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BMW · NHTSA safety record

2010 BMW 1 Series

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 8 safety complaints about the 2010 BMW 1 Series with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the engine and its cooling and the seat belts.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 4 complaints, 50% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2010 to December 2017 · How this is counted

What is on file

8 complaints on file

8

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 4 · 50%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 13%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 13%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 13%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 13%
SEATS 1 · 13%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 13%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 8.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 3.

4 3 2 1
10 11 14 15 16 17

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2010 to 2017.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2010 BMW 1 Series. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

23V707000 · October 20, 2023

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3 xDrive 30i, X5 xDrive30i, and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The aluminum bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and possibly break.
The risk
Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the four VANOS bolts, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed December 18, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 157,796 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

10V254000 · June 10, 2010

The defect
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 1-SERIES VEHICLES. IN A CRASH OF SUFFICIENT SEVERITY, DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PRE-TENSIONER AND LOAD-LIMITER OCCURS.
The risk
THE INSULATION AROUND THE PRE-TENSIONER COULD IGNITE.
The remedy
VEHICLES PRODUCED UP THROUGH DECEMBER 2009 WILL RECEIVE NEW FRONT SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR UNITS AND A MODIFICATION TO THE SOUND INSULATION NEAR THE UNITS, WHILE VEHICLES PRODUCED BETWEEN JANUARY 2010 AND MAY 2010 WILL RECEIVE A MODIFICATION TO THE SOUND INSULATION NEAR THE UNITS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 23, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.

BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC · up to 31,935 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

93,000 miles

FAILED PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR. DOES NOT DETECT PASSENGER. "AIRBAG OFF" IS ILLUMINATED WHEN PASSENGER IS PRESENT.

NHTSA complaint 11052350. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BMW ADVISING THAT PARTS ARE AVAILABLE AND TO CONTACT MY LOCAL DEALER TO HAVE THEM INSTALLED. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT DUE TO LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF PARTS, I COULD NOT HAVE THEM INSTALLED UNTIL MARCH 2018.

NHTSA complaint 11035125. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL

NHTSA complaint 10939068. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL

NHTSA complaint 10917243. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

40,000 miles

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER CAR ON THE FREE WAY AT NIGHT BY HER SELF AND IT WENT FROM 65 MILES TO HOUR TO 25 MILES AN HOUR AND THEN IT STOPPED. I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY HOME AND MY WIFE WAS VERY SCARED. I THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MAG BMW IN DUBLIN OHIO. ONCE THERE I WAS TOLD THAT IT HAD A GAS LEAK IN THE INSIDE OF THE FUEL TANK THAT IS CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE POWER AND THAT IS WHY IT STOPPED. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE PERSON THAT IT WOULD COST ME $3000 TO GET IT REPAIRED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BMW DOES NOT USE THAT FUEL TANK ANYMORE SO I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP ALSO. I ASKED IF YOU NO LONGER USE THE FUEL TANK IT MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT AND THEN BMW SHOULD BE

NHTSA complaint 10785902, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
RADIO NOT ALWAYS GOING ON WHEN TURNED ON OR TURNING OFF BY ITSELF OR CHANGING STATIONS. ONGOING PROBLEM. BROUGHT TO DEALER WHO HAD ME WAIT FOR OVER 5 HRS. FOR THE "CONTROLLER" TO BE CHANGED. PROBLEM CONTINUED ALONG WITH ONE OCCASION OF LOUD BUZZING COMING FROM REAR OF VEHICLE. BROUGHT TO ATTENTION OF DEALER SEVERAL TIMES WHEN IN FOR SERVICING BUT WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. DISCOVERED ONLY TOO LATE THAT I WAS BEYOND THE TIME OF FILING A COMPLAINT UNDER THE LEMON LAW. BROUGHT VEHICLE IT TO DEALER FOR APPRAISAL AND POSSIBLE "BUY BACK" BUT WAS OFFERED ONLY ABOUT HALF ITS VALUE. NOW I AM ENCOUNTERING PROBLEM OF "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT GOING ON AND REMAINING ON (OVER SEVERAL THOUSAND

NHTSA complaint 10650047, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 1 Series

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2011 33 2 —

Other 2010 BMW models

328I 155 X5 124 528I 65 535I 58 335I 41 X3 32 3 Series 30 750LI 30

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every BMW on this site — 257 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst