Of the 3 X3 model years with enough complaints to compare, owners filed the most about the 2019 (0.76) and the fewest about the 2022 (0.44), per 1,000 sold in the first three years.
Median across these years: 0.44 per 1,000 sold in the first three years. A model year well above its own nameplate’s median is the signal worth acting on.
Only 3 years have enough complaints to rank on their own. Grouped by generation, they can be compared: owners filed the most complaints about the 2011–2017 generation (0.50 per 1,000 sold) and the fewest about the 2018–2024 generation (0.48).
| Generation | Model years rated here | Per 1,000 | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2010 | 2008, 2009, 2010 | too few | 6 |
| 2011–2017 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | 0.50 | 118 |
| 2018–2024 | 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 | 0.48 | 154 |
Each generation’s complaints filed in its model years’ first three years, divided by those years’ US sales. Generation years as Wikipedia gives them for North America.
Each model year with a verified denominator. Follow a year for what owners reported about it.
| Model year | Per 1,000 | Complaints | Most-reported part |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0.76 | 50 | Electrical System 20% |
| 2013 | 0.61 | 20 | Engine 43% |
| 2016 | 0.60 | 23 | Electrical System 19% |
| 2017 | 0.57 | 24 | Electrical System 22% |
| 2011 | 0.54 | 15 | Engine 19% |
| 2021 | 0.50 | 34 | Electrical System 22% |
| 2015 | 0.46 | 15 | Engine 19% |
| 2022 | 0.44 | 31 | Unknown Or Other 17% |
| 2014 | 0.37 | 12 | Electrical System 23% |
| 2018 | 0.35 | 18 | Electrical System 21% |
| 2020 | 0.32 | 21 | Electrical System 24% |
| 2012 | 0.29 | 9 | Air Bags 18% |
| 2008 | 0.17 | 3 | Air Bags 37% |
| 2009 | 0.17 | 2 | Air Bags 40% |
| 2010 | 0.16 | 1 | Air Bags 38% |
Safety complaints owners filed with NHTSA in each model year’s first three years on the road, divided by how many were sold, so a year that sold twice as many cars is not penalised for it.
Too few owners filed complaints about them to rank them. Few reports is not the same as a good year, so those years are left out of best and worst.