BMW X3 2011–2017 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin B512716 · NHTSA communication 10146544 · issued Feb 1, 2017
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Structure
component
2011–2017
model years
17
vehicle entries
Official summary
?RATTLE/ POPPING FROM REAR HATCH AREA . There are two related but separate issues (only one may be present at a time) during driving, especially on uneven surfaces: A. Clicking noises or squeaking noises from the area of the rear hatch. Or B. A popping sound coming from the area of the rear hatch. Bump stop height: A. Situation A - settling of the bump stops over time allows vibration, rattle of the hatch. B. Situation B - the bump stops may be adjusted too high, putting torsional stress on the hatch, causing flexing (popping) noises.
Vehicles covered
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.