2007 BMW X3 Engine

MY 2007 BMW X3 (E83) FRONT PASSENGER SIDE, "ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET BOLTS" SNAPPED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. AT LEAST 3 OF THE 4 ALUMINUM BOLTS SNAPPED DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION WHICH RESULTED IN MY ENGINE RESTING ON THE VEHICLES WATER PUMP AND EVENTUALLY CAUSING THE WATER PUMP TO FAIL. MY MECHANIC NOTICED THE SNAPPED BOLTS WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO INSTALL A NEW WATER PUMP. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE TO HAVE HALF YOUR ENGINE NOT PROPERLY MOUNTED DOWN AND SHOULD BE A FACTORY RECALL. JUST THINK OF THE DAMAGE A FRONT END COLLISION CAN COST WITH THAT PART OF THE ENGINE ABLE TO MOVE FREELY. ON THE MICRO SIDE IT COST ME A WATER PUMP. HOWEVER IT COULD HAVE DONE MORE DAMAGE. PLEASE RECALL THIS!!! NUMEROUS PEOPLE ONLINE ARE REPORTING THE SAME FAILURE. IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING MALFUNCTION THAT COULD BE AVOIDED BY BMW. THE PROBLEM IS GALVANIZED CORROSION BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT METALS OVER TIME. THE BOLTS ARE ALUMINUM, AND THE ENGINE MOUNTS ARE MAGNESIUM-ALUMINUM MIX. I BELIEVE IT IS THE MAGNESIUM THAT IS CAUSING THE FAILURE. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF FIXES. 1-EASY FIX WOULD BE TO TAKE STEEL BOLTS AND COAT THEM WITH ALUMINUM (THE ALUMINUM WILL SLOW CORROSION AND THE STEEL WILL STRENGTHEN THE BOLT WITHOUT GIVING WAY TO GALVANIZED CORROSION). 2-OTHER FIX WOULD BE TO MAKE THE BOLTS OF THE EXACT SAME MIXTURE AS THE ENGINE BLOCK (MAGNESIUM AND ALUMINUM) NOT JUST ALUMINUM. THE BOLTS STILL WONT BE AS STRONG AS THE STEEL (ALUMINUM) COATED BOLTS.

RIGHT FRONT MOTOR MOUNT BRACKET BOLTS SHEARED OFF. 3 OF THE 4 BOLTS WERE SHEARED OFF, AND IF THE 4TH HAD SHEARED BEFORE WE GOT IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. IF IT HAD HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THIS WOULD HAVE ABSOLUTELY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR

WHEN I PULLED THE COVER PLATE OFF LEADING TO THE ENGINE MOUNT ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE, A SHEARED BOLT FELL OUT. AS I SEARCH TO WHERE IT CAME FROM I NOTICED IT WAS ONE OF THE FOUR BOLTS HOLDING THE ENGINE MOUNT TO THE ENGINE. ONE THING TO MENTION ABOUT THE BOLT IS THAT IS MADE OF ALUMINUM. IT SEEMS COMPLETELY INADEQUATE FOR A HIGH STRESS AREA LIKE AN ENGINE MOUNT. I CANNOT TELL YOU WHEN EXACTLY THE BOLT FAILED, LIKELY IN MOTION AT SOME POINT BETWEEN 70K AND 80K MILES.

DRIVING WITH 85000 MILES ON IT AND IT JUST JUMPS WHEN YOU PUSH THE GAS. HOPS LIKE A BUNNY. THEN IT TAKES OFF LIKE A RACE CAR...WHICH IS DANGEROUS IF A CAR IS IN FRONT OF MY AND I SLAM INTO THEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS CAME AND WENT OVER WEEKS NOW. HAD CODES CHECKED. THERE ARE NO VACCUM LEAKS OR ANYTHING. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING ISSUES WITH THIS. ITS DANGEROUS AND UNACCEPTABLE OF BMW.

"TAKATA RECALL" WHILE DRIVING KNOCK SENSOR KEPT TRIPPING ON THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD IT REPLACED KNOCK SENSOR KEPT TRIPPING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AFTER MECHANICS CHECK MORE INTO IT ALL FOUR ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS WERE SNAPPED OFF ENGINE WAS PRETTY MUCH REST AGAINST THE EXHAUST THEY WERE THE FACTORY BOLTS MADE OF ALUMINUM.

4 MOTOR MOUNT BOLTS WERE SHEERED. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP DUE TO COOLANT LEAK AND FOUND THAT ENGINE HAD BECOME UNMOUNTED AND WAS SITTING ON WATER PUMP THAT WAS CRACKED AND CAUSING THE LEAK. I HAD NOTICED VIBRATION BUT WAS NOT SURE WHAT IT WAS. OVER $2000 REPAIR BILL. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL BMW. *TR

2007 X3 3.0SI 76000 MILES. WHILE PERFORMING AN OIL CHANGE, USER NOTICED OIL DRAIN PLUG NOT ALIGNED WITH OPENING IN STIFFENING PLATE. REMOVED PLATE AND M12 BOLT FELL OUT. UPON INSPECTION, ALL PASSENGER SIDE ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS HAVE BEEN SHEARED OFF OR FALLEN OUT. THIS VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND IS DRIVEN CONSERVATIVELY. RESEARCHED ON-LINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. PROLONGED VEHICLE USE WITH SHEARED ENGINE MOUNTING BOLTS COULD CAUSE DRIVE-LINE FAILURES POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN ACCIDENT, INJURY, AND/OR DEATH. *JS

ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS SHEARED OFF AT THE HEAD CAUSING ENGINE TO FALL ONTO SUBFRAME. *TR

6 OUT OF 8 OF MY MOTOR MOUNT BOLTS WERE SHEARED OR BROKEN IN HALF. THIS IS A COMMON BMW PROBLEM WITH THE N52B SERIES BMW ENGINES AND BMW DOES NOT TAKE ANY OWNERSHIP OF THIS OBVIOUS DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING FLAW. THIS CAUSES A VERY UNSAFE DRIVING DYNAMIC IN THAT THE ENGINE IS NO LONGER HELD SECURELY IN PLACE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW X3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THERE WAS A SEVERE VIBRATION FELT WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS WAS SHEARED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO INFORMED THAT THREE OF THE FOUR ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS WERE SHEARED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY OFFERED TO PROVIDE A FURTHER INVESTIGATION RELATED TO THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON, AND BMW DEALER FOUND A CRACK ON THE WATER PUMP. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE ENGINE WAS NOTED TO BE CANTED, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO ATTACH THE NEW WATER PUMP. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS (TOTAL OF 4 ON ONE SIDE) HAD ALL BROKEN OFF, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO TILT. THE REPAIR WAS $2000 AND WHEN I CALLED BMW USA, THEY SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NO COMPENSATION BACK TO ME, AND THAT THE BROKEN BOLTS WERE SECONDARY TO THE CAR HAVING 90,000 MILES. CHANGING BOLTS IS NOT A NORMAL WEAR AND REPLACEMENT ITEM, AND THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. OUR VEHICLES ARE GENTLY DRIVEN, AND NEVER GO OFF ROAD, SO I AM MYSTIFIED HOW THIS HAPPENED. *TR

3 OUT OF 4 ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS SHEARED OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO DROP 2 INCHES AND DAMAGE THE COOLING SYSTEM. IF THE ENGINE HAD DROPPED FURTHER IT WOULD LIKELY HAVE CAUSED A MORE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND ACCIDENT. *TR

SHEARED ENGINE BOLTS, MOTOR MOUNTS! NEVER HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE...HEARD THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO OTHER X3 DRIVERS. HOW CAN THIS WELL KNOWN VEHICLE MANUFACTURER CAN LET SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. I HAVE TWO KIDS, AND LUCKY I CAUGHT THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMETHING WORST HAPPENED. *JS

WHILE INSPECTING FOR AN OIL LEAK UNDER THE VEHICLE, A BOLT FELL OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE. INSPECTING THE BOLT, IT WAS SHEARED OFF. INSPECTING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ENGINE, IT WAS FOUND THE BOLT CAME FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE ENGINE MOUNT WHERE THE MOUNT BOLTS TO THE BLOCK. AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS FOUND A SECOND BOLT HAD ALSO SHEARED OFF WITH A PORTION OF BOTH BOLTS STILL IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE TWO OTHER BOLTS OF THE ENGINE MOUNT WERE/ARE STILL IN PLACE. EVIDENCE OF CORROSION WAS FOUND AROUND THE BOLT HOLES OF THE MISSING BOLTS AND AROUND THE LOWER BOLT THAT IS STILL IN PLACE. INVESTIGATING ON THE INTERNET REVEALED OTHER OWNERS REPORTING SIMILAR INCIDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. SEE THE FOLLOWING LINKS: HTTP://RECALLBMWMOTORMOUNTBOLTS.BLOGSPOT.COM/ HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.EF15778/4161. *TR