BMW X3 X3 sDrive20i common faults.

2014–2017, SUV, petrol, 184 HP.

The fault list covers: N20B20 engine, ZF8HP transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

5 fault write-ups. 4 important. 7 recalls.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

4 important faults

critical1

Oil pump chain: the plastic guide disintegrates and blocks the pickup

critical

The oil pump is driven by a separate, smaller chain from the crankshaft, behind the timing chain at the front of the engine. This chain runs on plastic guides, and under heat cycles the plastic cracks, flakes off and finally disintegrates. From then on the chain works against the aluminium, the tension is lost, and the stretch progresses fast.

Show the rest

It causes damage along two paths, and the less known one comes first. The broken pieces of plastic are sucked into the oil pickup tube, block the way of the oil there, and destroy the bearings before the chain has even jumped. The other path is the chain or the tensioner letting go: then the oil pressure disappears within seconds, and the engine can seize without stopping.

The warning is not the lamp. This fault does not always light a warning, so the noise is what to listen for: between 1500 and 2500 revs a high, whistling whine comes from the lower part of the engine, and at a cold start a rattle of one to five seconds is audible. The maker issued its own service bulletin for the whining noise on the N20 and the N26.

On the factory chain the fault is reported above 80 000 miles, that is above roughly 129 000 kilometres, but in the American settlement the maker took it on earlier as well: below 70 000 miles, that is 113 000 kilometres, the full cost, and above 100 000 miles or eight years nothing at all. The affected set is the N20 and N26 engines built between 2012 and 2015.

The repair costs between 4000 and 6000 dollars, because the work on the timing and on the oil pump go together. If someone has replaced the timing chain, the oil pump chain has to be replaced with it: if the job is left half done, the engine has to come apart again in a few years.

above 129,000 km

What to check

Rev it to between 1500 and 2500 and listen to the bottom of the engine: a high, whistling noise points here
Start it cold and listen for a rattle of one to five seconds
Do not wait for a warning light: this fault does not always light a lamp

3 more steps in the write-up

expensive3

Oil filter housing gasket: oil leak onto the belt and the alternator

expensive

A rubber gasket seals the oil filter housing to the block. The gasket hardens over the years, and oil leaks from under the housing. The oil drips onto the drive belt and the alternator.

Show the rest

Three things can happen. The oil stretches the belt and it can jump off (on a single belt engine that means an instant loss of the water pump and the alternator); oil getting into the alternator destroys the windings; and oil reaching the hot exhaust smokes and gives a burnt smell, and the official complaints do include burning smells and smoke.

The leak is visible: five minutes on a lift settles it. The gasket itself is a cheap part; the labour, the ruined belt and the alternator take the money.

between 64,000 and 246,000 kmreported complaints only

What to check

On a lift look at the block surface around the oil filter housing: a wet, oily or oily dusty film
Look at the drive belt: an oily, cracked, stretched belt is the consequence of the leak
Look at the alternator housing from below: an oil trail indicates damage reaching the windings

2 more steps in the write-up

XDrive transfer case (ATC): binding in corners, plastic actuator gear

expensive

The heart of the four wheel drive in the longitudinal engine BMW X models (X3, X5 and the X1 E84) is the ATC transfer case. It has two faults, and you can feel both while driving.

Show the rest

The first is wear of the clutch pack and the fluid: in a slow, tight corner (a car park, a roundabout) the car jerks and "hops", as if the drive grabbed and let go. You can also get a jerk when pulling away on a slope. The second is the plastic actuator gear: the position signal is lost, the brake, ABS and 4x4/DSC lights come on together on the dash, and a clicking is audible from the transfer case when you switch the ignition off.

Workshops often propose a full transfer case replacement straight away. But the plastic gear can be replaced on its own, and the wrong tyre size or a mixed set of tyres also imitates the jerking, because the transfer case then slips continuously. So clear up the tyres and the fault code first, before you pay for a transfer case replacement.

between 72,000 and 175,000 km

What to check

In a slow, tight corner (a car park) watch for jerking, binding and a "skipping" feel
When pulling away on light throttle, can you feel the drivetrain jerk
Watch the dash: 4x4, ABS, DSC and brake lights together point at the actuator

4 more steps in the write-up

ZF 8HP automatic: mechatronics unit and connector sleeve leak

expensive

The ZF eight speed automatic (BMW Steptronic 8HP family) has two faults, and you can feel both.

Show the rest

The first is the mechatronics unit: the valve body and the control electronics in one. If the solenoids or the pressure regulation weaken, the gearbox jerks, the D/R engagement is delayed, it logs a gear ratio fault code, and finally drops into limp mode (often staying in 2nd or 3rd).

The second, and often misdiagnosed, is the connector sleeve of the mechatronics unit: the O-ring of the plastic sleeve ages, and ATF leaks from the side of the housing, exactly where the wiring harness enters. This is easy to mistake for a rear crankshaft seal. The trail starts from the driver's side of the housing, not from the clutch side.

On cars built in 2023 there was also a separate safety recall for a welding fault in the mechatronics unit. That is not the same as the wear related sleeve and the valves.

Check the fluid level, the area around the sleeve and the fault codes first; do not accept a "full gearbox replacement" quote straight away.

above 120,000 km

What to check

On the test drive watch for delayed D/R engagement, a jerk when shifting, and limp mode (a stuck gear)
Look at the driver's side of the gearbox housing where the wiring harness enters: an ATF trail from the sleeve is suspect
Do not confuse it with a rear crankshaft seal leak: the direction of the trail decides

3 more steps in the write-up

cheap repair1

Plastic charge pipe: it goes brittle and cracks at the throttle body

cheap repair

The maker builds the charge pipe out of plastic, and the coupler at the throttle body is the critical point. The material goes brittle from heat cycles, from boost pressure and from the heat of the engine bay, and then it cracks. Three things coincide here: the moulded coupler carries both pressure and movement, the vibration of the engine arrives here through the throttle body, and the spot gets continuous heat load. The crack starts on the inner radius of the coupler. The symptom is a loss of pressure under load: the engine pulls cleanly at part throttle but flattens out at full throttle, and a hissing noise is audible from the engine bay at the same time. A yellow drivetrain warning comes with it, which often disappears after a restart, and sometimes a brief limp mode. One thing is worth knowing: a clean fault memory does not rule the crack out. The pipe has no sensor of its own, so the control unit can only log a boost pressure fault, and the leak is intermittent, appearing only under load. At a viewing two things are visible without tools. On the inner radius of the coupler the hairline crack sometimes comes with dark staining, because the oil mist in the boost air escapes through it. For the same reason a greasy, dark ring can appear at the joint of the coupler. The crack is reported above 80 000 kilometres, and replacing the pipe costs between 100 and 400 euros, because the part itself is not expensive. The most common misdiagnosis against that is replacing the turbocharger, which costs an order of magnitude more, and a pressure test protects against it. The factory repair is the same plastic part, which can crack again at a similar mileage; replaced with an aluminium pipe this failure mode disappears, and the driveability does not change.

above 80,000 km100–400 EUR

What to check

Look at the inner radius of the coupler at the throttle body: the hairline crack sometimes comes with dark staining
Look for a greasy, dark ring at the joint of the coupler
On a motorway slip road at full throttle watch for the loss of pressure and the hissing noise

2 more steps in the write-up

Official recall7 recallsShow

The manufacturer fixes these for free at a franchised dealer. Ask with the VIN whether it was done.

Most recent: 29 June 2021

A12/01930/23Safety recallInjuries29 June 2021 · EU Safety Gate

The propellant in the driver airbag can deteriorate due to high humidity and temperature variations. In the event of an accident in which the airbag deploys, this could result in fragments from the inflator casing coming loose and injuring the vehicle’s occupants. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: 29/06/2021

The authority's notice

16V704000STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMSTEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM3 October 2016 · NHTSA (USA)

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2017 BMW X3 xDrive 28i vehicle manufactured on June 7, 2016. This vehicle has electronic power steering (EPS), and the contact pins on the EPS control unit may not have been welded properly resulting in increased resistance.

Risk: An increase in pin contact resistance can increase the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and ignition is off.

Remedy: The vehicle was repaired at the dealership before sale. Therefore, an owner notification notice will not be issued for this campaign. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

The authority's notice

A12/00608/20Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

The screw connection from the passenger's airbag to the instrument panel may not have been manufactured according to specifications. As a result, if the airbag is activated, the panel cover may break into pieces, which will be propelled against the passenger increasing the risk of injury.