2017 BMW 3 Series UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
2 low coolant warnings within 4 months ended up being an oil filter housing failure, leading to oil and coolant mixing and leaking. This failure could have lead to catastrophic engine damage. An ASE certified shop is doing the repair for around $2,950.
In October of 2023. I notice low coolant notification came on screen. checked coolant saw it was low. Added Coolants. 3 days later same notification. Took vehicle to Shop who stated the coolant cap seal was broken, so I had them replace the coolant cap. 3 days later the same Low coolant light came back. Every few days I had to put coolant in my vehicle. I went through 2 bottles of coolant. Over the Christmas holiday Dec/2023. I dropped my vehicle off at a shop. The oil filter housing and cooler gaskets was bad. BMW replaced this piece from a metal part with a plastic piece. This is my only vehicle and I had to pay for this expensive repair so I could get back and forth to work. Prior to me having the repair done, when I was trying to figure out the problem. I noticed a lot of online information of the same issues for 2017 BMW 330I. THe shop . did the repair told me he had done about 10 of these repairs for the same Year/Make and Model.,the past few months. I had to pay $2,637.20 for this repair. There is clearly a notable problem with coolant leaks. I make sure I have vehicle serviced when the notifications come on the screen and have documentation to show this. Please look into this issues.
The A/C shuts off after driving 40 minutes and the temperature of 250. Blower is running but will barely force air into the cabin
Was driving down highway going 70mph, I heard a loud pop above me and realized the front sunroof section shattered. Luckily it was not open and shade protected from glass. Glass has gone everywhere on the highway and scratched up the roof and my windshield also cracked.
While driving down the interstate I-65 South, my sunroof spontaneously exploded. It sounded like a bomb explosion inside my car and could have caused grave danger to myself. There was nothing dropped on my sunroof as the screen remained intact and closed with no damage. This was an upward and out explosion of my sunroof, which I feel is a defect and should have been the responsibility of BMW. However, the car manufacturer is prepared to charge me $2,719.05 to fix. This I believe is a defect. How does a sunroof explode spontaneously? Please help.
Failed component: Failure for a motor vehicle to signal the intention to perform a U-TURN maneuver. Safety at risk: U-TURN maneuvers often result in accidents that cause material damage, severe injuries and death of motorists, passengers, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. These accidents usually happen due to the inability of drivers to properly signal or warn others of the intention to execute a U-TURN maneuver because of the non-existence of a U-TURN signal in motor vehicles. Problem reproduced/confirmed? Yes, this problem occurs every day on the public roads/streets of our Nation. Has vehicle/component been inspected? NO, the U-TURN signal has not been added under the NHTSA; therefore, no regulations exist for manufacturers, police, insurance, or others to inspect. Warning lamps/messages? NO, to this day, there is no official warning signal method to alert motorists of the intention to perform, and execution of a U-TURN maneuver. THE SOLUTION: Include U-TURN Signal devices and methods as part of the FMVSS No. 108. An effective/productive/economical and financial U-TURN Signal solution can be attained by the implementation of Patent # US 10,919,442 B1; Devices and methods for motor vehicle U-TURN signaling. The U-Turn signal solution offered under Patent # US 10,919,442 B1 is highly achievable at a low cost to implement. The patent uses a combination of existing and approved lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment, such as headlamps, reverse lamps, turn-signal lamps, and side lamps modules used in concert to generate a universally applicable signal that communicates to other travelers that a U-TURN maneuver is intended and under execution. The signaling device can be implemented via the use of a U-TURN signal switch that activates the light modules of a vehicle that correspond to the direction of the U-TURN maneuver. WE NEED TO ACT NOW TO REDUCE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS/INJURIES/DEATHS RESULTING FROM THE LACK OF U-TURNS WARNING SIGNAL
IN MARCH 2022 I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A MECHANICAL SHOP CLOSE BY. I WAS INFORMED THAT QUICK RELEASE COUPLING OF THE VENTILATION LINE O FTHE CYLINDER HEAD HAD TO BE REPLACED. BMW PART # 17129845173. AS A RESULT OF THIS MALFUNCTION ALL OF THE COOLANT DRAINED FROM THE CAR WHICH CAUSED THE OVERHEATING. IN AUGUST OF 2022 I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BMW USA THAT STATED "DURING A RECENT QUALITY ANALYSIS IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE QUICK RELEASE COUPLING OF THE VENTILATION LINE O FTHE CYLINDER HEAD COULD BREAK RESULTING IN COOLANT LOSS. THE LETTER SAID U SHOLD BRING IT TO MY LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP TO BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED IT WITH BMW PART # 17129845173 (SAME EXACT PART NUMBER). I ASKED IF I COULD BE REIMBURSED SINCE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR. THE SALES ASSOCIATE SAID I HAVE TO GO THOROUGH BMW AMERICA WHO SAID, YES THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PART AND THE CURRENT PROBLEM IS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN MARCH BUT THEY WOULD NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR THE ALMOST 800.00 I PAID TO GET IT FIXED BEFORE I RECEIVED THE RECALL LETTER. THE BMW REPRESENTATIVE THEN PROCEED TO TELL ME " ma’am, let me remind you that you drive a luxury vehicle so next time you have a problem I would suggest pulling over on the side of the road and towing it to a dealer”. I Informed this representative that I was thinking of my safety. I am a single female, in the dark, with my car smoking on the highway and my first instinct was not to pull over on the side of the highway, wait for a tow truck, then find my own ride home from a far away BMW dealership. I HAVE ALL DOCUMENTATION THAT INCLUDES THE INITIAL WORK, THE RECALL LETTER FROM BMW AND THE WORK DONE AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP SHOWING THAT IT WAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I AM SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL WORK AS THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND WAS ALERTED BY BMW INDICATING THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO VEHICLE AND NEEDD TO BE FIXED.
Damaged heat exchanger from debris/rocks getting through grill of car. Now A/C SYSTEM IS BLOWING WARM AIR, IT WILL BLOW COOL FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD AND THEN GET VERY HOT and car overheats. BMW dealer says the radiator needs replaced and will cost $1600. BMWs after 2017 are now manufactured with a mesh grill covering/rock guard to prevent these issues. This should be covered under my warranty and is not.
DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH. SUNROOF AND SHADE WERE BOTH CLOSED. I WAS ACCELERATING SLOWLY. HEARD A SUDDEN, VERY LOUD POP AND GLASS BEGAN TO ENTER THROUGH THE SHADE VENTING AREA. A LARGE PORTION OF GLASS (PROBABLY 1/3 - 1/2) DISLODGED FROM THE AREA, SCRAPED THE BACK OF THE CAR AND LAUNCHED ONTO THE HIGHWAY BEHIND ME. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS BEHIND ME, MUCH LIKE ICE WOULD IF RELEASED FROM THE HOOD OF A MOVING CA.. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND EVALUATE THE DAMAGE. THE SUNROOF APPEARED TO HAVE BUCKLED AND BLOWN OUT, AS THE SHARDS OF GLASS WERE POINTED OUTWARD FROM THE CAR. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS IT IS AN INSURANCE CLAIM AND NOT UNDER WARRANTY, DESPITE HAVING PURCHASED THE CAR CPO JUST OVER ONE MONTH AGO.
THIS RECALL NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 19V349 HAS BEEN OPEN ON MY VEHICLE SINCE APRIL AND BMW HAS NOT REPAIRED MY VEHICLE YET. I WENT INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT YESTERDAY AND ASKED THEM TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS AND THEY SAID THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS. I HAVE A 10 MONTH OLD BABY THAT SITS IN THE BACK SEAT AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE CAR DUE TO THE RECALL. I AM IN A LEASE, HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS CAR? I FEEL LIKE BMW IS NOT TAKING THIS RECALL SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM
I WAS DRIVING WHEN I HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION SOUND. I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAD HIT THE CAR. UPON INSPECTION, I NOTICED THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED INTO THOUSANDS OF PIECES. THIS OCCURRED ON JUNE 17, 2019.
I WAS DRIVING ON A FREE WAY DURING RUSH HOUR WHEN I HEARD AN EXPLOSION. I PULLED OVER AND DISCOVERED THE MOON ROOF TO THE CAR HAD SHATTERED AND CREATED A VERTICAL PROTRUSION FROM THE WINDOW. THE TEMPERATURE THAT AFTERNOON WAS 109 AND I HAD DRIVEN FROM AN ALTITUDE OF 7,000 FEET TO 1,200 FEET. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN TEMPERATURE FROM THE HIGHER ELEVATION. A HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER STOPPED TO OFFER ASSISTANCE AND NOTED HE HAD WORKED IN DEALERSHIP AND THE PROBLEM WAS COMMON. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT LESS THAN A WEEK EARLIER, THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID A ROCK HAD HIT THE CAR AND I SHOULD CONTACT MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THE SERVICE REP INFORMED ME IT WAS IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE WITHOUT EXAMINING THE CAR. I SHARED WHAT THE DPS OFFICER SAID AND THE SERVICE REP JUST SHOOK HIS HEAD. THE CAR IS A PREOWNED CERTIFIED VEHICLE.
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Quick Summary
The 2017 BMW 3 Series has 12 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.