4 motor mount bolts were sheered. Took to dealership due to coolant leak and found that engine had become unmounted and was sitting on water pump that was cracked and causing the leak. I had noticed vibration but was not sure what it was. Over $2000 repair bill. This seems to be a common problem with this model bmw.
2007 BMW X3 SAV engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 21 of 21, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Engine mount bolts sheared off at the head causing engine to fall onto subframe.
I was driving on the interstate, exiting an off ramp, decelerating in speed when the engine died, the car stalled and I lost power steering. This very same thing happened 5 weeks prior while I was on the interstate traveling 60 MPH.
2007 x3 3.0si 76000 miles. While performing an oil change, user noticed oil drain plug not aligned with opening in stiffening plate. Removed plate and m12 bolt fell out. Upon inspection, all passenger side engine mount bolts have been sheared off or fallen out. This vehicle has never been in an accident and is driven conservatively. Researched on-line and found that this is not an isolated incident. Prolonged vehicle use with sheared engine mounting bolts could cause drive-line failures potentially resulting in accident, injury, and/or death.
6 out of 8 of my motor mount bolts were sheared or broken in half. This is a common bmw problem with the n52b series bmw engines and bmw does not take any ownership of this obvious design or manufacturing flaw. This causes a very unsafe driving dynamic in that the engine is no longer held securely in place.
Low coolant light came on, and bmw dealer found a crack on the water pump. Upon further inspection, the engine was noted to be canted, making it impossible to attach the new water pump. It was discovered that the engine mount bolts (total of 4 on one side) had all broken off, causing the engine to tilt. The repair was $2000 and when I called bmw USA, they said that there would be no compensation back to me, and that the broken bolts were secondary to the car having 90,000 miles. Changing bolts is not a normal wear and replacement item, and the car has never been in an accident. Our vehicles are gently driven, and never go off road, so I am mystified how this happened.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 bmw x3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a severe vibration felt without warning. The contact noticed that one of the engine mount bolts was sheared. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who informed that three of the four engine mount bolts were sheared. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they offered to provide a further investigation related to the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
3 out of 4 engine mount bolts sheared off while driving. This caused the engine to drop 2 inches and damage the cooling system. If the engine had dropped further it would likely have caused a more catastrophic failure and accident.
Sheared engine bolts, motor mounts! Never have seen this before...heard this has been happening to other x3 drivers. How can this well known vehicle manufacturer can let something like this happen. I have two kids, and lucky I caught the problem before something worst happened.
While inspecting for an oil leak under the vehicle, a bolt fell off of the side of the engine. Inspecting the bolt, it was sheared off. Inspecting the underside of the engine, it was found the bolt came from the passenger side engine mount where the mount bolts to the block. At the same time, it was found a second bolt had also sheared off with a portion of both bolts still in the engine block. The two other bolts of the engine mount were/are still in place. Evidence of corrosion was found around the bolt holes of the missing bolts and around the lower bolt that is still in place. Investigating on the internet revealed other owners reporting similar incidents, including those causing substantial damage when the vehicle was in motion when the failure occurred. See the following links: http://recallbmwmotormountbolts.blogspot.com/ http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef15778/4161.
Bmw x3 is extremely dangerous to drive it will not accelerate slowly . It hesitates in acceleration from a stop, on hills, on corners and then takes off very rapidly. The dealership in seattle has worked on it three times and reports that they cannot fix it, they are aware of it but no fix is available. Bmw in fife refused to even try to fix it because it cannot be repaired. Someone is going to get killed because of this defect.
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