10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,450 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2012 BMW X3 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 BMW X3 Owner Comments

problem #6

May 012024

X3 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I emailed BMW of Arlington on [XXX] detailing the critical safety issue I experienced with my BMW X3 2012 on Sunday [XXX]. I was driving on the tollway northbound from [XXX] in Grand Prairie in the pouring rain with my wipers on, and the car suddenly started braking and decelerating from the 70 mph cruising speed to 40 mph in seconds. The car behind me nearly hit my vehicle, and since it kept doing that, I had to turn on my hazard lights till I exited. The car was doing that irrespective of whether it was on cruise control or my driving speed. I discovered by googling it that this is a known defect in BMWs since their shop foremen and certified technicians who know more than me think I am dreaming this up [XXX] -. Driving this car on the highways in Dallas regularly is extremely dangerous as I could end up in a major multivehicle MVA pileup. Also, the previous time I had this issue before I brought it in on [XXX], it wasn't raining, and it started with the car not even moving when I put it in reverse and pressed the gas. Then it suddenly started decelerating on the road, backfired, and shook violently at normal speeds. The car overheated as the radiator coolant leaked, and I had to replenish it. CarShield, the Auto Warranty company, and I paid approximately $7,000 to BMW Mini of Arlington between June 2023 and today (see attached invoices_receipts_diagnosis reports). The last two times ([XXX] and [XXX]), their multi-point diagnosis on my vehicle identified no issues that need attention. Two of their service advisors who worked on my car in June and October 2023 quit immediately after completing it. The dealership does not respond to the BBB or my calls, emails, faxes, etc. BMW USA advised me to contact NHTSA. On June [XXX], while driving on city streets, the brakes were squealing even without engaging, and the car overheated/ backfired again/ almost caught fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) The dealer finally responded stating their diagnosis did not d

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #5

Feb 042019

X3

  • miles
As I drive and stop, my brakes stick, when I try to accelerate it struggles to go. On the highway it began slowing me down. I was scared it was going to get me rear ended because my brake lights do not come on when this happens. I brought it to my garage and they diagnosed it to be the DSC pump. They put in a used pump and fixed the issue. Please take this seriously, it is a dangerous problem.

- Ponte Vedra Bch, FL, USA

problem #4

Apr 012017

X3

  • 80,000 miles
When starting the car, the brake pedal does not depress a short distance before resistance as it did previously. Now, I have to push very hard to get it to depress any distance so that I can start the car. This usually does not occur when the ambient temperature is below 50 degrees or the car has been operated very recently.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #3

Apr 302016

X3

  • 12,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In 3 occasions (within 2 years duration) when I braked the car (brand new 2012 X3 2.8I) gently to stop it, it slowed down firstly but all in a sudden it accelerated with engine revved up (with noticeable engine noise), the brake seemed losing power at all. The first two times I could be able to stop it (by flooring the brake) before hitting the roadblock and the carpark entrance gate, the third time I could do nothing but hit into another car in the carpark due to the short distance. I'm sure that I was not pressing the gas pedal accidentally for I was in the process of pressing the brake to stop the car in all three cases. I found a similar recalls fm my local transportation auth (ref: www.td.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_1179/10000456_E.pdf and www.td.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_1179/10000457_E.pdf) which may relevant to my issue, but unfortunately my car not in the listed VIN recall. I had talked with the local BMW service guy and she denied the problems are relevant (which costed around us$15,000 to do the auto repair eventually, covered by ins).

- -, AL, USA

problem #2

Mar 042012

X3

  • 699 miles
While I was driving my 2012 X3, I approached a stop light. As I applied the brakes, the vehicle slowed down but would not stop. The engine started to accelerate in addition to the brakes failing causing me to hit the rear end of the car in front of me. I continued to apply the brakes but they would not respond. My 2012 X3 kept rolling and finally stopped only after I hit the car in front of me approximately three times. I immediately had the car towed to the BMW dealer where it sat for approximately two months. BMW stated that there were no problems with car.

- Oxford, PA, USA

problem #1

Jan 262012

X3

  • 30,000 miles
Our X3 new X3 has surged violently ahead on two occasions now, on one occasion with foot on brake. BMW are denying any other examples of this problem exist, which by viewing this website clearly is not the case. I encourage all that have had this problem to lodge an official complaint to cause a full recall of this dangerous design flaw. Please note that we are in australia, and that BMW in germany are denying any knowledge of this problem.

- Adelaide, AL, USA

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