2013 BMW X3 Complaints

FAULTY TIMING CHAIN AND GUIDES. BMW IS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS ISSUES WITH THE N20 TYPE OF ENGINE AND EXTENDED OUT A WARRANTY MANY OF THE VEHICLES BUT MOST OF THE TIMING CHAIN FAIL JUST AFTER THE 70K MILE LIMIT IMPOSED IN THE EXTENSION. BMW OFFERED ME NO HELP IN THIS MATTER AND I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR A REPAIR ON A VEHICLE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED.

DRIVE TRAIN LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS ON PARKWAY AND CAR LOST POWER GOING FROM 55 TO 30 MPH. INFORMED THAT THERE IS A TIMING CHAIN ISSUE

STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING A DRIVERTRAIN PROBLEM, CAR LOST POWER. RESTARTED CAR; WOULD ONLY MOVE SLOWLY (AT 20-30MPH). COMPUTER RECOMMENDED DRIVING MODERATELY. LATER GOT THE PROBLEM FIXED BY LOCAL DEALER. ABOUT 5 MONTHS LATER, SAME ISSUE OCCURRED. STARTED CAR AT WORK TO DRIVE HOME. SAME WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING THE SAME ISSUE. CAR WOULD MOVE ONLY AT UP TO 30MPH. LUCKY BOTH TIMES THE PROBLEM CAME UP AT LOCAL STREETS. IF ON HIGHWAY, CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES WOULD OCCUR.

AT APPROX. 60,200 MILES, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A SECONDARY ROAD, MOVING AT ABOUT 45 MPH AND RECEIVED THE DRIVE TRAIN WARNING AND AS I WAS PULLING OVER, I RECEIVED THE LOW ENGINE PRESSURE WARNING. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED.

I HAVE A 2013 BMW X3 WITH 85K MILES AND WAS DRIVING ON A 4-LANE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH WHEN A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION AND THAT I SHOULD 'DRIVE MODERATELY'. WITHIN SECONDS, A SECOND WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING LOW OIL PRESSURE AND THAT I SHOULD 'ADD A QUART OF OIL'. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE CAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE GEAR SHIFT. I TURNED THE CAR OFF TO CHECK THE OWNER'S MANUAL ABOUT THE DRIVETRAIN WARNING LIGHT, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. THE ENTIRE SCENARIO LASTED ABOUT 10-15 SECONDS, AND PRIOR TO THIS, I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND WAS DILIGENT ABOUT PERFORMING ROUTINE SERVICE ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE CLOSEST BMW DEALERSHIP. I RECEIVED A CALL THE FOLLOWING DAY NOTIFYING ME THAT CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE HAD OCCURRED TO THE ENGINE AND THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE! APPARENTLY, THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDE BROKE, THE PIECES FELL INTO THE OIL PAN AND LODGED AGAINST THE SCREEN THAT KEEPS DEBRIS OUT OF THE ENGINE, AND STARVED THE ENGINE OF OIL. WHILE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE $12,000 REPAIR BILL, I AM EQUALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DANGER THAT IS POSED BY THE SUDDEN AND COMPLETE DISABLEMENT OF THE VEHICLE THAT COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CAR OWNER OR TO ANOTHER DRIVER WHO ENCOUNTERS THE DISABLED CAR ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. I SPOKE WITH 3 SERVICE ADVISORS AT 3 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, AND THE SERVICE ADVISORS SAID 'IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM'. I ALSO REVIEWED NHTSA AND CARCOMPLAINTS.COM WEBSITES AND FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. I ANTICIPATE MORE INCIDENCES OF TIMING CHAIN GUIDE FAILURE MORE DRIVERS REACH 75K PLUS MILES.

VARIOUS FAILURES IN POWER TRAIN INCLUDING TRANSFER CASE, TURBO, HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION, AND TRANSMISSION. FAILURES HAVE HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING ON CALIFORNIA FREEWAYS. FAILURES SOMETIMES REQUIRE TOWING. SOMETIMES CAUTION DRIVER TO PROCEED AT LOWER SPEEDS.

THE BRAKES ARE LESS OR NOT RESPONSIVE IN CITY DRIVE. I NOTIFIED 3 TIMES TO DEALER BUT THEY SAID NO PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. IT MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG IN ELECTRONICS. ALOT OF OTHER OWNERS OF 2013 BMW X3 HAVE SAME COMPLAINT. IT IS VERY RISKY. IT HAPPENED 3 OUT OF 4 TIMES WHIKE DRIVING IN 35 MPH LIMITS. THOUGH THE BRAKES FEEL GOOD AT HIGH SPEED OR HIGHWAY LIMITS

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60-70 MILES, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT THEN CAR COMPLETELY LOST ALL POWER INCLUDING BREAKS AND STEERING. LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO A SERVICE LANE. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND HAD TOW TO THE DEALER. DEALER PERFORMED AN OIL ANALYSIS AND FOUND LOTS OF METAL SHAVINGS/PARTICLES IN THE OIL WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE. MEANWHILE THE OIL WAS JUST CHANGED 3 WEEKS PRIOR. CLEARLY THIS IS MANUFACTURE DEFECT. BMW NORTH AMERICA DOES NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE NUMEROUS CLASS ACTIONS SUITS REGARDING TIMING CHAIN FAILURE WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO SEIZE DUE TO FAILURE OF PLASTIC TIMING CHAIN GUIDES. HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO REPAIR DEFECTIVE ENGINE. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AS THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC IF SOMEONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT OR EVEN KILLED. BMW DOES NOT VALUE THE SAFETY OF THEIR CONSUMERS NOR DO THEY STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS "ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE" TO ANYONE!

AS WITH OTHER BMW'S, THESE TOO HAVE FAULTY OCCUPANCY SENSORS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE GOING BAD ACROSS OTHER LINES. THERE IS NO REASON THIS VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR EXACTLY THE SAME REASON AS OTHERS ARE RECALLED FOR FAULTY SENSORS.

DIGEST: - ENGINE STOPPED OPERATION SUDDENLY WHEN RUNNING ON A CITY STREET, I FELT DANGEROUS SINCE THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME HONKED LOUDLY. - THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED. THE DEALER AND BMW CUSTOMER CENTER DETERMINE THAT REASON IS LACKING IN ENGINE OIL CHANGE. - THE TRUE ROOT CAUSE IS THAT THE CAR HAS NO ENGINE OIL LEVEL WARNING MESSAGE OR SIGN SHOWN ON EITHER CLUSTER OR CONTROL DISPLAY. DESCRIPTION: WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON CITY ROAD THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THERE WAS A NEAR ACCIDENT SINCE THE CAR BEHIND HONKED LOUDLY. SINCE THE ENGINE OIL IS RELATED THE CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE, I BELIEVE ALL PASSENGER CAR SHOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH ENGINE OIL WARNING FEATURE (I SEE IT IN FMVSS REQUIREMENT). BMW OWNER'S MANUAL DESCRIBES "THE OIL LEVEL IS MONITORED ELECTRONICALLY DURING DRIVING AND SHOWN ON THE CONTROL DISPLAY" (SEE ATTACHED 1), BUT MY CAR DID NOT SHOW THIS KIND OF WARNING. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES: (1) THE FUNCTION OF WARNING DEFECTED OR (2) THIS FUNCTION WAS NOT ACTUALLY EQUIPPED ORIGINALLY (MANUFACTURER LIES TO CONSUMER). EACH WAY, THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT. BY THE WAY, I CHECKED THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL AFTER THE ENGINE MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTROL DISPLAY SHOWS GREEN "ENGINE OIL LEVEL IS OK (SEE ATTACHED 2) I BELIEVE THAT SAME DEFECT EXISTS IN MULTIPLE MODELS OF BMW CAR. THERE ARE POTENTIALLY MORE DRIVERS WILL MISS THE ENGINE OIL CHANGE BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ENGINE OIL CHANGE WARNING. THEREFORE THERE ARE HIGH POTENTIAL HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE SINCE THIS DEFECT. BMW SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RECALL ALL MODELS WITH THIS DEFECT. I SEE THERE IS A RECALL CASE IN NHTSA WEBSITE DUE TO "LACK OF DRIVER WARNING FOR LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE", RECALL NUMBER IS 13V592000.