BMW X1 Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

Emergency call (SOS) system is malfunctioning. This prevents the vehicle from communicating if an accident happens. BMW service stated the problem could be caused by water leaking on to the telematics control unit from the shark fin antenna, which would require replacing the unit. The TCU is located under the head liner beneath the shark fin. The head liner has to be removed to diagnosis and replace the TCU. This is poor engineering placement makes the fix difficult and very costly. The life saving feature is compromised!

The moonroof spontaneously exploded while traveling on interstate highway at 65 mph. I was in the open and no vehicles were near me. I was showered in glass but uninjured because I was wearing a brimmed hat. I could have but did not lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning or other indicator of the problem. The dealership inspected and replaced at no cost to us. No police or insurance involvement.

MY 2019 X1 WITH 17000 MILES ON IT SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP AND THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE BLINKING WITH NO RHYME OR REASON. I WAS NOT EVEN ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE LANE ONTO THE SHOULDER TO A SAFE AREA. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY AND IT WAS TERRIFYING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 BMW X1. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V349000 (STRUCTURE). THE CONTACT CALLED ELMHURST BMW (500 W LAKE ST, ELMHURST, IL 60126) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THE DATE FOR THE PARTS TO ARRIVE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS PROVIDED THE SAME INFORMATION AS THE DEALER. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 BMW X1. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V349000 (STRUCTURE). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. HENDRICK BMW NORTHLAKE (10720 NORTHLAKE AUTO PLAZA BLVD, CHARLOTTE, NC 28269, (704) 321-8126) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the navigation screen was glitching and became inoperable. The service message was displayed. There was a red triangle with an exclamation mark displayed. The vehicle was difficult to start. The contact stated that the failure was caused by a failure with the grounding cable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the grounding cable was underneath the vehicle. The battery was previously replaced. No additional repairs were completed. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The manufacturer confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle associated with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

At approximately 20,000 miles, the vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer due to abnormal noises from the front suspension when turning the steering wheel. The dealer confirmed abnormal noise from the front struts when the wheels were turned while the vehicle was on a lift and diagnosed premature front strut failure. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. Repair was quoted but not performed. This condition involves a safety-critical suspension component and may affect vehicle handling, stability, and braking performance, particularly during turning or emergency maneuvers. This issue follows a prior safety-related brake failure at approximately 17,000 miles. At that time, a brake system warning light illuminated, and the condition was confirmed and repaired by the dealer. Both incidents involve safety-critical systems occurring at unusually low mileage. No warning lights or messages were observed prior to the suspension issue. The vehicle has not been involved in a collision and has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives.

While I was driving my BMW X1 1 to 3 weeks ago, frontal collision warning malfunction, pedestrian alert and request service flashed. It was a distraction and not safe. When My husband brought it to the dealership, they were not certain how to fix it. They took a video while doing diagnostic. The right bumper is pop out a little bit because it got hooked to a protruding rod in a concrete parking block while I was parking in front of a food store in Raritan sometime last year. I did not have it fix yet because it was not so obvious and the aesthetics of the car was not much affected. For that reason, the man in the video was saying that he saw a little damage there and was assuming that there’s sort of impact there to the right but it’s hard for him to tell. He was talking of a hard impact which did not happen. He said, visually he could not see anything that is bent but usually if there is a hard impact, it usually twigs the knuckle or the tire rod and he was pointing to those. He also said that when there is a hard impact, they usually recommend to replace the steering rack which is very delicate electronic steering rack and he was pointing where it is. He said, those 3 parts need to be replaced and he will do an alignment once they’re done. He said the reason why always the collision warning are coming on are because of all the steering angle faults from the steering moving so far off. I spoke with the manager last Monday and agreed with alignment but he said if the warning won’t go away after then, I have to spend about $5,000 to replace all those 3 parts. They were not listening that the car did not get a hard impact that’s why they could not see anything bent. It was just the right side of the bumper that was hooked to a rod. They did not even talk about checking the cameras or sensor of the car which according to google is the common cause of frontal collision malfunction. The root cause should be found to fix the problem.

The car was displaying these messages: Frontal Collision Warning System: Malfunction, Brake intervention not available. Visual and acoustic ️ warnings active. Consult service center. Daytime Pedestrian Warning reduced:Brake intervention not possible, but visual and acoustic warnings are still given. Consult service center. It was inspected by the dealership but they were saying that I have to pay $5,000 for it to be fixed which is not right because I think it is a manufacturer’s defect. They were blaming it to a collision which never happened. A portion of the right side of the bumper came off sometime last year because as I was trying to park it, it got hooked to a rod in a parking block. It is not even obvious that’s why I did not have if fix yet, not a priority for my budget. I need a car to go to work. An unfix controller area network and electronic control units could lead to fatal accident.

On November 18, 2022, around 9:45 a.m. on Rt. 462 in South Carolina. I was driving my 2021 BMW X1 when “boom.” I thought I’d been shot at with a shotgun. I nearly lost control of the car. As it turns out, by sunroof exploded. (See attached photo). My BMW dealer is covering it under warranty, but I thought I should let NHTSA know. It has been replaced, so inspection is not an option. There were no symptoms prior to the failure.

The contact owns a 2020 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 10 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. During the failure, the messages, "Chassis Stabilization: Drive Moderately," "Collision Warning System Malfunction," "Pedestrian Warning Reduced," and "Drivetrain: Continued Driving Possible" were displayed. The vehicle was pulled over into a remote emergency lane and driven 10 miles to an exit. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a short circuit to ground at the throttle body. The contact was informed that the throttle ground wire and controller needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.