BMW of North America has recalled 291,112 model year 2018 through 2023 X3 SUV models to address a condition where the interior rear cargo rail could detach in a crash, which can increase the risk of injury, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recalled models include 2018-2023 X3 sDrive30i and xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles produced from March 9, 2017, through Sept. 19, 2022, at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in Greer, South Carolina.
In rare cases, the bolts that secure the interior cargo rail to the vehicle’s body could become damaged in a crash, resulting in the rail becoming dislodged, according to NHTSA documents. Although all X3 models are equipped with rear cargo rails, the problem potentially exists in just 1% of the vehicles recalled.
BMW was first made aware of the problem in August 2022, after what was described in a NHTSA document as an “extreme rear crash” involving a 2022 X3. The owner of the vehicle retained legal counsel after the accident so specific information about the crash could not be obtained by BMW at the time, according to the NHTSA.
However, BMW North America and BMW Group were served in October 2023 and January 2024, respectively, in a lawsuit regarding the incident and the vehicle was subsequently made available to the automaker for inspection on March 26, 2024.
BMW initiated its engineering investigation on April 15, 2024, and discovered the potential problem through various quality control procedures. The automaker also reviewed vehicle assembly and engineering release information to determine the specific production dates of potentially affected vehicles.
To address the recall, BMW dealers will remove and replace the bolts that attach the cargo rails to the vehicle body in the X3 models, which is expected to take about an hour to complete.
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Aug. 30.
