CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2025 BMW X1

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

Owners have filed 17 safety complaints about the 2025 BMW X1 with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 9 complaints, 53% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2024 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

17 complaints on file

17

Complaints

3

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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 · 53%
POWER TRAIN 6 · 35%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 24%
ENGINE 3 · 18%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 12%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 12%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 6%
STEERING 1 · 6%
TIRES 1 · 6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 6%
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 17.

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 2026 at 9.

12 9 6 3
24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2024 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 crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2025 BMW X1, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 17.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

25V616000 · September 17, 2025

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain 2025-2026 X1 and X2, MINI Cooper Convertible, MINI Cooper, Mini Countryman S ALL4, and 2025 MINI Countryman SE ALL4 vehicles. The torsion bar in both front seat belt retractors may have been damaged during production.
The risk
A damaged seat belt retractor may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace both front seat belt retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 13, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 7, 2025.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 1,571 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

24V829000 · November 4, 2024

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2025 X1 xDrive28i and X1 M35i vehicles. The left and right-side B-Pillar reinforcement plates may have been manufactured with insufficient structural strength.
The risk
A B-Pillar structure with reduced strength may not adequately protect passengers in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the left-side and right-side B-Pillar and, if affected, replace the B-Pillar, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 7, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 3,312 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

24V104000 · February 12, 2024

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2023-2025 BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The integrated brake (IB) system may malfunction and result in a loss of power brake assist or cause the Antilock Brake (ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) systems to not function properly.
The risk
A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle. Additionally, malfunctioning ABS and/or DSC systems can cause a loss of vehicle control. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between June and December 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls Royce customer service at 1-877-877-3735.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 266,716 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.

SERVICE BRAKES

fire · towed · 1,000 miles

The contact filed the complaint regarding a rental 2025 BMW X1. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact went outside and noticed a fire exiting the engine hood on the front passenger side. The vehicle was unoccupied. The contact stated that within a couple of minutes, the entire front of the vehicle was on fire, and a couple of minutes later the entire vehicle was on fire. The local fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact was informed by the fire official, who informed the contact that the fire was assumed to have been started from the front passenger's brake system. The manufacturer was made aware

NHTSA complaint 11662572, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

crash · towed

I was driving a BMW loaner vehicle provided by the dealership while my own car was being serviced. The tire pressure dropped to dangerously low levels, but the vehicle only displayed a vague “Check Tire Pressure” message. There was no urgent alert or clear warning that the vehicle was unsafe to drive, even as the tire reached dangerously low pressure. This lack of escalation poses a serious safety risk to drivers who may believe the message is routine or non-urgent. I had to swerve to avoid traffic and get myself and my kids out of oncoming traffic's way. I later confirmed with the dealership that this is the default behavior and that the vehicle does not provide a critical or emergency

NHTSA complaint 11660937, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

crash

We had forward collision mitigation option on this vehicle but it didn't brake to stop. This caused to rear end a SUV infront on service road and causing big damage to both vehicles. There was a recall on previous year vehicles on the braking system but were told this was fixed in this 2025 model.

NHTSA complaint 11663011. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

crash

The contact owns a BMW X1. Wow attempting to park the vehicle inside a residential garage, the contact engaged to transmission into part by the electronic console shelf by wire controls. The ending remained Allen, and the vehicle failed to mechanical grinding noises or dashboard error messages displayed to alert the driver. Upon releasing the brake paddle, the vehicle unexpectedly creep towards under engine, power and collided with the Garage Door causing $500 in property damage and cosmetic scratches to the vehicle vehicles front bumper. The dealer has been notified of failure. The manufacturer has yet has not yet been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 18224 mileage.

NHTSA complaint 11767625. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
As with other complaints, the dual clutch transmission/powertrain is faulty. The BMW dealership and BMW North America are unwilling to acknowledge the safety issue, issue a recall, or buy back. Safety issues are: •Delayed/hesitant response —a lag of up to several seconds between pressing the accelerator and the car actually moving, especially at low speed or when pulling out from a stop. •Jerky, clunky low-speed behavior — rough engagement in stop-and-go traffic or when transitioning between Park/Drive/Reverse. •Rollaway risk — Because the DCT uses electrohydraulic clutch actuation instead of a torque converter, some drivers say the car can roll backward (e.g., on an incline) before the

NHTSA complaint 11767732, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Incident occurred on 9-15-26 at approx. 1:16 PM (PST) and 6205 miles. Vehicle uncontrollably rolled/moved opposite to the selected drive gear while waiting for the clutch to engage. Had stopped on a flat paved road to allow a pedestrian to cross by, but when I released the brake pedal, the vehicle unexpectedly moved backwards immediately - despite being in drive gear. Had to slam on brakes to stop this. Fortunately, no vehicle was behind me otherwise could have collided. No warning messages, etc. prior to this incident.

NHTSA complaint 11764672. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Purchased a 2025 BMW X1 used in June of 2025; car's steering has had slight, persistent "thump" during low speed return to center since purchase. Dealership has made multiple repair attempts with tech acknowledging it didn't seem right. None of the repairs have resulted in the issue being resolved. Latest return to dealership in late June resulted in inquiry with the local field tech, who simply compared my vehicle with another of the same model and claimed that it was the same on the new vehicle. I reached out to BMW of North America and they claimed there was nothing further they could do on their end after opening a case with them in late May. I would at least like an explanation as to

NHTSA complaint 11755310, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
My Vehicle started having grinding front brakes at about 12,000 miles. Front brake rotors have already grooves developing. I took it to Manhasset BMW service, my brakes were not checked properly, wheels not even removed to see if any calipers issue causing the grinding sounder pads wearing out prematurely. This is not normal wearing issue, it's a serious problem with brakes. Recently, BMW recalled for integrated brakes problem but BMW rep. told me that my vehicle has no recall on record. It's a 2025 BMW X1 AWD with 14,600 miles as of today. Brakes don't show grooves and hot spots from nothing, something is going on with my brakes and BMW refusing to check and service.

NHTSA complaint 11751955. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
wHILE PARKING TOUCHED THROTTLE, CAR RAPIDLY ACCILERATED AND PLUNGED TRHOUGH REAR WALL OF GARAGED

NHTSA complaint 11746772. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW X1

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 30 3 —
2023 70 6 —
2021 9 1 —
2020 13 1 —
2019 11 3 —
2018 59 4 —
2017 156 2 —
2016 159 3 —
2015 52 2 —
2014 54 2 —
2013 38 2 —

Other 2025 BMW models

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