2004 Bmw X3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 182 complaints
182
Total Complaints
70,000mi
Median Mileage
SEATS
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

21,000 25th Percentile
70,000 Median Mileage
104,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEATS
28
AIR BAGS
18
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
17
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
ENGINE
6
STRUCTURE
5
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
5

Severity Assessment

18
Crashes
16
Fires
21
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO PARK VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE. VEHICLE SELF ACCELERATED VIOLENTLY AND CRASHED THROUGH THE WALL.MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WAS CONTACTED THE NEXT MORNING, MANUFACTURER PROMISED TO INVESTIGATE.MESSAGE LEFT WITH DEALER'S ASS'T SHOP MANAGER FOR INSTRUCTION, STILL WAITING FOR CALL ..."
"MULTIPLE ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS FROM DAY OF PURCHASE. FUEL GAUGE PROBLEMS/AIR CONDITIONING SHUT DOWN AND SLOWING/DASHBOARD MALFUNCTIONED, CUMULATING IN FAILURE OF IGNITION. 3 DAYS LATER, BATTERY INDICATED A GREEN SENSOR, THEREFORE ASSUMPTION ELECTRONIC FAILURE OCCURRED ELSEWHERE. *AK"
"MULTIPLE ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS FROM DAY OF PURCHASE. FUEL GAUGE PROBLEMS/AIR CONDITIONING SHUT DOWN AND SLOWING/DASHBOARD MALFUNCTIONED, CUMULATING IN FAILURE OF IGNITION. 3 DAYS LATER, BATTERY INDICATED A GREEN SENSOR, THEREFORE ASSUMPTION ELECTRONIC FAILURE OCCURRED ELSEWHERE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28