav Map, coordinates).
• 10230736Dec 1, 2022Equipment. Visible white spots on the edge of the central information display (CID) from being touched with a finger.
• 10230735Dec 1, 2022Body and structure. Uneven ambient lighting emission (bright spots/dark spots) on the door trim panel.
• 10230726Dec 1, 2022Engine cooling. There is a howling or whistling noise from under the vehicle at 30 -37 mph (50 -60 km/h) when driving after a cold start, when the outside temperature is 32F (0C) or lower.
• 10230725Dec 1, 2022Body and structure. A cracking, metallic noise from under the center of the vehicle.
• 10228440Nov 1, 2022Air bags. A 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 stored in the ACSM (air bag control unit): 930949 - Knee airbag, driver: short circuit to negative terminal 93094F - Knee airbag, front passenger: short circuit to negative terminal 93094C - Knee airbag driver's side: Resistance too great…
• 10228429Nov 1, 2022Body and structure. While driving the vehicle on normal roads at 10mph and above, a cracking sound from the top of the B-pillar(s) is heard.
• 10228426Nov 1, 2022Transmission and drivetrain. Due to an unfavorable operating point, primarily in the low-end torque range, an incorrect detection of amixture that is too rich could happen.
• 10227928Nov 1, 2022Equipment. The Sirius(r) Satellite Radio is inoperative.
• 10227575Oct 1, 2022Equipment. The customer complains that the radio stations change by themselves.
• 10227572Oct 1, 2022Other or unknown. Service Action: Retrofit Satellite Radio. The Sirius(r) Satellite Radio is inoperative.
• 10227571Oct 1, 2022Body and structure, Other or unknown, Equipment. The seal of the roof-mounted antenna housing is separating from the vehicle.
• 10227566Oct 1, 2022Electrical system, Other or unknown. After programming, the customer may complain that the Sport Mode display is not fully displayed in the instrument cluster. Instead of a red background in sport mode, the background is displayed in blue (like ECO PRO mode).
• 10227558Oct 1, 2022Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors). After opening the vehicle with the radio remote control and changing the profile, the exterior mirror settings are lost.
• 10227551Oct 1, 2022Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors), Steering, Electrical system, Forward…. Due to the semiconductor supply, the Local Interconnect Network module in either of the exterior mirrors was switched to another controller. That one provides an imprecise voltage measurement, which the main controller interprets as a fault.
• 10227547Oct 1, 2022Engine cooling, Fuel system. The Check Engine Light is on (MIL). After checking faults and diagnosis there is raw fuel found in the charcoal canister and the NVLD pressure switch (in R/R wheel well). Possible faults stored in the DME: 190F08 - Fuel tank venting system: Malfunction 191C02 - Fuel tank venting system,2. discharge point: Malfunction The vent line inside the fuel tank is disconnected.
• 10225127Sep 1, 2022Lane departure. The Lane Change Warning (LCW) yellow triangle symbol on either one, or both the exterior side view mirrors does not illuminate to alert the driver when it should.
• 10225126Sep 1, 2022Equipment. Vehicle 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.
• 10225121Sep 1, 2022Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors). An interference noise (groaning noise) can be heard from within the heating and air-conditioning unit in the center of the instrument panel.
• 10225114Sep 1, 2022Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors). The front sunroof glass seal has shrunk, creating a gap which can cause wind noise or excess water entry.
• 10224210Aug 1, 2022Equipment. The sound output intermittently drops out entirely. This can be reproduced with all audio sources as well as telephone and voice output.
• 10224186Aug 1, 2022Equipment, Body and structure. Component-Specific Limited Warranty Extension. For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Radiator Grille Upper and Lower Active Air Flaps to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date. 1. Air flap control (link) active, upper (G12, G30 and G32) 2. Air flap control (drive), active, upper 3. Air flaps, upper…
• 10224185Aug 1, 2022Equipment. Component-Specific Limited Warranty Extension. For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Leak Diagnosis Module with hose assembly (NVLD, shown) to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date.
• 10218420Jul 1, 2022Electrical system, Equipment. The 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) function. For this purpose the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration.
• 10218413Jul 1, 2022Suspension. BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop (effective March 28, 2022) on certain Model Year 2022 BMW vehicles that were produced between March 1, 2022 and March 8, 2022 because the torsion struts may not have been installed at the plant. Do not deliver to a customer, a New, Certified Pre-Owned or Used vehicle subject to a Delivery Stop, until the vehicle is repaired. Do not use or sell replacement equipment/parts subject to…
• 10218384Jun 1, 2022Electrical system, Equipment. Vehicle 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: Opening, closing and starting via the BMW Digital Key or the Digital Key Card are not affected.
• 10218381Jun 1, 2022Electrical system, Air bags. A 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 stored in the ACSM (air bag control unit): 930949 - Knee airbag, driver: short circuit to negative terminal 93094F - Knee airbag, front passenger: short circuit to negative terminal.
• 10215751May 1, 2022Engine cooling, Equipment. The Check Control message below appears even though the coolant level is not below minimum when the engine is cold. Check Control message (ID 166): Top up coolant.
• 10215750May 1, 2022Electrical system, Engine cooling. BMW offers a new special ISTA Installation made available for Roadside Assistance / Mobile Service technicians. The new ISTA Version is also able to be used in case of a Remote Software Upgrade (RSU) programming failure to get the customer car reprogrammed on site. In case of a Remote Software Upgrade failure, the engine start is prevented for safety reasons until the vehicle is programmed correctly. Most of the…
• 10214991May 1, 2022Electrical system. The functionality of the right front SRR sensor could be reduced which would display the "Driving Assistance" Check Control Message.
• 10214990May 1, 2022Electrical system. The 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 North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 4 (HU-H4, also called MGU21) superseded the MGU starting with…
• 10214989May 1, 2022Engine cooling. Mist formation on the windshield inside surface may occur at departure or after MSA (automaticstart/stop). Acoustic abnormality in the area of the recirculated air flap (recirculation flap closing and opening severaltimes). The above may occur individually or in combination.
• 10214985May 1, 2022Equipment. When using the Key Reader to retrieve information from the customer's key, no current vehicle data is available.
• 10214984May 1, 2022Equipment. Check Control Message (CCM) displays "Vehicle key missing" after engine start.
• 10214981May 1, 2022Body and structure. This bulletin outlines known areas of possible functional issues, operational noise, or wind noise for the vehicles listed above. It serves only as a diagnostic resource in troubleshooting complaints pertaining to the doors, windows, and mirrors.
• 10214266Apr 1, 2022Air bags, Lane departure. A check control message for the restraint system appears. In the instrument cluster, the red air bag warning light lights up permanently.
• 10212797Apr 1, 2022Electrical system. Sport mode is not displayed correctly in the instrument cluster. Instead of a red background in sport mode, the background is displayed in blue (like in Eco Pro mode). Software in the instrument cluster (Kombi).
• 10212795Apr 1, 2022Electrical system. Check Control message (CCM) displays "Vehicle key missing" after engine start.
• 10212794Apr 1, 2022Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors). No actuation of front and rear windscreen wipers is possible.
• 10212793Apr 1, 2022Equipment. 48 V battery may become totally discharged, and possible replacement needed.
• 10212786Apr 1, 2022Exterior lighting. The customer complains that under moderate throttle application or on deceleration after throttle application, a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is displayed in the instrument cluster.
• 10211867Mar 1, 2022Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors), Body and structure. A whistling noise is present from the fresh air inlet area (engine compartment bulkhead area), in the right front area of the vehicle, at speeds above 40 mph. The noise is loudest when the sunroof is in the vent position.
• 10211861Mar 1, 2022Seats. Milky-white stains (discolorations) in the leather are observed in the second-row seat bottom, backrests and/or headrests. Refer to attachment for details. This only affects vehicles with the Merino leather.

← All problems reported for the 2021 BMW X3