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exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (4)
Engine and engine cooling: engine
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3 xDrive 30i, X5 xDrive30i, and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The aluminum bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and possibly break.
Risk and remedy
Risk: Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the four VANOS bolts, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed December 18, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system, emission control
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Risk and remedy
Risk: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Child seat: latch strap
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011-2017, X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i and X3 xDrive35i, vehicles manufactured July 2, 2010 to April 14, 2016, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014 to March 31, 2016, and 2015-2017 x4 xDrive28i, X4 xDrive35i and X4 xDriveM40i vehicles manufactured March3, 2014 to April 15, 2016. The affected vehicles have lower anchor bars for securing child restraint seats that may become damaged when using the European-ISOFIX-type, rigid-style connector, child restraint system.
Risk and remedy
Risk: Damaged lower anchor bars may increase the child's risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars and the vehicle body, free of charge. The recall began on July 13, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Steering: electric power assist system
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 27, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 8, 2011. A CONTROL MODULE IN THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) UNIT MAY MALFUNCTION, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE.
Risk and remedy
Risk: SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING AUGUST 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.
Canadian recalls (11)
Show 11 Canadian recalls
Label
2024-08-15 · campaign 2024-544
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French.
Safety Risk:
This error does not affect vehicle safety.
Corrective Actions:
This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.
Airbag
2024-07-03 · campaign 2024-392
Issue:
This recall applies to vehicles that may be equipped with a replacement sport or M-sport steering wheel that has a Takata airbag. Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function.
Safety Risk:
If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury.
Corrective Actions:
BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-front airbag module.
To learn if your vehicle is affected by this recall, owners may:
• Visit <a href= https://www.bmw.ca/en/ssl/VehicleRecall.html> https://www.bmw.ca/en/ssl/VehicleRecall.html</a>
• Contact your preferred or local BMW Retailer
• Call BMW Customer Relations Recall Services at 1-855-217-3002
Engine
2023-10-20 · campaign 2023-568
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the variable camshaft timing (VANOS) adjustment unit housing bolts could loosen or break. As a result, the camshaft could become incorrectly adjusted and cause the engine to enter a reduced power mode (limp mode) or to stall while driving.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the VANOS bolts.
Engine
2017-09-28 · campaign 2017-470
On certain vehicles equipped with the N52 6-cylinder engine, an electrical short could occur in the PCV valve heater due to manufacturing irregularities. If this occurs, the surrounding plastics could overheat, melt and potentially cause a fire, which could increase the risk of injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the PCV valve heater.
Airbag
2017-08-09 · campaign 2017-388 · 886 vehicles
On certain vehicles, the housing of the driver's frontal airbag inflator may have been incorrectly welded during manufacturing and could separate from the base plate during an airbag deployment. If the vehicle were involved in a collision that warrants airbag deployment, metal fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants, which could increase the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the driver's frontal airbag. Note: This is an expansion of recall 2016-461. Additional Note: For 6-Series vehicles, only 2012-2013 model year M6 Cabriolet's and 2013 model year M6 Coupe's are involved in this campaign.
Seats and restraints
2016-05-20 · campaign 2016-242
On certain vehicles, the lower anchor bars that are used for installing child seats using the European-ISOFIX-type rigid-style connector may become damaged during vehicle operation. If the lower anchorage bar(s) were to become damaged, this would increase the risk of injury to a child seated in a child seat using this style of connector if involved in a crash. Correction: Dealers will weld a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars and the vehicle body. Note: Child restraint systems using LATCH-type flexible style connectors, which reflect the vast majority of child restraint systems used in Canada, do not cause this issue.
Engine
2014-05-13 · campaign 2014-170
On certain vehicles, housing bolts for the variable camshaft timing system could break, allowing camshaft timing to deviate. If this occurs, the engine would revert to "limp home mode", limiting available engine power. In rare instances the engine could stall, increasing the risk of a collision causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace housing bolts that break and perform associated repairs for 10 years/unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. Note: This applies only to vehicles not covered by recall 2014-127.
Engine
2014-04-10 · campaign 2014-127
On certain vehicles, housing bolts for the variable camshaft timing system could break, allowing camshaft timing to deviate. If this occurs, the engine would revert to "limp home mode", limiting available engine power. This could increase the risk of a collision causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace affected bolts.
Airbag
2013-11-14 · campaign 2013-405 · 2 vehicles
On certain vehicles, a manufacturing defect in the dashboard could result in improper deployment of the passenger front airbag in a crash. This could increase the risk of injury to the front passenger. Correction: Dealers will replace the dashboard.
Label
2012-04-12 · campaign 2012-129
Certain vehicles fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Specifically, the compliance label does not indicate the wheel rim size, as required by the Standard. Correction: Due to the inconsequential nature of this non-compliance, no action will be taken.
Steering
2011-06-29 · campaign 2011-242 · 9 vehicles
On certain vehicles, the control module for the Electric Power Steering (EPS) unit may not function properly and could switch off while driving. This would cause a loss of steering power assist, which may result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the Electric Power Steering unit.
Owner complaints (113)
Owners filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 BMW X3 (3 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injuries reported). Among 23 model years of this model, it ranks #5 for the most complaints (median 86).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Engine | 31 | |
| Engine and engine cooling | 24 | |
| Power train | 23 | |
| Electrical system | 22 | |
| Steering | 21 | |
| Exterior lighting | 10 | |
| Unknown or other | 7 | |
| Air bags | 5 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2011 BMW X3.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2011 BMW X3 Xdrive28I SUV 4WD | – | – | – | – |
| 2011 BMW X3 Xdrive35I SUV 4WD | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2011 BMW X3 version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| X3 xDrive28i 3.0 L Automatic (S8) | 19 | 25 | 21 | $3,900 |
| X3 xDrive35i 3.0 L Automatic (S8) | 19 | 26 | 21 | $3,900 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.