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2018 BMW X3 recalls
NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for the 2018 BMW X3, filed between November 15, 2017 and October 15, 2024. Each one is below with what is wrong and the free fix.
| Campaign | Filed | Part |
|---|---|---|
| 24V764000 | October 15, 2024 | Structure |
| 24V534000 | July 17, 2024 | Structure |
| 21V521000 | July 8, 2021 | Air bags: frontal |
| 20V152000 | March 18, 2020 | Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel |
| 19V684000 | September 27, 2019 | Back over prevention: camera |
| 19V563000 | July 31, 2019 | Seats |
| 18V453000 | July 6, 2018 | Service brakes, hydraulic: caliper |
| 18V431000 | June 21, 2018 | Exterior lighting: turn signal |
| 18V374000 | June 6, 2018 | Lane departure: steering assist |
| 18V154000 | March 7, 2018 | Structure: body |
| 17V719000 | November 15, 2017 | Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel |
Structure (24V764000)
Filed October 15, 2024
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2022 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the rear cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
What could happen. Interior rear cargo rail detachment during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix. Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicles in this recall were previously remedied for this issue under recall number 24V-534 and will need to have the new repair completed.
Structure (24V534000)
Filed July 17, 2024
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2023 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles. The attachment for the interior cargo rail may become damaged in a rear crash and result in the cargo rail detaching.
What could happen. Interior cargo rail detachment during a rear crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix. Dealers will replace the rear cargo rail attachment bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags: frontal (21V521000)
Filed July 8, 2021
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant classification system may have been improperly assembled, which could result in the misclassification of the seat as unoccupied, and deactivate the front air bag.
What could happen. A deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix. Dealers will replace the seat foam, which includes the occupant classification system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel (20V152000)
Filed March 18, 2020
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 X4 xDrive30i and X4 M40i, and 2018-2020 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3M vehicles. The instrument panel casing may not have been tightened properly to the passenger air bag.
What could happen. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag could damage the instrument panel and cause small pieces of the panel to strike the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel casing, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Back over prevention: camera (19V684000)
Filed September 27, 2019
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
What could happen. The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Seats (19V563000)
Filed July 31, 2019
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, xDrive30i and M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i and M40i vehicles. The front seatback frames may have been improperly welded, allowing the seatback to unexpectedly fold forward or rearward.
What could happen. In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the seatback folds forward or rearward.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seats, free of charge. The recall began September 27, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service 1-800-525-7417.
Service brakes, hydraulic: caliper (18V453000)
Filed July 6, 2018
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 BMW X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and certain 2019 X4 xDrive30i and X4 M40i vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
What could happen. A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the rear brake circuit, free of charge. The recall began August 31, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Exterior lighting: turn signal (18V431000)
Filed June 21, 2018
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW X3 xDrive30i and X3 M40i vehicles. The rear turn signals on the outboard side panel will illuminate red, while the inboard turn signals simultaneously illuminate amber. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
What could happen. Turn signals that flash multiple colors may confuse other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear turn signal lights, and replace if necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Lane departure: steering assist (18V374000)
Filed June 6, 2018
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 BMW X3 xDrive30i, X3 sDrive30i, and X3 M40i vehicles equipped with the "Active Lane Keeping Assistant" option. The steering wheel may be incompatible with the lane keeping assistant function and may not detect if the driver's hands are off the wheel.
What could happen. If the sensors do not properly detect the driver's hands are off the wheel, the driver may not be alerted by one or more warning signals, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering wheel, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Structure: body (18V154000)
Filed March 7, 2018
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW X3 xDrive30i and X3 M40i vehicles. The rear spoiler may not have been properly attached during assembly, or may be missing screws, possibly causing the spoiler to detach while driving.
What could happen. If the spoiler detaches while driving, it can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spoiler, correcting its attachment as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 1, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel (17V719000)
Filed November 15, 2017
What is wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive, M2, and X3 xDrive 30i SAV vehicles. These vehicles may have an error in the software for the instrument panel, causing the display to not properly illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Control and Displays."
What could happen. If the display does not illuminate during start up or does not illuminate various control and warning symbols while driving, it can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster display software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Check that your car is on the list
Most campaigns cover only cars built in a certain date range or at a certain plant, so a 2018 BMW X3 may or may not be included. The VIN is the only sure test. It is 17 characters, on the dashboard by the windshield and on the driver door jamb sticker. Look up your VIN.
How to confirm the repair is free
- Call any authorized BMW dealer service desk and give them the VIN and the campaign number from the list above.
- Ask them to confirm the campaign is open for your car. If it is, the parts and labor are covered.
- If the dealer says the part is not in stock, ask for a written note with the date, and ask about a loaner if the notice says not to drive the car.
- Keep the repair order. It shows the campaign number and proves the work was done.
If you already paid for a repair that a recall later covered, BMW may owe you a refund. Ask the dealer or BMW customer service about reimbursement, and keep your receipts.
Other model years of the X3
More: all BMW recalls, check-engine codes, car repair costs.
2018 BMW X3 recall questions
How many recalls does the 2018 BMW X3 have?
NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for the 2018 BMW X3. A campaign can cover only some cars of that model year, so check your VIN to see whether yours is included.
Is a recall repair on a 2018 BMW X3 free?
Yes. A safety recall repair is free at an authorized BMW dealer, whatever the age or mileage of the car and no matter who owns it now.
How do I know if my 2018 BMW X3 was already fixed?
Enter the VIN on our recall page. If a campaign is still open, it shows as open. You can also ask a dealer to run the VIN, or look at the service history paperwork for the campaign number.
Source: NHTSA recalls API, checked 2026-10-28. Text is NHTSA's wording of each campaign. New campaigns are added over time. Not a repair shop, estimates only.