There are 4 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2013 BMW X3in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Car was parked and when I came out of Walmart it was on fire coming from the steering box. I tried to put it out with my jacket but yellow fire was too much. Fire department came on scene as well as police. By stander had large thermos of coffee and extinguished the fire before fire truck arrived.
WHILE DRIVING STEERING STOPPED WORKING AND BECAME HARD TO STEERING , ERROR -DRIVE MODERATELY , INCREASED STEERING EFFORT REQUIRED ON DISPLAY , WHICH WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AT SLOW SPEEDS , DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE
UPON START UP THERE IS NO POWER ASSIST FOR 5-20 SECONDS. THIS STARTED TO OCCUR AT APPROX 60 THOUSAND MILES. DIAGNOSED AS FAILING EPS STEERING RACK.
CPSC: I1410202A. 2012 BMW X3. CONSUMER STATED THE HEATED STEERING WHEEL HEATS UP TO 105 DEGREES WHICH IS UNSAFE AND HAS TO BE TURNED OFF MANUALLY. *LN THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH HEATED STEERING WHEEL.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026