BMW · NHTSA safety record

2011 BMW 1 Series

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

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Owners of the 2011 BMW 1 Series have filed 33 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2010 and May 2019. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 15 of them (45%). The typical failure was reported at 24,974 miles, the median across the 21 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (2)

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 33.

AIR BAGS 15 45%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 21%

ENGINE 4 12%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 12%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 9%

EQUIPMENT 2 6%

STRUCTURE 2 6%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 6%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 3%

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 3%

POWER TRAIN 1 3%

SERVICE BRAKES 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 11.

2010 to 2019

In owners' own words

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

ENGINE Filed June 12, 2015

fire · 80 miles

THE CAR HAS STALLED OVER 600 TIMES IN 4 YEARS. THE CAR HAS FAILED TO START 4 TIMES. BMW FAILED TO REPLACE THE BATTERY CABLE FOR 2 YEARS -- EVEN AFTER THE BATTERY CAUGHT ON FIRE AT A GAS STATION PUMP. THE CAR CAN ONLY BE MOVED WITH WHEEL TROLLIES, SINCE YOU CANNOT PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL OR EVEN OPEN THE TRUNK (BATTERY IN TRUNK) DUE TO NO MANUALLY KEY OVERRIDE TUMBLE FOR EITHER. BMW HAS CHARGED ME FOR LABOR AND TWO BATTERIES, EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMIT TO FAILING TO HONOR THE RECALL AND PERFORMING SAID REPAIRS. THE CAR IS DANGEROUS, AND MY WIFE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE CAR CHUGGES BETWEEN 4,000 TO 6,000 RPM, AND BOLT FORWARD UNCONTROLLABLY IF THE ENGINE STALL DOES NOT OCCUR UPON PRESSING

NHTSA complaint 10725065, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed December 14, 2018

fire · 92,000 miles

THE CAR WAS MOVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH AC RUNNING. SMOKE PLUMED FROM VENTS AND UNDER FRONT PASSENGER FOOTWELL. ELECTRICAL FIRE STEMMING FROM BLOWER MOTOR FINAL STAGE UNIT AND WIRING HARNESS.

NHTSA complaint 11161297. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed April 1, 2019

55 miles

I BRING IN TO LONGBEACH BMW DEALERS AND THEY MASS UP THE CAR AND THEY WANTED 10,000 DALLORS TO FIXED IT AND I ONLY BRING TO IN FOR RECALLS I DON'T LET ME PICK UP THE CAR

NHTSA complaint 11193250. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed November 21, 2018

90,000 miles

THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR HARNESS BEGAN TO SMOKE HEAVILY. THE A/C STOPPED WORKING. I PULLED OVER AND DISCONNECTED THE WIRING HARNESS AND PULLED THE FUSE. THE WIRES MELTED, THE CONNECTOR MELTED, AND THE RESISTOR IS BROKEN. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I SEE THAT BMW HAS RECALLED OTHER CARS FOR THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE, BUT NOT THE 1 SERIES.

NHTSA complaint 11153013. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Filed July 18, 2018

79,000 miles

THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED AND BEEN REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES. IT BEGINS WITH THE CAR TAKING MUCH LONGER TO CRANK AND START. THEN IT COMPLETELY FAILS POTENTIALLY WHILE DRIVING, CREATING A SAFETY ISSUE, OR WILL NO LONGER START. THE HPFP IS EASILY REPLACED WITH JUST 3 BOLTS HOLDING IT TO THE SIDE OF THE MOTOR. ANY COMPETENT SHOP CAN REPLACE IT IN A COUPLE HOURS AT THE MOST. THE PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED AND MADE EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING BY THE SERVICE CENTERS REFUSING TO ADDRESS THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM. INSTEAD THEY FEIGN IGNORANCE WHILE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE ARE REPLACED AFTER HAVING REPLACED NUMEROUS OTHER THINGS. THESE OTHER DISTRACTIONS ARE ALL MORE TIME CONSUMING TO REPLACE AND

NHTSA complaint 11112223, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed April 22, 2018

10,000 miles

ASD

NHTSA complaint 11089274. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed November 9, 2017

72,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL

NHTSA complaint 11044869. 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
2010	8	2	—

Other 2011 BMW models

328I 574 X5 263 528I 117 535I 112 X3 112 335I 97 550I 84 5 Series 81

Every BMW on this site — 249 vehicles, 484 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.

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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst