2022 BMW X3

2022 BMW X3 M40i. The Driver Assistance system appears to activate normally after startup with no warning or indication that a fault is present. However, within approximately 3–5 minutes of driving, a Check Control message appears stating “Driver Assistance limited. Camera vision.” The vehicle then identifies affected systems including Pedestrian Warning, Frontal Collision Warning, Side Collision Warning, Automatic Lane Change, Active Blind Spot Detection, and Steering Assistant. A separate message states that Active Cruise Control is reduced and there may be no brake intervention for stationary vehicles. The safety concern is that the system can appear active and available before the warning appears, even though at least some driver-assistance functions may already not be operating. Before the warning was displayed, I observed that Steering Assistant/lane-keeping did not intervene and I crossed out of my lane without steering correction or a lane-departure warning. There was no prior warning that the camera-based system was malfunctioning. I cannot confirm whether the other affected safety functions were operational during this interval. A BMW dealer inspected the vehicle and physically found the KAFAS camera hood/trim warped from heat. The warped component was removed and shown to me, and the dealer ordered a replacement. BMW has issued SIB 66 13 23 addressing KAFAS camera hood deformation on affected vehicles. Fault memory also contained KAFAS codes 800ABF, 800ABE, and 800AC4 for camera field-of-view disturbance and calibration failure. This creates a potential safety defect because the driver may reasonably believe lane-keeping and other camera-based safety systems are functioning until the vehicle detects the failure several minutes later. The vehicle/component can be made available for inspection

The front collision warning failed and had not given any problem prior to the failure. We were in a car accident where a person turned left (we were going straight) and passed right in front of us when we hit them. The Forward Collision Warning did not display and our vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance. We may of avoided the accident if the sound and display of the warning had triggered.

The BMW front facing kafas camera system is prone to failure in the BMW X3. The plastic piece that holds the camera module in place has small plastic tabs that attach it to the windshield. These tabs are prone to breaking. Once the tabs break the front camera system is no longer in alignment and all front safety systems will be disabled. This puts the occupants of the vehicle in danger as all front facing safety systems will be disabled. The dealers do not want to warranty these failures as they try to pass it off as the fault of the owner. The first dealership rejected my issue saying that since my vehicle has a modified suspension that the camera is not able to calibrate which is incorrect. The second dealer I took it to saw the problem was the failed plastic mount but since my front windshield is aftermarket UV rejecting film it must have been damaged by the individual that installed it. This is not the case since the film did not extend behind the plastic pieces covering the electronics. In order to get this issue fixed I to pay out of pocket $2000 even though my vehicle is still under warranty. This issue has been reported by several people on various BMW forums.

The main windshield bracket holding the front camera (responsible for Driver's Assistant including front collision warning, pedestrian warning, lane departure warning, etc.) has the tendency to break on its own. The bracket is made of thin plastic and can melt under direct sunlight and/or usage of vehicle as the camera gets hot as well. Any reasonable exposure or usage will eventually cause the bracket to melt/deform and fail, causing the camera to fall from its original position. The misalignment of camera will cause a cascade of error codes and completely fail to work, rendering the entire safety systems to be useless. The bracket itself is not sold separately and requires the manufacturer to install a completely new windshield which is the only method of fixing this issue. Manufacturer and/or dealerships refuse to warranty if preventative methods are used (such as windshield tint) even though the camera or mounts remain untouched.

Mount for BMW KAFAS camera melts/deforms in the heat (normal exposure). This causes the camera to become uncalibrated and disables Pedestrian avoidance braking as well as lane keep assist. I am unsure what other functions are unavailable. After 2+ months of waiting for a new part, the BMW dealer nor BMW NA could not give a timeline on when the windshield/mount would be available for replacement. This means that the safety features that were advertised and paid for by the owner are unavailable to the owner for an indeterminate amount of time. Forum participants indicate that this is a common problem with this model with some owners experiencing multiple failures of this safety system in a short period of time during summer months.

The clips that hold the KAFAS camera system are faulty and easily break. The KAFAS unit gets exceptionally hot and damages the clips causing the unit to go out of alignment and then cause all of the safety features to fail. The fact that you have to replace the whole windshield to repair two small plastic clips is an egregious mechanical design failure, waste of resource, and just insane design.

I have Lane keep assist set to Early with Steering intervention. LKA would sometimes shut off by itself in the 45-60 mph highway speed range in sunny weather with clear road markings, and sometimes would stay on even when my speed decreases even to 35 mph instead of 40 mph. I understand if weather is bad, LKA might not work, but I am very confused, in broad daylight, what would cause the LKA to turn on or off and deactivate/activate at different speeds? I have the standard PDC with the "forward and rear corner sensors that trigger a warning beep at approximately a 2 ft. distance from the object." Is there any way to control the distance the parking distance control sensors activate automatically like in Merc? Since I don't have Active Park Distance Control (Option ZX1) which "automatically applies emergency braking when the reversing vehicle gets too close to an object behind or at the side of the vehicle when a collision is imminent at speeds below 3 mph," would the car still auto brake for me if I am backing up reverse in a parking garage if there is cross traffic alert or I am hitting object behind me?