2004 BMW X3
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2004 BMW X3. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
1 recall names the 2004 BMW X3. Newest first.
BMW IS recalling 200,000 my 2006 3 series sport seat, my 2004-2006 5 series standard and sport seat, and my 2004-2006 X3 passenger vehicles. depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit, small cracks have developed in the mat. if this occurs, the front passenger air bags, with the exception of the head protection system…
In this situation the front passenger air bags will not deploy even if a sufficiently severe accident would occur and occupant protection provided by the system would not be possible.
Dealers will rework the front passenger seat sensor mat so that external force application to the seat does not cause a crack to the mat. the recall began on november 6, 2008. BMW will also extend the warranty on these vehicles to 10 years from first registration without any mileage limit. owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Odometer failed - unable to get this fixed!
Airbag lamp remians on due to failed passenger seat occupancy detection mat. honolulu BMW dealer claims recall 08v384000 was performed july 18, 2008- which IS the exact same date listed in the recall as bmw's report date to nhtsa. the recall campaign and procedure did not get published or begin for nearly a year later. the recall campaign asks that a small sticker be affixed adjacent to the vin tag- there IS no sticker, nor IS there evidence of a sticker ever having been there ( I know what it should look like). the vehicle has not been repainted.
The contact ownd a 2004 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, she dozed off behind the wheel when the vehicle crashed into the rear of a tow truck. As a result, the front end of the vehicle was damaged. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained an injury to the head and bodily soreness. Medical attention was required. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard however, the vehicle was then towed to the contact’s residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an air bag specialist and it was determined that the air bag was not connected. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the air bags failed to deploy due to minimal impact. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number 08V384000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, the contact had not received a response back. The failure mileage was unknown.
The airbag light is on our BMW and my 16 years daughter is driving this car. I cannot believe that BMW did not issue a recall. According to Repair Pal: "What are the symptoms of a bad Air Bag Occupant Sensor? Failing occupant sensors can show one of two symptoms. They may stay on at all times, causing the passenger airbags to stay active even when a passenger is not present. Also, they may not operate at all, which prevents the airbags from activating when a passenger is seated in that seating position. Also, for most systems, the airbag or SRS warning light will illuminate on the instrument cluster, prompting the driver to service the system.
Check oil light came on so vehicle was pulled to the side of the road. within seconds, smoke had engulfed the engine bay. the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames within a few minutes.
TL* the contact owned a 2004 BMW X3. The contact stated while she fell asleep behind the wheel while driving at unknown speed, the vehicle crashed into a tow truck. the contact stated she pulled over after the impact woke her up. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a lot and a police report was not filed. The crash was a front end collision. The dealer was not notified of the crash. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The vehicle was previously serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 08v384000 (air bags). *Dt*jb
While sitting at a red light the car suddenly accelerated and I couldn't control it or stop it while pushing heavily on the brake pedal. I hit the car in front or me. this has happened more than once.
Water seeps into the vehicle from an unknown location and causes a mold effect due to saturation of the floor in the back passenger area. door and sunroof weatherstripping have been professionally checked and deemed not the cause.
While driving my sunroof flew off the vehicle and shattered into pieces. the vehicle was traveling about 35 miles per hour on a city street
Driver's side seat warmer burned skin and scorched leather seat cover when turned on.
Insulation on wiring inside the headlight assembly IS cracking and falling off wiring harness causing a short and blown fuse while driving on city street.
TL* the contact owned a 2004 BMW X3. While the vehicle was stationary in the reverse gear, the vehicle independently accelerated rapidly and crashed into five other vehicles. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the neck, back, and chest. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the crash. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Seat heater on drivers side IS burning through. if left on it would burn through clothes and burn skin.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 BMW X3. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and was unable to restart on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. Burdick BMW (5947 e circle dr, cicero, ny 13039, (315) 459-6000) was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000. The vin was not available.
Driver's seat heating unit overheats when on high setting, to the point of burning skin through the seat and clothing. lower left lumbar and seat bottom appear to be impacted. per service shop, the seat heater grid IS broken, causing 40 degree higher temperatures than normal in the left leg area. ongoing issue, not a single occurrence.
BMW unable and unwilling to complete recall no. 08V384: front passenger seat occupant detection mat recall and warranty coverage extension. no parts available, parts not on order, BMW USA not ordering parts for recall. no timeline given, told to call back in two months.
The airbag light remains on at all times.
Vehicle fires.
Driver's side seat burned through the seat and burned the jacket when the seat heater was turned on while my wife was driving. This IS the second time it happened in this car. First time it happened while the car was under warranty, and the dealership (silver spring BMW of md) replaced the seat under warranty. In this case got lucky it did not catch fire or cause any injury to us. This situation easily could have ended up in a car fire. I was stunned to hear how lithely BMW na approach towards my concern when I called to lodge a complaint. At highway speed this could have been a fatal situation due to distraction this burn created worst car on fire. *tr
My 2004 BMW X3.0I has a hesitation on acceleration. when I am at a complete stop, and begin to accelerate on the gas pedal, light moving off from a red light, the car does a horrific amount of hesitating on acceleration, almost like someone IS coughing, and does this each and every time I come to a complete stop and press the gas peddle. I have tried to get this issue resolved as \i have had this problem since I purchased the vehicle in november, 2007, til this present day, but know one could seem to fix it, until I reviewed the question in a BMW forum, and here IS the link that states the reason why: http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/7237/bmw/x3/bmw-x3-hesitation-on-acceleration my car has 192K, IS paid for. I do not know where else to look for answers. I cannot afford to buy a new car at this time, but paid 29K for this high-end, expensive vehicle. I am wondering if your look into this with BMW. Will correct this issue as a manufacturers error because I have no warranty on my car. please assist me in correcting this issue.
TL* takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 BMW X3. The contact stated that the front passenger air bag warning light flashed and remained illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer stated that the vehicle was excluded from nhtsa campaign number: 08v384000 (air bags). The failure mileage was not available.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 BMW X3. While driving 45 mph, the contact noticed that the heated seats became hotter than normal. The contact pulled over, exited the vehicle, and noticed that the heated seat coils burned holes through the leather seats and the seat covers. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
I turned on my seat heaters to the lowest setting (1OUT of 3) just as I left work. After about 20 seconds as I drove down the road, I felt a sharp burning through my wool jacket in my left thigh/butt area. I turned it off immediately. When I got home and looked at the seat, it had left a burn area in the leather. after looking at different websites and forums online, it seems to be a very common problem with this model. However, based on owner's comments, the dealers aren't taking responsibility.
While I drive my car , I turned on my seat heat , I start feeling burning pain while am driving on highway , the second time when I finished my work and I start my car to head home , I start smelling burning and my leg was burning so bad , I got out of the car , and my seat leather was burning , I saw hole in my seat and the wires inside was burned and smelled terrible , that IS safety issue , if it happened while I was driving on highway , I would get in an accident
The lamps in the rear tail light assembly do not work. the connection IS corroded. similar item was under a recall for 2002-05 3 series sedans (BMW recall campaign 11v-438) and this X3 shares many components with the sedan. the lighting assembly/connector IS suspected to be one of them.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
BMW IS conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 MY04 through MY06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. The specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and MY06/ 3-series with sport seats. In addition, BMW will extend the warranty coverage of the passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat to 10-year/unlimited mileage on approximately 120,000 remaining my04-06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05. The specific vehicles included in the extended warranty are my 06/ 6 series, my 06/ 3-series with standard seats, my04-05/ Z4, my04-06/ 7 series, my 06/ X5, and my04-06/ 5-series with comfort seats.the average frequency of failures among the extended warranty groups was less than 1/7TH of the recall vehicle groups.please see bmw's 08v-384 recall notification for further detailsdepending on seat configuration and vehicle geometry, the occupant detection mat can fatigue during use depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit.specifically, over time, micro-cracks could develop in the side flanks of the mat causing a broken circuit.a brokencircuit can lead to the deactivation of the passenger air bag and the illumination of both the air bag warning light and the passenger air bag light.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.