BMW X1
Registered from 2012 to 2027.
About this model
The BMW X1 is a line of cars produced by German marque BMW since 2009. It is in the subcompact luxury crossover class, and the first-generation X1 was based on the E90 3 Series and offered rear-wheel drive layout as standard. The X1 essentially is aiming at a wider range of customers due to its smaller size, increased efficiency, and a lower price tag due to the all-wheel drive layout (xDrive) being optional.
From the Wikipedia article BMW X1, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it stands out against its peers
- Air bags: more complaints than 92% of 2014 cars — 37% of its 336 complaints, where an ordinary 2014 car has 13%.
- Engine and engine cooling: more complaints than 96% of 2014 cars — 14% of its 336 complaints, where an ordinary 2014 car has 2%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- AIR BAGS — 108 owners reported this, 3 involving a crash
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 45 owners reported this
- ENGINE — 24 owners reported this
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 15 owners reported this, 3 involving a fire
- SERVICE BRAKES — 12 owners reported this, 6 involving a crash
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS — 6 owners reported this
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 6 owners reported this
- POWER TRAIN — 6 owners reported this
Crash test
| Overall | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash | ★★★★☆ |
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ |
| Stability control | Standard |
| Forward collision warning | No |
| Lane departure warning | No |
Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 241 hp · 1749 kg · 2690 mm wheelbase · 8.7 L/100km (EPA) · 9.8 L/100km city · 7.4 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2025 | 241 hp · 1730 kg · 2690 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (EPA) · 10.2 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2024 | 241 hp · 1730 kg · 2690 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (EPA) · 10.2 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2023 | 241 hp · 1730 kg · 2690 mm wheelbase · 8.4 L/100km (EPA) · 9.4 L/100km city · 6.9 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2022 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (EPA) · 10.2 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2021 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (EPA) · 10.2 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2020 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (EPA) · 10.2 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2019 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.4 L/100km (EPA) · 10.7 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2018 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.4 L/100km (EPA) · 10.7 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2017 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.4 L/100km (EPA) · 10.7 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2016 | 228 hp · 1660 kg · 2670 mm wheelbase · 9.4 L/100km (EPA) · 10.7 L/100km city · 7.6 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2015 | 241 hp · 1765 kg · 2760 mm wheelbase · 9.0 L/100km (EPA) · 10.7 L/100km city · 7.4 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
62% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.
15V887000
A gearbox malfunction may cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.
BMW will replace the steering gearbox, free of charge. Affected vehicles are located in dealer inventory and will be remedied before customer retail. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
16V747000
In the event of a crash where heavy braking is applied, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) may activate when the occupant is more forward in the seat, possibly increasing the risk of injury.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
18V465000
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
19V074000
If a taillight detaches from the vehicle, it would no longer provide the required lighting to following traffic, or it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will properly secure the taillights, free of charge. The recall began March 28, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
19V349000
In the event of a crash, the insufficient impact absorption can increase the risk of injury.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the vertical trim pieces on the upper portion of the interior B-Pillars, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 1, 2019. Second notices will be sent as parts become available, starting on September 27, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
19V601000
A broken steering tie rod would lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the tie rods and ball joints as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
20V017000
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
20V283000
If the safety systems do not deploy as intended in a roll over crash, it may increase the risk of injury.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
4 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.
Regulator investigations
Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.
Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect petition, opened January 2023, closed August 2023.
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering analysis, opened September 2021, still open.
What the maker told its dealers
Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.
BMW filed 13 bulletins about the 2026 X1.
- Electrical system: 9
- Engine: 1
- Exterior lighting: 1
- Power train: 1
- Seats: 1
- Due to an implementation error in various OBD diagnostics in the vehicle's control units, in very rare cases itmay happen that stored fault memory codes (DTCs) and the MIL (warning light) are not… · July 2026
- The following message is displayed on the central information display (CID): “Storage space running out”.Afterwards, apps can no longer be updated, and additional content can no longer be loaded. · March 2026
- BMW AG is conducting Voluntary Emissions Recall (effective March 11, 2026) on certain Model Year 2023 -2026 BMW vehicles that were produced between January 14, 2022, and September 16, 2025. · March 2026
- SITUATION A Check Control message (CCM) displays for “Transmission oil service required” (ID 2120). This warning will typically trigger based on one of the following that applies: From 60,000 miles… · February 2026
- The vehicle may experience various operational issues with the Multifunction Display such as: Intermittent black screen Permanent black screen Intermittent head unit functions not displayed (i.e.,… · January 2026
- The vehicle may experience various operational issues with the infotainment system such as: Resets of the head unit Delayed start-up of the head unit (longer than 30 seconds) Failed start-up of the… · January 2026
- RSU availability. The vehicle may experience various operation faults with the infotainment system such as: Resets of the head unit Delayed start-up of the head unit (longer than 30 seconds) Failed… · December 2025
- In some situations, an emergency call may be triggered in the vehicle without either the customer pressing the SOS Call button, or an airbag deployment event. In some cases, the customer may not even… · October 2025
5 more.
Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.