18 complaints reported

2020 BMW X3 Electrical System

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
18
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Aug 2026

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); however, parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was contacted; however, the parts were still not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Aug 2026
Mar 2026

Emergency call system - TCB module failure. A Telematics Control Box, is an embedded computer in my X3. It processes, and transmits data wirelessly. it is a hub for my car to connect services like GPS tracking, diagnostics, infotainment, emergency calls (e.g., eCall), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, enabling real-time monitoring for safety, efficiency, and fleet management. It connects the car to the internet for emergency services. If the TCB were working properly it would call 911 automatically. It has failed and now it will not call automatically if I get into an accident. The car had less than 50K miles and the dealer wanted to charge $2500 to fix. This should be a recall due to the safety issue. This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's a critical safety feature failure, disabling automatic crash notification and location services. It has disabled all other msg and the error msg stays on continuously and I am unable to see any other msg that could appear.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Feb 2026

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that several attempts were needed while cold-starting the vehicle. The contact stated that prior to receiving notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); the battery was replaced; however, the vehicle was still difficult to start. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the remedy was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Nov 2025
Jan 2026

There is an open recall(NHTSA Recall Number25V636) for my vehicle since September 2025 and there is still no remedy available from the manufacturer (BMW). I am told by the dealer that they won't have the part for next several months. This is unacceptable as I need to get the urgent safety recall fixed as soon as possible.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Sep 2025
Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted on three occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Sep 2025
Dec 2025

Appears to be related to recall 25V636. Vehicle is 2020 BMW X3 M40i, equipped with same engine as the Supra (B58). Engine would not start with the push of the "start button". Pressing a second time would sometimes start, but as time went on the number of presses required to start took minutes to up to 30 minutes before engine would start. Had starter motor replaced October, 2025 and mechanic observed that starter motor was shorting out, similar to existing recall. However, my vehicle is not included in the recall.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Nov 2025
Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted who confirmed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who confirmed the recall status. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool showed no open recall.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Dec 2025
Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2020 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 contact stated that the fire risk was a major concern. In addition, the contact stated that the temperature was 14 degrees below freezing the past weekend where the contact resided. The contact inquired about what might happen if the vehicle were parked on the street in the neighborhood. The manufacturer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Dec 2025
Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2020 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 not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Dec 2025
Nov 2025 Crash

The contact owned a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 10-15 MPH in a parking lot and attempting to make a turn, the brake pedal was depressed, but the pedal travelled down to the floor, and the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the steering wheel seized, and the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the pedal travelled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle became inoperable, causing the front driver's side bumper and door of the vehicle to crash into the rear-end of an unoccupied parked vehicle, and then the front end of the vehicle crashed into the side of another occupied parked vehicle. All the air bags of the vehicle deployed. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The police report confirmed that the impacts occurred a few moments before the contact received failure notifications on the vehicle mobile app. The vehicle remained inoperable and was towed to Spitler's Collision, where it was deemed a total loss. The Chevrolet dealer where the vehicle was purchased was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent engineers who inspected the vehicle at Spitler's Collision 8 months later. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the collisions occurred because the driver did not turn away from the other vehicles and did not depress the brake pedal as needed, which the contact stated was the description of the failure. No further assistance was provided. The manufacturer and the auto finance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The failure mileage was 67,540.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Nov 2024
Oct 2025

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting. The contact then stated that while at a relative's home, the vehicle failed to start after multiple attempts, with white colored smoke coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact used a code reader and retrieved DTC: 216113, 21611A, 21A511, and 216115. Due to the failure, the vehicle remained at the relative's home. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); and linked it to the failure. The manufacturer and the dealer were notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Oct 2025
Jun 2025

Backup camera failure , missing rearview image when car gear is shifted to R, increasing the risk of crash and injury. When reversing the backup camera does not display any image/video feed on the screen, only the collision warning system is displayed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: May 2025
Jul 2022

The contact owns the 2020 BMW X3. The contact purchased the vehicle in March of 2021 and then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V601000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at the dealer since December of 2021 unrepaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact was provided with a loaner vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Dec 2021
Nov 2021

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V601000 (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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jan 2021
May 2021

On August 31, 2020, I purchased a new 2020 BMW X3E, manufactured and warranted by BMW, from Habberstad BMW, located at 945 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station, New York 11746. On or about October 14, 2020, I was notified by a BMW Safety Recall regarding a defective battery in my hybrid vehicle. I later learned that on or about September 2, 2020, BMW submitted a Part 573 Safety Recall Report to the NHTSA, that on August 11, 2020, BMW decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall, and that per the Safety Recall in August 2020, BMW dealerships were expressly told NOT to sell any new motor vehicles that were subject to this recall. Thus, when I purchased my new vehicle, BMW and the dealership knew about the safety recall and they still sold me the vehicle. The value of the vehicle has cratered since the Safety Recall was announced and I made payments for the vehicle and maintained insurance on the vehicle for many months while the safety defect was being addressed by BMW. I attempted to resolve these issues with BMWNA for a sum on money and for BMW to take back the defective vehicle, but no agreement was reached. Finally, I recently filed a lawsuit against BMW of North America, LLC and Habberstad Motorsport, Inc. under the New York State Lemon Law, for unlawful and deceptive trade practice, and for fraudulent inducement. All relevant documents, including the Summons and Complaint from the lawsuit are attached to this Vehicle Complaint Form. I would be happy to provide additional documentation or answer additional questions on this matter.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Aug 2020
Nov 2020

TAILGATE OPENED SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. HAD TO STOP AND CLOSE THE TAILGATE FROM THE OUTSIDE (INTERIOR SWITCH DID NOT WORK).

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Nov 2020
Nov 2020

ALARM SPONTANEOUSLY TRIGGERED (WHISTLING SOUND AND FLASHING LIGHTS) TWICE. THE FIRST TIME, THE VEHICLE HAD COME TO A STOP AND WAS IN PARK (PASSENGERS IN VEHICLE), WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING IN DRIVE-READY MODE. THE ALARM TURNED OFF BY ITSELF AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS. THE SECOND TIME, THE ALARM TRIGGERED WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. IT STAYED TRIGGERED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, EVEN AFTER STOPPING AND TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES. (WE DIDN'T TRY TO LOCK THE VEHICLE.) THE ALARM WAS FINALLY TURNED OFF PRESSING THE ALARM BUTTON ON THE KEY FOB.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Nov 2020
May 2020

MEDIA COUNSEL KEEP SHUTTING DOWN

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 BMW X3, Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 BMW X3 has 18 Electrical System complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.