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

I got my BMW X1 in December of 2020 and currently has 21,000 miles. I've notice unusual wear and tear on the driver side seatbelt so I brought it into the dealer but all they said was that it needs to be replaced. I don't think this is a normal wear and tear because as I've said, I only drove this vehicle for 21,000 miles. The tear is expanding and I believe this can be a serious safety issue during an accident or sudden stops. I was concerned if this was an issue to similar vehicles or if it's just my vehicle.

Check Engine light checked at dealership revealed Fuel in the NVLD System! They had to replace the NVLD, Charcoal canister, and the Tank vent valve. They accused me of overfilling my fuel tank! I am 100% certain that I NEVER overfill fuel whatsoever. I am afraid this may cause other drivers to ignore the problem resulting in vehicle fires! Please investigate further or ask for repair frequency of this problem from BMW. I owned a BMW for almost 20 years and never experienced this problem! Thanks

The vehicle’s sunroof exploded spontaneously. This occured on an elevated expressway with no access above the vehicle. There was no physical impact to the vehicle. There were no visible warning signs. The sunroof shattered into small shards.

On 7/1/22, my Vehicle Alert came on advising that the front brake pads need replacement and to schedule an appointment within 1,000 miles. I called the same day to schedule an appointment with my local dealer. However, the next available date was on 7/13/22. I specifically requested an earlier date, but that was the only available slot they had. I brought my vehicle in on 7/13/22 (alert now says schedule an appointment within 800 miles so i had driven 200 miles) and was given an estimate to replace the front brake pads. On the same day, i get a call from the dealer service advisor that the front rotors also needs replacement as they were damaged due to continued driving with worn down brake pads. They also advised the engine mount was cracked and leaking. My safety concern is that the alert should have came on sooner as I called to schedule an appointment the same day the alert came on but the only available time for almost two weeks later. There should have been a more urgent alert (i.e. replace within 50 miles) as I would have then made separate arrangements immediately. Alternatively, the alert should come on much earlier in the brake pads' wear detection. Instead, I was unknowingly driving my vehicle with dangerously damaged rotors due to the false sense of safety as the alert said schedule appointment within the next 1000 miles and I had only driven 200 miles. This put not only my safety at risk but others on the road as well should my brakes have failed. A crash would have been more dangerous in light of the cracked engine mount and leak. I understand brakes are wear and tear and customer pay but i feel that the alert system design and logic needs to be looked at as non-savvy drivers rely on them to make appointments accordingly.

On Sept 8, 2021, on I-5, North of Marysville, WA, a truck threw a rock through the lower radiator of our X1. We lost all coolant and car was hauled to BMW, Seattle on 9/9/21. On 9/10 service rep Josh Logan advised: "We confirmed that it does not come with a guard, but when you order a new part, that does come in conjunction." and that: "no warranty coverage, as it does not cover damages, so you would have to go through your insurance for that one." We did so and USAA covered the amount above the $1000 deductible. It is unacceptable that the need for the rock shield was clearly a known condition, yet when damage occurred due to it not being installed from new, that the replacement was not covered under warranty. First Name: [XXX] Last Name: [XXX] Email Address: [XXX] Phone Number: [XXX] Preferred Contact Method: Email Address: [XXX] City: [XXX] State: [XXX] ZIP Code: [XXX] Own a BMW: Yes Year: 2020 Series: X Model: X1 xDrive28i VIN: [XXX] Month Purchased: November Year Purchased: 2020 INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

On Sept 8, 2021, on I-5, North of Marysville, WA, a truck threw a rock through the lower radiator of our X1. We were very lucky that we stopped and found the coolant running out. Otherwise the engine might have seized at highway speed , causing an accident. We lost all coolant and car was hauled to BMW, Seattle on 9/9/21. On 9/10 service rep Josh Logan advised: "We confirmed that it does not come with a guard, but when you order a new part, that does come in conjunction." and that: "no warranty coverage, as it does not cover damages, so you would have to go through your insurance for that one." We did so and USAA covered the amount above the $1000 deductible. It is unacceptable that the need for the rock shield was clearly a known condition, yet when damage occurred due to it not being installed from new, that the replacement was not covered under warranty.

THE TRUNK COVER HAS PIECES OF EITHER PLEXI OR FIBER GLASS THAT GETS INTO YOUR SKIN. I HAVE GOTTEN TINY SHARDS OF THE GLASS IN MY SKIN AND IT BECOME UNIMAGINABLY PAINFUL AND IT IS VERY HARD TO GET OUT OF THE SKIN.

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.