BMW recalling 290,000 X3s to address cargo rail safety concern

BMW is recalling 291,112 vehicles in the U.S. as their interior cargo rails could detach during an “extreme” rear crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. The recall affects some X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X3 M vehicles manufactured between 2018 and 2023 with the factory cargo rails installed. Per some BMW customers, the company issued a stop-sale order for 2023 X3 models earlier in July. 2024 models do not ship with this rear cargo configuration and are not subject to the recall or stop-sale.

The recall stems from an incident reported to BMW in August, 2022, that led to a lawsuit against the manufacturer. BMW did not share details of the incident or the owner’s claim in its recall report, so it’s impossible to relate them here. BMW said only that, “In a rare case, if the attachment became damaged, the rail could start to separate from the vehicle body, which could increase the risk of injury.”

The dangers represented by a failed cargo tie-down could manifest in different ways; secured cargo could come free and become a projectile, posing a potential danger to occupants. The rails themselves, if deformed or detached sufficiently, could also pose a threat to occupants, but with the information provided here, we can only speculate.

The remedy is a simple replacement of the cargo rail mounting hardware — new bolts, in other words. Until the new hardware arrives in dealer service departments, BMW cannot sell existing 2023 X3 models with the factory cargo rails; those with the spare tire kit installed in the rear cargo area are still fair game. Dealer and customer notifications are being circulated, but no ETA on the replacement mounting hardware was indicated.