2013 BMW X3 Fuel System Problems

Drivetrain malfunction popped up and the car cut off and went into neutral while driving on the road which almost led us to lose control and wreck. Many issues with the fuel pump.

While driving in the southbound fast lane on Highway 101 on July 28, 2021 near Morgan Hill, California, the computer screen advised that there was a fuel supply problem, and at that instant, the engine shut down and the transmission went into park. There was no opportunity to coast onto the shoulder. The vehicle would not restart, nor would it shift out of park. My wife and I were trapped in a vehicle that would not and could not move, in the fast lane of a major California freeway, surrounded by rush hour traffic, with the likelihood that we would be rear ended and perish in a frozen car. The danger was severe. We put the emergency flashers on. Other cars were passing us on the shoulder and on the right hand side, and getting out of the car was dangerous and impossible. We were convinced that we were going to die or be severely injured. We called 911 and at that moment another driver pulled behind us to offer a buffer of safety with his car, until the California Highway Patrol arrived and a tow truck was called. Until the arrival of the tow truck, we remained in severe danger. The tow truck had to pull the vehicle to the shoulder locked in park, causing it to shudder as the rear wheels hopped on the pavement. Eventually we hired a flat bed tow truck to bring the vehicle to our local BMW dealer, and the problem was diagnosed as a faulty fuel pump. Apparently, if your fuel pump fails with this vehicle, you may die. This problem is documented with other drivers at the website carproblemzoo.com/bmwX3/other-fuel-system-pump-problems.php, all of whom were put in peril as a result of this systemic failure. I hope that this notification may save some lives, and would welcome further contact to discuss the matter further. My wife and I still suffer from emotional distress and PTSD, as a direct result of this incident, and will not drive this vehicle again.

SMELLED GASOLINE WHEN THE CAR WAS RUNNING. TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE FACILITY. THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE NUT ON THE PIPE CONNECTING THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINE FOR CYLINDER 3 HAD CRACKED, LEAKING FUEL ALL OVER THE TOP OF THE ENGINE INCLUDING INTO THE WELLS CONTAINING THE IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS. THE CRACK ON THE NUT IS VISIBLE ON THE ATTACHED PHOTO. WHEN THE WENT TO REPAIR IT, ANOTHER NUT CRACKED IN A SIMILAR FASHION. THIS IS A SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD SPRAYING FUEL ALL OVER A HOT ENGINE.

VEHICLE STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND GAVE A FUEL SYSTEM ERROR ON THE DISPLAY. SEEMS TO BE A FAULTY FUEL PUMP AT ONLY 7 YEARS OLD. VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE. IT'S A GOOD THING I WASN'T ON THE FREEWAY.

CAR HAS AUTOMATICALLY DOWNSHIFTED AND ALMOST STALLED WHILE EITHER IN MOTION OR SLOWING DOWN SEVERAL TIMES. MECHANIC IS UNCERTAIN OF EXACT CAUSE.

THE BAFFLES ARE LOOSE IN MY MUFFLER CAUSING A TERRIBLE NOISE. I BELIEVE THIS IS ALSO CAUSING MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. MY CAR IS RUNNING RICH. BMW SAYS IT'S ANNOYING BUT NOT CAUSING AND ISSUES ON MY CAR. THEY SAY IT'S $1,200 TO FIX. IT STARTED OUT ONLY MAKING THE NOISE SOMETIMES. IT THEN PROGRESSED TO WHEN STANDING STILL. NOW IT DOES IT EVEN WHEN DRIVING. PEOPLE CONSTANTLY ASK ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY CAR.

I WAS DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON CT-104 LONG RIDGE ROAD, A 2-LANE STATE ROAD ON MONDAY JUNE 22ND, 2015 AROUND 8AM. I WAS TRAVELING FROM STAMFORD CT TO BEDFORD. ABOUT MIDWAY ON LONG RIDGE ROAD DRIVING AT AROUND 25PMH AT MILLERS MILL INTERSECTION THE CAR STALLED. I WOULD SEE I WAS IN MIDDLE OF MY NORTHBOUND LANE THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT SPEEDOMETER WAS AT 0 RPM AND KNEW THE ENGINE HAD DIED, I IMMEDIATELY TRIED RESTARTING THE ENGINE. WHILE THE ENGINE CRANKED, I WAS IN PARK, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT KICK IN DESPITE TURNING OVER. AFTER REPEATED TRIES, AND BEING UNABLE TO MOVE OFF THE LANE, I PRESSED BMW SOS BUTTON. I HAD TURNED ON MY FLASHERS. CARS WERE RACING IN MY LANE AND STOPPING BEFORE GETTING TO MY CAR REAR-END. I KNEW I WAS IN A HAZARD ZONE. BUT THIS A CELL-PHONE DEAD ZONE. IN ANY CASE BMW ASKED I GET OUT OF THE HAZARD ZONE, BUT TOLD THEM THE CAR WAS SIMPLY UNMOVEABLE AND WOULD NOT START-UP. SO THEY CALLED IN THE TOW AND INFORMED THE BEDFORD POLICE. FOR 20 MINUTES I SAT THERE IN THE CAR. THEN THE FLASHERS QUITE OPERATING AND INCREASED THE RISK OF REAR-END CRASHES. THATS ANOTHER ISSUE BMW MUST LOOK INTO. FINALLY THE POLICE ARRIVED SOME 20 MINS LATER THE TOW TRUCK CALLED BY THE POLICE SHOWED UP. THE BMW X3 WAS TAKEN TO BMS MT KISCO NEW YORK. A 2-YEAR OLD CAR FAILING SUDDENLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND CREATING A ROAD HAZARD WAS UNNERVING. BMW DEALER INFORMED ME ON TUESDAY JUNE 23RD THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. IT WOULD TAKE A FEW DAYS TO REPAIR. ..THE FACT THAT A NEW CAR WITH 25000 MILES HAS A SIGNIFICANT FAILURE SUDDENLY AND CREATES A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION WITH CARS BARRELING DOWN IN A 45 MPH IS WORRISOME AND POSES ISSUES WITH QA OF CRITICAL COMPONENTS AND A RECALL IF LARGE NUMBER OF CARS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN SUDDEN FUEL PUMP FAILURES MAYBE INDICATED AS A PROACTIVE STEP...UPDATED 08/27/15*BF UPDATED 12/3/15 *JS