2014 BMW X3
This year drew an ordinary 170 complaints for a BMW X3 — the model's median is 96. What they were about is the unusual part: 10.6% of them mention opened, against 2.9% across the other years of this generation.
Generation 2 of the BMW X3, which began in 2011 and ran to 2017. Everything below compares this year against the others in that generation, not against a different car wearing the same name.
| Complaints filed | 170 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 96 |
| Involving a crash | 12 |
| Involving a fire | 2 |
| Recalls | 6 |
| EPA combined | 22.5 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- opened — 10.6% of this year's complaints, against 2.9% across the other years of this generation (3.6×). Owners wrote it as: opened, per, winter, constantly.
- research — 7.1% of this year's complaints, against 1.8% across the other years of this generation (4×). Owners wrote it as: research, model engine.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
What owners wrote
DRIVING ON 3 LANE ROAD TRAVELING APPROX 20-30 MILES PER HR CARS AHEAD OF ME STOPPED AND I APPLIED THE BREAKS AND NOTHING HAPPENED, CAR KEPT GOING AND I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. SEEMED LIKE THE CAR DIDN'T EVEN SLOW DOWN.
notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 16V333000 CHILD SEAT
- 14V627000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Fixed free of charge.
- 13V454000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Fixed free of charge.
- 23V797000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 24V527000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 24V608000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the BMW X3 was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2014 BMW X3? What happened to yours?
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