RecallRepo

2021 BMW X3 Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2021 BMW X3 has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 597,640 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 26V056000 2026-01-30 87,394 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDrive Convertible), 2021-2023 4 Series (Coupe), 2021-2024 3 Series, 2021-2023 X4, 2021-2024 X3…

Consequence

Fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. A letter informing owners of the safety risk was mailed on March 27, 2026. Owners will receive another letter once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25V636000 2025-09-23 199,674 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.

Consequence

A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs)…

STRUCTURE 24V764000 2024-10-15 8,725 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2022 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the rear cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.

Consequence

Interior rear cargo rail detachment during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicles in this recall were previously remedied for this issue under recall number 24V-534 and will need to have the new…

STRUCTURE 24V534000 2024-07-17 282,387 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2023 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the interior cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.

Consequence

Interior cargo rail detachment during a rear crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

SEATS 23V211000 2023-03-29 51 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i xDrive, 2020-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, 2021 X3 xDrive30e, X4 xDrive30i, and X4M vehicles. The seat frame may not have been welded properly to the seat rails.

Consequence

An improperly welded seat frame may not properly restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat frame and back rest, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 21V199000 2021-03-24 17 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, and X4, and 2021 X4 xDrive30i vehicles. The inlet check valve weld may fail, allowing the filling pipe to separate from the fuel tank.

Consequence

Fuel may leak through the failed weld, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall is scheduled to begin May 17, 2021. Owners were also contacted by telephone. To date, all repairs have been done. No further owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 21V096000 2021-02-19 13,858 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible…

Consequence

If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20V601000 2020-09-30 4,509 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 530e iPerformance and X3 xDrive30e and MINI Cooper Countryman All4 SE, 2020 BMW i8, and 2021 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le xDrive and X5 xDrive45e vehicles. Debris may have entered one or more of the hybrid battery cells during their…

Consequence

The debris could result in a short-circuit, increasing the risk of fire or injury.

Remedy

BMW will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery module free of charge. The remedy is currently being developed. Until the remedy is completed, drivers are instructed to not charge their vehicles. Drivers are instructed to not drive in manual mode, sport mode, and to not use the shift paddles. Owners were…

BACK OVER PREVENTION 20V598000 2020-09-30 312 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these…

Consequence

If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20V490000 2020-08-18 713 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330e and X5 xDrive45e, 2020-2021 X3 xDrive30e, and 2020 MINI Countryman SE ALL4 vehicles. Loose welding beads may form a conductive path between the hybrid battery cells which could lead to a short-circuit.

Consequence

A short-circuited hybrid battery may increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery modules, free of charge. BMW issued owners an interim notification on October 16, 2020. Although potentially affected BMW owners received interim owner notification letters, all potentially affected BMW owner vehicles have been…

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
29
1fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
23
1fires
ENGINE
21
1crashes2fires
STRUCTURE
8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
2crashes
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
5
POWER TRAIN
5
SERVICE BRAKES
5
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
STEERING
4
Total complaints137

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Car suffered a complete electrical failure when stopped at a traffic light. No warnings on dash, wipers made one swipe then vehicle completely shut down. Hazards did not work. Car was towed to dealership”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-05

“The contact owns a 2021 bmw x3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v636000(electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-03

“The contact’s wife owns a 2021 bmw x3. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle on several occasions, the vehicle failed to start. The message "vehicle failed to start - contact dealer" was displayed. The contact stated that for the vehicle to start, the contact had to turn…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-01

“Explosion, fires while the vehicle was off and parked”

ENGINE · reported 2026-05-30

“The oil pump is exhibiting erratic oil pressure behavior, verified by certified bmw technicians. This behavior has been documented by bmw to indicate that the oil pump can fail without warning, leading to an uncommanded loss of propulsion angle. The sudden and unexpected loss of power-assisted…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-05-05

“Filing regarding nhtsa recalls 25v-636 and 26v-056. My 2021 bmw x3 m40i (vin: [xxx] , built september 2020) contains the recall-affected starter part number ending in 997 — confirmed by a bmw level 1 certified technician — not the non-recall part number ending in 505. Bmw denied coverage based…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-04-30

“The contact owns a 2021 bmw x3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v636000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-04-27

“The engine oil pump has an internal plastic housing that can fail and will cause oil pressure variations and even low pressure which can lead to engine failure. This has been documented for a while on various b58tu engines. This a very costly repair that can easily be 5000-6000 usd. Failure of the…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-04-21
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 BMW X3 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.