2013 BMW X3
Complaints about this year name timing chain far more often than the other years of this generation — 36% of them, about 25× the usual rate of 1.4%.
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 | 452 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 96 |
| Involving a crash | 8 |
| Involving a fire | 20 |
| Recalls | 7 |
| EPA combined | 22.5 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- chain — 37.2% of this year's complaints, against 1.4% across the other years of this generation (26.4×).
- timing — 38.5% of this year's complaints, against 2.6% across the other years of this generation (14.6×).
- low — 29.2% of this year's complaints, against 8.7% across the other years of this generation (3.4×). Owners wrote it as: low, engine needed, near, against.
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.
Also unusual this year
- oil — 27% of complaints, 9× usual
- oil pressure — 15% of complaints, 14× usual
- low — 20% of complaints, 6× usual
What owners wrote
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE LOCKED ITSELF. GOT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM AND NEW ENGINE POTENTIALLY. AFTER SOME RESEARCH FOUND THE SAME INCIDENT HAPPENING TO LOTS OF PEOPLE. I ALSO FOUN…
2013 BMW X3 SDRIVE28I (F25) TIMING CHAIN RAIL GUIDE FAILED AT 70,800 MILES ON ROUTE 80, NEAR AKRON, OHIO. "LOW OIL PRESSURE" WARNING DISPLAYED ON DASHBOARD, TRAVELING AROUND 77MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL. BMW OF AKRON SAID THAT BMWNA WILL COVER 35% OF THE COST OF A…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 17V495000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 16V333000 CHILD SEAT
- 14V627000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Fixed free of charge.
- 13V454000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Fixed free of charge.
- 13V570000 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 2013 BMW X3? What happened to yours?
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