Model year

2021 BMW X1

SUV, gasoline, AWD/All-Wheel Drive, built in Germany. Owner complaints on file from Dec 22, 2021 to Sep 18, 2026.

Recall campaigns covering this model year122k vehicles or units across those campaigns
Owner complaints9Below the median 2021 suv
Severity index44.42021 suvs average 6.1
First 24 months1Complaints in its first two years
Complaints over time

Complaints about the 2021 BMW X1 peaked in 2023, with 3 filed

Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.

012342021202220232024202520264
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file. The lighter column runs through October.
Components

44% of complaints about the 2021 BMW X1 name airbags

Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.

Airbags
4
Electrical system
3
Driver assistance
2
Engine and cooling
1
Brakes
1
Suspension
1
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file. A complaint can name more than one component; it is counted under the first.
Recalls

One recall campaign covers the 2021 BMW X1

Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.

Recall campaigns for the 2021 BMW X1
CampaignFiledSubjectComponentVehiclesRemedy
21V-554Jul 21, 2021Passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retractsSeat belts21,537Part replacement
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.
Owner complaints

What owners reported about the 2021 BMW X1

The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.

9 complaints on file, page 1 of 1.

  1. Filed Sep 18, 2026Failure Sep 17, 202659,000 milesShorewood, ILAir bagsCrash1 injured

    The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 10 MPH, she was involved in a head-on crash with another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The driver was transported to the hospital for level two severe trauma to the neck, head, and chest with pain. The contact stated that there was a possibility that the failure was caused by the dealer. There was an air bag system sensor malfunction at the time of the purchase. The dealer was called and provided the documentation for previous work performed, but there was none about the air bag. The contact believed that the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11765262
  2. Filed Sep 12, 2026Failure Jun 23, 2026Revere, MAAir bagsCrash

    I got into an accident, i was hit on the driver side and the car was pushed to hit a tree, the air bag did not deploy.

    NHTSA complaint 11763806
  3. Filed Aug 11, 2026Failure Jun 1, 202635,000 milesHyde Park, MAElectrical system, Engine

    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.

    NHTSA complaint 11756155
  4. Filed Jan 24, 2026Failure Jan 20, 2026Ridgefield Park, NJService brakes, Suspension

    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.

    NHTSA complaint 11713081
  5. Filed May 20, 2023Failure May 20, 2023Atlanta, GAAir bagsCrash2 injured

    I was involved in an accident today and the front steering wheel airbags didn’t deploy The blue car in the pictures turned in front of me and I hit them

    NHTSA complaint 11523048
  6. Filed May 18, 2023Failure Apr 30, 2023Bridgewater, NJElectrical system, Warnings

    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.

    NHTSA complaint 11522577
  7. Filed May 15, 2023Failure Apr 30, 2023Bridgewater, NJElectrical system, Warnings, Automatic emergency braking

    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.

    NHTSA complaint 11521985
  8. Filed Dec 3, 2022Failure Nov 18, 2022Hardeeville, SCUnknown or other

    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.

    NHTSA complaint 11495931
  9. Filed Dec 22, 2021Failure Dec 17, 20216,000 milesashland, MOAir bagsCrash1 injured

    The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact mentioned the air bags failed to deploy from the intensity of the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the driver sustained a broken right hand that needed medical attention and was unaware of the other vehicle injuries. The vehicle was towed to the body shop. The dealer was not contacted. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but there was no answer. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000. The VIN was not available.

    NHTSA complaint 11444704
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file.
Investigations

NHTSA has not opened an investigation on this model year

Source: NHTSA ODI investigations file.
Service bulletins

37 manufacturer communications cover this model year

Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall.

  • B010224 Jun 26, 2026 · Warranty Program/Extension
    The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
  • B010224 May 5, 2026 · Warranty Program/Extension
    The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date.
  • B513019 Apr 29, 2025 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    A groaning noise is present from the door frame of any door, most commonly when driving over rough roadsor during body flex. This situation may be worse in vehicles which are regularly waxed in th e area of the door jamb.
  • B120425 Apr 25, 2025 · Service Campaign
    As a result of a data input error, certain fault memories are permanently stored. The permanent storage offault memories does not comply with the legal specifications of the authority (California Air Resources Board– CARB). The fault has no effect on the us…
  • B840324 Oct 12, 2024 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The “End of life” or “Emergency call system error” Check Control message appears in the vehicle. The following fault memory entry is stored: B7F341 – Emergency battery: Hardware faulty
  • B511024 Apr 15, 2024 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The tailgate sporadically fails to open when signaled via- The interior button (driverâ™s door panel) Button on key fob The switch on the tailgate (inside or outside) In some cases, the tailgate will release and open only a short distance before stopping.
  • B640416 Jan 19, 2024 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Customer complains of a musty odor or damp front footwell carpet.
  • B611305 Jan 11, 2024 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle âdisc…
  • B521723 Jan 2, 2024 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Customer states one of the front seats is inoperative. The seat heater and power supply are inoperative. During the vehicle test, the seat module does not respond. The power supply fuse for the seat module isfound to have blown.
  • B612723 Dec 8, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    When using the Key Reader to retrieve CBS information from the customer key, no current vehicle data is available, or the data does not match the maintenance schedule.
  • B521723 Dec 11, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Customer states one of the front seats is inoperative. The seat heater and power supply are inoperative .During the vehicle test, the seat module does not respond. The power supply fuse for the seat module is found to have blown.
  • B160623 Dec 20, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too l…
  • B653423 Nov 22, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicleâ™s equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additio…
  • B612723 Nov 13, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    When using the Key Reader to retrieve CBS information from the customer key, no current vehicle data is available, or the data does not match the maintenance schedule.
  • B612123 Nov 16, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The steering wheel heating takes a long time to achieve the desired temperature.
  • B610323 Nov 1, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The buttons on the GWS do not work, or the function indicator lighting has failed. One or more of the following faults are saved in the fault memory for the GWS : 80268E - Park button sticking and/or 80268F - Parking button defective and/or 8026…
  • B513218 Nov 8, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The paint finish on the door jamb (above the door striker) is scratched due to the inner door cavity window seal.
  • B120723 Nov 17, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Vehicle exhibits a slight acceleration delay when taking off from a MSA (automatic engine start-stopfunction) stop.
  • B660523 Oct 19, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (ADCAM system) can lead to customer complaints.
  • B651523 May 1, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails.
  • B514616 May 1, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.
  • B840822 Mar 1, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose, the SIM card must perform an IMS registration i…
  • B610323 Mar 1, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The buttons on the gear selector switch (GWS) do not work, or the function indicator lighting has failed.
  • B510323 Mar 1, 2023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    While driving on rough roads, a knocking sound can be heard coming from top of the instrument panel (aka dashboard) in the bulkhead area.
  • B220322 Nov 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    During load reversal or taking off from a stop, there is a creaking or droning noise heard from the lower engine area.
  • B220222 Nov 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    During a vehicle inspection and/or while addressing a customer's concern, the engine stabilizer bar/link appears to be worn.
  • SIB840622 Jul 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the…
  • SIB330122 May 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The following complaints may be noticed while slow maneuvering with a steering input of 80-100% (at or near full lock, e.g., parking lot maneuvers) or accelerating with a medium to large steering angle: Humming or creaking noises from the rear area, slight …
  • SIB640222 May 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Mist formation on the windshield inside surface may occur at departure or after MSA (automaticstart/stop). Acoustic abnormality in the area of the recirculated air flap (recirculation flap closing and opening severaltimes). The above may occur individually …
  • B611721 Apr 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The Check Control message "Door open" appears in the instrument cluster (Kombi) even though all vehicle doors are closed and locked. The locking operation of the doors is not affected.
  • B640416 Feb 1, 2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Customer complains of musty odor or damp front footwell carpet.
  • B611721 Dec 1, 2021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Any or all of the following CCM ID code 14/15/16/17 "door open" appear in the instrument cluster when the door is properly closed and locked. The locking operation of the door is not affected by the incorrect display.
  • B640621 Sep 1, 2021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Different air temperatures are felt from left to right out of the front fresh air grilles (air vents).
  • SIB 61 10 21 Jul 1, 2021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    The contactless tailgate opening/closing function (Smart Opener) is inoperative.
  • B640621 Jul 1, 2021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Different air temperatures are felt from left to right out of the front fresh air grilles (air vent). The following fault code is saved in the IHKA (integrated automatic heating/air conditioning system) control unit: 801189 - Engine mixed air right: Initial…
  • B840121 May 1, 2021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    TELEMATICS UNIT DEACTIVATION DUE TO 3G CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY DISCONTINUATION: The discontinuation of 3G cellular communication for Combox, TCB 3G and ATM 3G (Telematics ControlModule) can no longer be supported by the cellular network provider starting Februa…
  • B650821 Jun 1, 2021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Customer states the Central Information Display is flickering and the picture is shifting.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications files.