2023 BMW X3 Safety and Reliability

It may not be entirely problem-free but the X3 will do well to shield you in the event of an accident. The NHTSA's BMW X3 review yielded a full five-star rating for overall safety, frontal crash, and side crash tests. Rollover evaluations scored four out of five. These sentiments were echoed by the IIHS - the X3 scored a maximum 'Good' rating in every crashworthiness test. The X3 was awarded a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS for 2022.

Dual-front, dual-front-side, and head airbags are standard across the lineup. Other basic safety features include electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring, and the familiar rearview camera. Parking sensors are equipped to both ends of the body, and BMW Assist eCall is useful for alerting emergency services in the event of an accident.

BMW's Active Driving Assistant is standard. This assistant bundles together forward collision warning, active blind-spot detection, lane departure warning, and speed limit information. Post-crash-braking and fatigue/focus alert round out the standard safety specification. We'd like to see BMW start to equip adaptive cruise control as standard in its cars, however, as only the more basic dynamic cruise control is standard. The optional Parking Assistance Package combines active park distance control with a surround-view camera system, and the latest Driving Assistance Professional Package enables Level 2 partially-autonomous driving. A head-up display is available to the M40i as part of the Premium Package.

With a J.D. Power rating of 82 out of 100 (and 85/100 for quality and reliability), the X3 sounds quite reliable until you analyze the number of recalls that have taken place over the last few years. The 2023 X3 was recall-free at the time of writing, while 2022 models were recalled twice, once for an internal transmission leak that could cause a vehicle rollaway, and once for a fuel rail that may crack and leak fuel. Things were substantially worse for the 2021 model, which suffered from five recalls. Besides a potential fuel tank leak, other 2021 problems included a faulty rearview camera and two problems that pertained to the hybrid model.

BMW's warranty coverage matches that of its primary competition. The limited warranty runs for four years or 50,000 miles, and roadside assistance is there to assist you in an emergency for all four of those years. Finally, BMW throws in three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance.