2012 BMW X3 SAV — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

THE PROBLEM STARTED OUT AS AN INTERMITTENT 'TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNING'. FIRST TRIP TO BMW SERVICE CENTER I WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. INTERMITTENT TPMS WARNINGS CONTINUED. SECOND VISIT TO DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER RESULTED IN ONE TPM SENSOR BEING REPLACED. UNFORTUNATELY THE INTERMITTENT TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNINGS CONTINUED TO OCCUR EVERY SO OFTEN. DURING THE PAST YEAR THE MALFUNCTION WARNINGS OCCURRED WITH EVER INCREASING FREQUENCY UNTIL THE TPMS MALFUNCTION BECAME PERMANENT. AT MY LATEST VISIT TO MY BMW SERVICE CENTER I WAS TOLD THE TPMS CONTROLLER MODULE WAS BAD (RDC MODULE). I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST $850 TO REPLACE. A COWORKER WITH A 2012 BMW X3 HAD THE SAME INTERMITTENT TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNING AND WAS ALSO TOLD IT WAS THE RDC MODULE. I THEN SEARCHED THE ONLINE BMW OWNER FORUMS AND FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE COMMON. OTHERS WITH ISSUE WENT AS FAR AS CUTTING OPEN THEIR RDC MODULE. INSIDE THEY FOUND CORROSION WHERE THE CONNECTOR PINS ENTER THE MODULE AND ARE SOLDERED TO THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD. I DECIDED TO DO THE SAME AND I AS WELL FOUND CORROSION INSIDE. THE CORROSION PROGRESSED TO THE POINT THAT TWO OF THE FOUR PINS MEASURED AS OPENS ON AN OHM METER. THIS CORROSION DID NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. IT OBVIOUSLY STARTED BEFORE THE FIRST TIME I RECEIVED AN INTERMITTENT TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNING. IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN TPMS IS REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH RUN FLAT TIRES AS A SAFETY FEATURE. I WOULD ALSO SAY THE CORROSION IS DUE A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT.

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM LOW SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION BUCKS AND JERKS, SEARCHING AROUND FOR THE RIGHT GEAR. AFTER GOOGLING THIS, IT IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM THAT COSTS THOUSANDS TO FIX. WE'VE ALREADY SPENT APPROXIMATELY $1,500 ON IT, AND IT'S STILL HASN'T GONE AWAY. NEXT WOULD BE THE TRANSFER UNIT, WHICH IS UPWARDS OF $5,000. THE CAR ONLY HAS 46,000 MILES ON IT. THE LACK OF ACCELERATION IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, AS IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT OF DANGER, MERGE SAFELY INTO TRAFFIC, ETC. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED.

I WAS DRIVING 60 MILES AN HOUR ON A HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE IN MY 2012 BMW X3 35I SEIZED AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. I HAD TO GLIDE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD INTO THE GRASS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE BMW DEALER (LAUREL BMW WESTMONT) THAT THE CAR NEEDS A NEW ENGINE WHICH WOULD COST $22K. BMW USA OFFERED TO PAY 60% OF THE COST AND WOULD NOT DISCUSS THE SAFETY ISSUES. THE CAR HAS 59.5K MILES AND WAS WELL MAINTAINED.

WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES IN WARM WEATHER, THE STEERING FEELS "STICKY" AND IS HARD TO KEEP IN THE LANE. IT FEELS AS THOUGH YOU ARE FIGHTING TO MAKE THE SMALL CORRECTIONS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE CAR FROM DRIFTING OUTSIDE THE LANE, AND THAT THE STEERING IS "LOCKED" INTO POSITION. IT MAKES DRIVING THE CAR FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD ON THE HIGHWAY UNBEARABLE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED IN ONLINE BMW FORUMS BY MULTIPLE OTHER BMW X3 OWNERS. NEITHER THE DEALERSHIP NOR AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP CAN IDENTIFY WHAT CAUSES THE ISSUE, NOR HOW TO FIX IT. A NUMBER OF SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN TRIED: NEW BATTERY, NEW STEERING MODULE SOFTWARE, A REPLACEMENT STEERING SHAFT, AND AN ALIGNMENT. NONE HAVE FIXED THE ISSUE. THE PROBLEM HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED TO BMW USA.

BOLTS HOLDING THE VARIABLE CAMSHAFT TIMING VANOS HOUSING ARE DEFECTIVE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND BMW NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A RECALL IN 2014 FOR 156000 VEHICLES. HOWEVER, I HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AND BMW SAYS I MUST PAY ALMOST $4,000.00 BECAUSE IT IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL...EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM.