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2016 BMW X3 recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 5 US recalls for the 2016 BMW X3, and 6 in Canada. Owners filed 82 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

5US recalls
0urgent recalls
82owner complaints
5★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the 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 (5)

Electrical system: wiring, connectors/plugs/receptacles

2024-08-13 · campaign 24V608000 · 720,796 vehicles

BMW 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 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Fuel system, diesel

2021-11-19 · campaign 21V907000 · 50,404 vehicles

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.

Risk and remedy

Risk: A melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Fuel system, diesel: delivery, fuel pump

2021-07-29 · campaign 21V586000 · 11,216 vehicles

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.

Risk and remedy

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system, emission control

2018-10-25 · campaign 18V755000 · 44,368 vehicles

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.

Risk and remedy

Risk: The melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Child seat: latch strap

2016-05-23 · campaign 16V333000 · 188,668 vehicles

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.

Canadian recalls (6)

Show 6 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.

Engine

2024-08-13 · campaign 2024-468

Issue: On certain vehicles, fluid from the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system could leak on the intake air hose. As a result, the fluid could enter the electrical connector for the water pump and cause a short circuit. Safety Risk: A short circuit can create the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW advises you to park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs are completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the water pump and electrical connector. The dealer will also install a shield on the connector.

Engine

2021-11-19 · campaign 2021-711

Issue: On certain vehicles, the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler could crack internally and leak. If this happens, you may notice the following symptoms: a warning symbol in the instrument cluster displaying a loss of coolant, reduced engine power, an unpleasant exhaust odour, an unusual noise from the engine and/or smoke from the engine compartment. Note: This recall replaces Transport Canada Recall no. 2018-587. Safety Risk: A cracked EGR cooler could create the risk of an engine fire. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the EGR cooler. The dealer will also inspect the intake manifold, and replace it, if necessary.

Fuel system

2021-07-29 · campaign 2021-469

Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with a diesel engine, the high-pressure fuel pump may wear prematurely. This can cause reduced engine performance and could lead to a sudden engine stall. Note: A warning lamp on the instrument cluster will turn on if the fuel pressure drops. Safety Risk: A loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the high-pressure fuel pump.

Engine

2018-10-26 · campaign 2018-587

This recall was replaced by Transport Canada Recall No. 2021-711. On certain vehicles, the cooler for Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module may develop an internal leak and coolant could mix with diesel engine soot/sediment. In rare circumstances, this condition could result in smouldering particles and lead to the melting of the intake manifold, increasing the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the EGR cooler, and if necessary, replace it. If it is determined that the EGR cooler has leaked internally, the intake manifold will also be replaced. The EGR pipe connecting the cooler to the manifold will be cleaned. Note: An operator may be alerted to this condition by one or more of the following symptoms: A warning symbol in the instrument cluster displaying a loss of engine coolant, a reduction in engine power, an unpleasant odour (exhaust gas), an unusual noise from the engine compartment, and/or smoke from the engine compartment.

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.

Owner complaints (82)

Owners filed 82 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 BMW X3 (7 crashes, 3 fires, 2 injuries reported). Among 23 model years of this model, it ranks #14 for the most complaints (median 86).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Electrical system23
Engine and engine cooling18
Engine13
Unknown or other12
Service brakes10
Power train9
Seat belts6
Fuel system, diesel6

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2016 BMW X3.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2016 BMW X3 SUV RWD5★5★5★4★
2016 BMW X3 SUV AWD5★5★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2016 BMW X3 version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
X3 sDrive 28i 2.0 L Automatic (S8)212824$3,400
X3 xDrive28d 2.0 L Automatic (S8)273330$3,200
X3 xDrive28i 2.0 L Automatic (S8)212824$3,400
X3 xDrive35i 3.0 L Automatic (S8)192621$3,900
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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.