ON 9THSEPT'2021 when my wife driving back from work she got " drivetrain malfunction msg on the screen, she pulled over and called me, i was there in 15mins and did try shut off the engine for few mins and start, it didnt go in 2019 i got the same msg and SUV stalled in the middle of road, i stopped the engine waited for 2 mins and restarted, the msg was gone. when we towed the vehicle to BWM-Shrewsbury, he said we need to replace the engine and its going to cost close to $18000 and said he'll try to work with BMW corp long story short i ended up trading the vehicle for low cost and got a new one as the dealer left no choice
2013 BMW X3 transmission complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 60, newest first, as owners wrote them.
low oil pressure light then Drivetrain malfunction light came on car completely shut off, no steering, no control very hard to get it to the side of the road. Would not go into neutral for tow, had to be dragged onto a tow truck bed. BMW knows of this problem with the PLASTIC drivetrain, BMW still refusing to recall this car, or engine. MANY COMPLAINTS ONLINE!!! CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT APPARENTLY IN PROCESS. I replaced the engine in this car, now 2 years later same DRIVETRAIN problem. Told car needs another engine. Why should the little guy have to deal with this cost and danger!! BMW should stand up and recall this car 2013 x3.
April 22, 2021 (87181 Odometer Out) Virginia Inspection. Passed. Recommended replacement of front rotors and brake pads. July 22, 2021 (87989 Odometer Out) Oil Change, tune up if needed, front rotors and brake pads replaced. Did not reset vehicle computer: hood light as well as brake light came on over the next week. August 5, 2021 Brought back to repair shop. Computer reset (88148 Odometer Out). Aug 13, 2021 Driving approx 45 miles per hour when the engine cut out, I narrowly pulled over but not quite out of the road--error message: Drivetrain Malfunction, "Drive Moderately. Maximum drivetrain out put not available. Consult Service Center." Dangerous section of road, traffic, extremely hot and humid, with thunder storms. Turned the car off and tried to start, error message flashed, "No service since 2015." Towed first to repair station who performed the recent maintenance on the vehicle. They did not look at the vehicle until several days later. When they did, they informed it was the camshaft position sensor. And further, that the sensor would have to be replaced (@$700) so that the car could start and then they would recheck for the problem. Without a car for several weeks. August 17, 2021 had the car towed to a shop suggested by a neighbor. There, the owner/mechanic stated that he could see glimpses of the "guide" (timing chain), that it was broken and suggested I have it seen by a BMW-specific shop to make the repair. I located a shop in Winchester VA and had it towed there. Confirmed it was the timing chain. 10/19/21 Picked up. Total charge: $3796.19. I found that this was a known issue and the owner confirmed. However, the fix was only extended to 7 years/70K miles. I bought this car from a dealer in 2015. I was never informed of this known issue; not from the Dealer, the service shop, or BMW notification(s) via email or other. The break down and the multiple negative impacts caused could have been avoided.
I was driving on the highway and took my exit and the car suddenly stopped with the message "Drivetrain malfunction. Drive moderately." After this, the car would not move even with the engine on. It was as if the it was stuck in one gear and wouldn't move to "Drive". I turned the car off and back again. At this time, the car started to sputter after it started. Then, I let it stopped the engine for about 20 minutes. When the problem happened, the check engine light came on. After 20 minutes, I started the car again and I was able to drive it and the check engine light went away. However, since I had to go back on the highway, I was concerned about driving as it might stop suddenly on the highway and create a major accident. As per google, this seems to be a common issue with BMW X3's. The company should recall and repair such an incidence from happening.
More frequent drive train errors and loss of power. Cause defective timing chain guide. This seems to be very common on this year and model of BMW speaking with other BMW owners of the same car. Luckily we were not in heavy traffic and could drive to repair shop.
While driving in the southbound fast lane on Highway 101 on July 28, 2021 near Morgan Hill, California, the computer screen advised that there was a fuel supply problem, and at that instant, the engine shut down and the transmission went into park. There was no opportunity to coast onto the shoulder. The vehicle would not restart, nor would it shift out of park. My wife and I were trapped in a vehicle that would not and could not move, in the fast lane of a major California freeway, surrounded by rush hour traffic, with the likelihood that we would be rear ended and perish in a frozen car. The danger was severe. We put the emergency flashers on. Other cars were passing us on the shoulder and on the right hand side, and getting out of the car was dangerous and impossible. We were convinced that we were going to die or be severely injured. We called 911 and at that moment another driver pulled behind us to offer a buffer of safety with his car, until the California Highway Patrol arrived and a tow truck was called. Until the arrival of the tow truck, we remained in severe danger. The tow truck had to pull the vehicle to the shoulder locked in park, causing it to shudder as the rear wheels hopped on the pavement. Eventually we hired a flat bed tow truck to bring the vehicle to our local BMW dealer, and the problem was diagnosed as a faulty fuel pump. Apparently, if your fuel pump fails with this vehicle, you may die. This problem is documented with other drivers at the website carproblemzoo.com/bmwX3/other-fuel-system-pump-problems.php, all of whom were put in peril as a result of this systemic failure. I hope that this notification may save some lives, and would welcome further contact to discuss the matter further. My wife and I still suffer from emotional distress and PTSD, as a direct result of this incident, and will not drive this vehicle again.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. During the failure, the message "transmission malfunction" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the residence and later examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing chain had failed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The engine failed while driving on the highway on 06/22/2021. My safety was put at risk because the traffic was heavy during the middle of a rain storm on the interstate. Cars had to swerve to avoid me as I was only able to coast my vehicle to the side of the highway. I was almost struck by traffic. A number of warning lights suddenly went off without have gone off before in king and oil pressure message and engine failure message and a transmission failure message all at once. I am in the process of getting the vehicle towed to be inspected. This appears to be a known problem with 2013 BMW X3s according to the research I have done since the incident but BMW won’t issue a recall for the vehicles even though they are aware that this is a dangerous vehicle issue according to websites like bimmerpost,com and car gurus.com which have similar incidents to mine posted on their websites. BMW needs to issue a recall and make the appropriate repairs.
My cars check engine light and drive train alert came on, so I took it to be inspected. It was not running well, seems to have much less power than usual on the way to the mechanic. I have been told that the power chain guides have broken and must be replaced. This could cause the power chain to come off mid-drive and completely shut the car down.The cost of parts and labor for repair will be around $3,300. This car isn’t old, is well cared for and maintained and does not have high mileage.
The system that failed was the TIMING CHAIN AND CHAIN TENSIONER. The vehicle stalled while I was driving on the interstate. Immediately, I had no power and had to maneuver the vehicle to the emergency lane, placing me and other drivers in extreme danger. The problem was inspected, confirmed and repaired by the vehicle dealer. Prior to stalling, there were no warning lights to indicate a problem. The lights did come on simultaneously with the engine failure.
Vehicle indicated a drivetrain malfunction. It was determined by the dealer that the system that failed was TIMING VALVETRONIC MOTOR. The vehicle stalled as I was making a left hand turn off of a busy highway, putting myself and oncoming traffic at serious risk of collision. Oncoming vehicles were able to slow until I was able to maneuver the vehicle out of the lane of oncoming traffic. The dealer confirmed that they "found the vehicle stalling and not running correctly. Performed vehicle test. Found faults for valvetronic motor. Set multiple additional faults for mixture and air mass. Valvetronic is failing and should be replaced." The vehicle component was inspected by the dealer who sold me the car. There were no warning lights nor other indicators of component failure prior to the vehicle stalling on the highway. This is the second time this vehicle has stalled in dangerous situations. The first time was a drivetrain malfunction/engine failure due to TIMING CHAIN AND TIMING TENSIONER malfunction. Most likely the VALVETRONIC SYSTEM failure is directly related to the TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER malfunction. Both systems failed within a very short period of time, and within fewer than 4,000 miles of each other.
My 2013,_bmw x3 check engine light went on and I noticed power loss when it didn't drive over 40mph. I had the vehicle diagnostics done at my local bmw shop and they told me I have a bad timing chain and sprockets and gave me a bill in the thousands. I called bmw corporate and spoke to lori who is aware of the issue and said, an extended warranty was issued but that it expired in 2018. They offered me no other financial assistance because my car has 100,499 miles. So that's it a car dies at 100,000 miles and they can't help??? That's awful. There's so many complaints about this issue. My other 2007 bmw x3 huge problems too overheating, my motor mount bolt broke the engine dropped and broke the water pump. Garbage, garbage, garbage I will never buy bmw. Shame on bmw for not helping!!!! My toyota went past 200,000 miles and it's still driving.
Drive train malfunction happened multiple times and the engine just stopped while driving at 55mph - the engine stopped completely in may 2018 and died. I took it into the dealership many times but they could not find out what was causing the problem. I no longer own the car because of the engine failure.
The vehicle has been to shop 2 times.1st drivetrain light came on and car would slow down in the middle of the highway.then it would totally stop. 2nd time it did the same thing except oil pressure light came on saying pressure too low and it stopped right there in the middle of the street. Now the oil pressure light comes on every time I drive it. I'm afraid it will stop in the middle of the highway again.
At 85000 miles drivetrain malfunction light came on. Couldn't get car to continue driving. Mechanic explained the diagnosis showed a timing code. This is the 5th time car was in the shop since the purchase from carvana on july 2nd 2020. Told a new engine is needed..
While driving on the highway in heavy traffic, a light came on and said something about oil pressure etc. I couldn't read every word, I had to keep my eye on the road. I pulled to the side of the road but the car stopped running and I barely made it to the berm. It was towed by aaa to a service station who diagnosed that it "jumped time" and that was a known problem with this car. The engine will have to be replaced.
My 2013 x3 just dead on me in middle of highway, on my way to work, without and ahead notice, it was just not even 30 seconds sign of "oil pressure low" then check engine light on, car was shaking, it totally lost the power, I called road service to tow it to dealership. When I called the bmw service center, the girl just told me to clam down, doesn't need be upset. I was super upset, never expect to drive a car suddenly dead in middle of highway, it could easily get me killed, or cause seriously car accident. It was happened last may (2019), at mileage 88k, two options: trade it in for $2k or fix it $11,500 with replace new engine. I end paid it all from my own pocket. It is just one year later, the warning sign on for " drivetrain malfunction, drive moderately, maximum drivetrain output not available" sent it to dealership, I was told the turbo need replace, quote for $5500... How could bmw sold those poor designed crap to their customer, the issues just one after another, very disappointed, such shame on bmw, I would not buy any bmw anymore
Routine oil change and mechanic advised imminent timing chain failure because of engine whining (87280 miles). Service manager recommended not driving the car because of likely engine failure. After timing chain replacement, drivetrain malfunction light came on repeatedly while driving at various elevations and speeds. Took to dealer who advised noisy turbo wastegate likely problem (88,919 miles). Timing chain defect well known to bmw but only warranteed for 70,000 miles is disingenuous. Engine failure on a car averaging 12.5k miles a year with less than 100k with known engine defects is fruadulent at a minimum.
Car has 89000 miles. At low speeds, it drives fine. On highway, "drive train malfunction" light appears during moderate-heavy acceleration. Today, on a crowded 4 lane highway at about 70mph, car lost all power, gas pedal was useless. I was barely able to limp to breakdown lane and speed dropped to about 15-20 MPH by the time I could get there, through lots of honking and several near accidents. Extremely dangerous. I shut the car off for about 2 minutes, restarted it and it worked again. I travelled at about 55mph in right lane the next 15 miles home without issue. I was with my wife and 7 year old daughter. This is a very serious and dangerous issue to have with a car.
Car displayed sign drive-train malfunction/oil pressure low and within 30 seconds stopped. It went from 50 MPH to zero in 30 seconds. I barely survived a major accident over a busy highway (rt 78 east bound in nj). Later on bmw service center reported engine failed for unknown reason. I came to know there are multiple complaint against bmx x3 2013 similar model and many drivers like me barely survived a major accident. Bmw is playing with our lives by not recalling this model. It is clearly a major manufacturing fault in this engine. There are multiple lawsuits on bmw but I do not hear any positive outcome. I can not believe no authority is taking any action on bmw for making faulty car like this and not holding them accountable.
August 10, 2020. I was driving to the store abut 10 miles from home on a major highway and my 2013 bmw x328i, suddenly started to go crazy in a manner that I never experienced before a lot of lights such as, (engine, ABS, dsc, dtc, brakes,powertrain, and stimulation. The vehicle became non-drivable and a safety hazardous in nature that it almost cause an accident. I act in a emergency state of mind and was able to pull into a nearby parking lot at 15315 merry cat ln, belle haven, va 23306. I proceeded in calling the aaa towing company to take the vehicle to my place of resident. *dt
As I was driving on the highway, I had an alert that said "drive train malfunction" and the vehicle began to slow down. I quickly had to take the upcoming exit. As I was trying to change gears, the car remained in neutral and continued to drive slow. I was able to safely pull over and stop the car. At that point, the vehicle did not turn back on.
I am on engine number 3 on my 2013 bmw x3. First engine locked up while repair shop was investigating why egine light was on. No recall or notices at that time for vehcle and over the 50k mile warranty. Cheapest repair was finding a used engine, $8,000 vs $14,000 for bmw to repair. Turns out this was a highly noted issue with n20 code. While in shop for replacement notice comes from bmw for extended mileage service (not a recall). After repair I submitted warrantly paperwork based on letter from bmw with receipts from dealership, only to be denied. 2 years later driving down interstate 85 in north carolina summer with an infant and 3 year old engine stalled out and locked up. Took to mechanic to learn same issue as before happened still no recall - but there was a kit not for a different timing chain! I spent $6,000 this time to rebuild as the value for scrapping was minimal, mechanic which is a bmw specialist would not even consider buying for scrap due to this known issue. He also referred me to the class-action suits open for this. I have yet to receive a dime for the mfg defect. A known issue has been found, a fix has been released but no ownership of the defect by bmw.
While bmw x3 was under warranty, we had drivetrain failure come on and repeatedly took to bmw sluggish but barely driveable . The dealer service never made substantial repairs under warranty. Finally my wife had a shutdown in the middle of I-90 and we insisted they take a closer look for which they charged us $3000 just out of warranty to get it back, claiming there was a cam deficiency. 6 months later, the x3 had a catastrophic shutdown again in middle of I-90 highway outside rockford il. Going 65 MPH and nearly created an accident. Vehicle was pushed to roadside and towed to bmw dealer . Bmw declare it unrepairable and out of 75,0000 mile extension for breakage of timing belt chain . Service manager admitted timing belt issue was evident during the 75,0000 period, however the dealer service indicated they are not able to warn consumers. Bmw noam charges us $6900 to replace the engine. Bmws handling of a dangerous problem is fraudulent at best. They hide behind peripheral problems to address the big problem that causes catastrophic engine failure so as many 2013 x3 models may age past the 75,0000 timing belt chain limit and they won't be responsible for 100% of the engine replacement. They are creating a great risk to public safety.
On 6/23/20, at approx., 6:15 am, my 2013 bmw x3 vehicle (approx. 68,000 miles) lost engine power as I was attempting to pull out from a busy and congested n/b 215 freeway (near the w/b 10 freeway exchange) in colton, california. Prior to losing engine power, and at about less than one minutes before, my vehicle's low oil light sensor had come on, then quickly changed to a drivetrain malfunction sensor -- warning me to drive moderately, but that was meaningless because my vehicle had already began to lose engine power. I slid to a slow stop into the emergency lane of the freeway after cutting off numerous vehicles behind me in an effort to make it off the freeway.
I was driving down the road and my vehicle went into limp mode. The malfunction trans light came on. I took it to the dealership for diagnostics and was told I had a oil leak and the air tube needed to be replaced as well as the programming update. The next day bmw service advisor, [xxx] called to tell me my timing chain need to be replaced and it would cost over 7000$. I don't know what to do. He gave me his advice or two options I had, I could pay for the cost of repairs and have a vehicle or just fix what was discussed and try to sell my vehicle to someone else. I asked him to help me and put me into another vehicle, he said oh no we can't do that. I asked why, it's your car you sold it to me. [xxx] told me bmw knows what is wrong with the car you won't get anything for it, yet he wanted me to sell it to another family and endanger their lives. I wasn't going to hear from him again, very unprofessional. It made me sick. I called and spoke with customer relations a woman by the name of [xxx] and was told after 4 days of investigation, there's nothing they can do for me. I told them they could have the vehicle, I'm not paying for their manufacture defect. Something needs to be done. Bmw is endangering lives by allowing consumers to purchase vehicles with known defects. I would have never purchased my 2013 bmw x3 28i in march 2017 if I had known I would have problems @ 80,000 miles. This is crazy. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Timing-chain break due to timing guard which is made for a plastic break and engine failure, its a major issue with bmw n20 engine, they upgrade the effected part in 2015 to fix it but cars that have these n20 model earlier getting this failure and bmw not take ownership if its after 7 years or 70000 miles.
I was driving on the freeway. I received an error message about low oil pressure and within a minute my car lost power and put itself in neutral. Luckily I was able to get off the freeway safely because it could have been very dangerous losing power suddenly in that way. The engine would not start back up and I had to have it towed. Another ongoing issue I have had, is that the power train malfunction error light comes on almost every time I drive and the auto shop has not been able to identify the problem. I have replaced the battery and had other work done that did not solve this problem.
Engine stopped working completely (no power/power steering/engine shaking) while on high speed road with wife and 2 year old vehicle. Mechanic noted oil pump/drive train failure associated with a class action lawsuit currently underway with bmw. Entire engine must be replaced.
Timing chain issue. I have a drivetrain warning in which I have read nothing but complaints on this. Timing chain breaking even with very low mile and yes I agree with the public that this should be a recall deal. This so bad for bmw with their reputation for being such good cars.
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