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BMW X3 SAVYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 274 owner complaints and 3 safety recalls on record for the BMW X3 SAV.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints274Top: Air bagsSafety recalls32007–2012 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

BMW X3 SAV years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the X3 SAV median. Tap a year for its full report.

'07'08'09'10'11'12
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2012Not rated–/1006 complaints · 0 recalls2011Not rated–/10013 complaints · 1 recall2010Not rated–/10023 complaints · 3 recalls2009Not rated–/10016 complaints · 2 recalls2008Not rated–/10056 complaints · 2 recalls2007Not rated–/100160 complaints · 2 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common BMW X3 SAV problems

All model years combined: 274 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags983
Power train551
Seats5028
Engine374
Electrical system2813
Steering111
Structure83
Vehicle speed control81
Fuel/propulsion system61
13 other systems313
3 recalls

BMW X3 SAV recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

27%Emission control: crankcase (pcv)22V-119 · 2007–2010 · Mar 2, 2022 · 917,106 vehicles47%Driver side: inflator module16V-071 · 2007–2010 · Feb 5, 2016 · 840,000 vehicles81%Engine and engine cooling: engine14V-176 · 2010–2011 · Apr 10, 2014 · 156,137 vehicles
1 investigation

NHTSA investigations of the X3 SAV

  1. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · 2007–2012 · still open
    Open