CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2022 BMW X7

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

Owners have filed 20 safety complaints about the 2022 BMW X7 with the US government. Of those, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the seats and visibility.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 5 complaints, 25% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

20 complaints on file

20

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

1

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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 30%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 25%
STEERING 4 · 20%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 15%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 10%
SUSPENSION 2 · 10%
ENGINE 1 · 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 5%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 · 5%
SEATS 1 · 5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 5%
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 20.

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 2023 at 6.

8 6 4 2
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2022 BMW X7. 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

SEATS

22V670000 · September 7, 2022

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2022 BMW X7 xDrive40i, X7 Drive50i, X7 M50i vehicles with third-row seats. One or more of the compression springs that lock the backrest may not have been installed properly, and could dislodge or detach.
The risk
In a crash, the seat backrest may not fully lock, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the third-row seat and, if necessary, remove and reinstall improperly installed compression springs, and reinstall any missing springs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 246 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

22V267000 · April 20, 2022

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive); 2019-2022 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M; 2021-2022 X5 xdrive45e; 2020-2022 X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6M and 2019-2023 X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, X7 xDrive60i, X7 M60i, X7M, Alpina XB7 vehicles. The roof function control unit may be programmed incorrectly, allowing the sunroof to close without the key fob present inside the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
The risk
A sunroof that closes without the key fob present inside the vehicle can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will reprogram the roof function control unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 61,221 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

Our 2022 BMW X7 PARKED caught fire under our carport and burned and the fire spread to my home and totally destroyed it. We heard car alarm go off and ran to back door of our home where the car parked and noticed hood was engulfed in flames. The date of fire occurred on February 25, 2023. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint 11526790. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
My vehicle was diagnosed in August of 2026 with a suspension thrust arm failure showing leaking hydraulic fluid. The repair cost was quoted at $2,200.00. I found on the internet a BMW of north america service bulletin that called out these thrust arms can fail due to "Various external influences can cause premature aging of the tension strut hydro-mount elastomer; whichcan lead to cracks in the material, and leakage." The service bulletin noted that BMW covers repair costs (parts and labor) on this for cars within the new manufacturer warranty which unfortunately my car had just passed the manufacturer warranty. It is clear these have been leaking for some time and likely failed well before

NHTSA complaint 11761805, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
On August 19, 2026, my 2022 BMW X7 xDrive40i experienced multiple safety\-related warnings at approximately 50,411–50,427 miles\. The vehicle first displayed “Increased steering effort” and instructed me to drive carefully to a service center\. It then displayed a red power\-supply warning stating: “Stop carefully\. Do not continue driving\. Continued driving will lead to malfunction of safety relevant functions\. Battery cannot be recharged\. Call Roadside Assistance\.” A drivetrain warning subsequently appeared\. After the vehicle was stopped and later restarted, the warnings temporarily cleared\. BMW of Atlantic City performed a KeyReader scan\. The report documented the steering,

NHTSA complaint 11758130, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Component Failing: Telematics Control Unit (TCU) / SOS Emergency Call System This vehicle is experiencing an intermittent, total failure of the factory-installed SOS/Emergency Call System due to a known manufacturing defect. BMW has documented this issue in Technical Service Bulletin SIB 65 12 22, admitting that an improper factory paint and sealing process causes the roof-mounted shark fin antenna to separate from the vehicle body. As a direct result of this assembly defect, rainwater has leaked past the roofline and into the vehicle's interior cabin, flooding and short-circuiting the Telematics Control Unit (TCU). Consequently, the critical life-safety SOS system is failing to operate

NHTSA complaint 11737594, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK
The front passenger side door is unable to open from inside or outside the vehicle. The door actuator failed, and this has been confirmed by the dealer. This is an obvious safety issue as it prevents egress in an emergency. According to Internet forums, this seems to be a known issue across BMW platforms.

NHTSA complaint 11730369. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Transfer case and front and rear differentials have failed - bmw claims lifetime fluid which is clearly not accurate

NHTSA complaint 11699292. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Description of the Problem: At ~57,000 miles, the front differential on my 2025 BMW X7 M50i failed and was replaced by an authorized dealer in March 2025. The issue was believed resolved, but in October 2025 the vehicle was returned to Advantage BMW because of a question about when the vehicle showing shuttering, vibration, and binding during low-speed turns. The car has been at the BMW dealership since 10/15/2025, where it was diagnosed with a transfer-case failure. Both failures occurred without any warning lights, messages, or diagnostic alerts. The symptoms were only mechanical noise (front differential) and driveline vibration (transfer case). The dealer confirmed that BMW issued

NHTSA complaint 11696292, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW X7

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 7 2 —
2025 29 4 —
2024 62 7 —
2023 44 8 —
2021 46 9 —
2020 54 12 —
2019 47 11 —

Other 2022 BMW models

X3 78 X5 69 IX 29 I4 10 R 18 9 430I 8 530I 8

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