This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owned a 2009 BMW X3. While driving approximately 20 mph, white smoke emerged from the engine compartment. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed sparks from the engine to the ground as a fire ignited. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The contact also received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 17V683000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a tow lot where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
The vehicle was parked and unmoved in my driveway for several days. It suddenly broke out in flames (originating in the engine compartment). The fire grew quite large and the car exploded (the police officer's word). Security cameras on the property show no one in the area to tamper with the car. This was spontaneous combustion. A google search of "2009 BMW X3 fire" shows many other similar incidents.
- Mamaroneck, NY, USA
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- Wheeling, IL, USA