FaultScore

2025 BMW IX driver assist problems

10 of the 20 complaints about the 2025 BMW IX are about the driver-assist systems — 50% of everything reported for this model year.

F

10

Complaints

8

Crashes

0

Fires

4

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Automatic Emergency Braking 3 30.0%
Warnings 2 20.0%
Adaptive Cruise Control 2 20.0%
Warnings 2 20.0%
Rearview System Braking 1 10.0%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance across every BMW IX year

2022 12 24.0%
2023 13 26.0%
2024 15 30.0%
2025 10 20.0%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

East Hartford, CT Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

BMW iX driver-assistance safety malfunction. In approx. April 2025 vehicle displayed “driver assistance permanently disabled.” Dealer contacted BMW and cleared codes; foreman reported ongoing code/concern. After return, ACC/lane keep/forward collision behavior became unreliable without dashboard error: lane centering intermittently fails; lane visualization inaccurate; following distance control intermittently fails; FCW/AEB/“too close” alerts/intervention do not occur even when enabled and set to early/far. On May 31, 2025 near Philadelphia, PA, traffic conditions changed/suddenly slowed and vehicle provided no warning/intervention, requiring emergency braking and resulting in front grille damage. Vehicle has returned to dealer multiple times for programming/calibration issues; problem persists; dealer wants paid diagnosis again. New clicking/clunking from steering column/steering rack area during turning, or driving at any speed.

NHTSA complaint #11721488 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

East Hartford, CT Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

BMW iX driver-assistance safety malfunction. In approx. April 2025 vehicle displayed “driver assistance permanently disabled.” Dealer contacted BMW and cleared codes; foreman reported ongoing code/concern. After return, ACC/lane keep/forward collision behavior became unreliable without dashboard error: lane centering intermittently fails; lane visualization inaccurate; following distance control intermittently fails; FCW/AEB/“too close” alerts/intervention do not occur even when enabled and set to early/far. On May 31, 2025 near Philadelphia, PA, traffic conditions changed/suddenly slowed and vehicle provided no warning/intervention, requiring emergency braking and resulting in front grille damage. Vehicle has returned to dealer multiple times for programming/calibration issues; problem persists; dealer wants paid diagnosis again. New clicking/clunking from steering column/steering rack area during turning, or driving at any speed.

NHTSA complaint #11721488 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

San Ramon, CA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Driver was in parking space/nearly fully parked (her foot was on the brake coming to a full stop and about to place the car in park), when the car’s self drive function or cruise control engaged on its own. It then rolled up the hill, and into the trees. Thankfully no one was hurt (3 people in the car - 2 adults and 1 child) and the car stopped while leaning on a tree, otherwise it would have rolled over. She never uses cruise control, nor any of the self drive functions on the car at all. In her words, the car was “unstoppable”. The speed of the car at that time was a near crawl into the space, ready for a full stop. When the self drive/cruise control engaged, the car jumped over the curve in front of the parking space on its own. No button was pressed by the driver, nor should any self drive feature of the car engage while the car was nearly parked. Additionally, while manually parking, the 360 degree parking camera was on, yet the car still engaged in self drive. Luckily, no other person nor vehicle was in front of the car when this happened. There was a post collision warning light (note, the airbags did not deploy), but we have asked the certified collision center to review the alerts to confirm what may have triggered. The BMW app never showed that the car was in a collision, and to-date still does not. The car is now with the collision center for an estimate (via insurance company), and the process has already started with BMW Consumer Affairs regarding safety issues with this automobile. We have also formally requested that BMW downloads all information regarding the collision from the Event Data Recorder (EDR). The police was not involved in the incident, since no one was injured. NHTSA indicates there have been similar incidents/recalls reported for the BMW IX from 2022 -2024 models, but no recall for the 2025 model - although the incidents are also reported for this model. We are concerned over the the safety of this car moving forward.

NHTSA complaint #11716615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

San Ramon, CA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Driver was in parking space/nearly fully parked (her foot was on the brake coming to a full stop and about to place the car in park), when the car’s self drive function or cruise control engaged on its own. It then rolled up the hill, and into the trees. Thankfully no one was hurt (3 people in the car - 2 adults and 1 child) and the car stopped while leaning on a tree, otherwise it would have rolled over. She never uses cruise control, nor any of the self drive functions on the car at all. In her words, the car was “unstoppable”. The speed of the car at that time was a near crawl into the space, ready for a full stop. When the self drive/cruise control engaged, the car jumped over the curve in front of the parking space on its own. No button was pressed by the driver, nor should any self drive feature of the car engage while the car was nearly parked. Additionally, while manually parking, the 360 degree parking camera was on, yet the car still engaged in self drive. Luckily, no other person nor vehicle was in front of the car when this happened. There was a post collision warning light (note, the airbags did not deploy), but we have asked the certified collision center to review the alerts to confirm what may have triggered. The BMW app never showed that the car was in a collision, and to-date still does not. The car is now with the collision center for an estimate (via insurance company), and the process has already started with BMW Consumer Affairs regarding safety issues with this automobile. We have also formally requested that BMW downloads all information regarding the collision from the Event Data Recorder (EDR). The police was not involved in the incident, since no one was injured. NHTSA indicates there have been similar incidents/recalls reported for the BMW IX from 2022 -2024 models, but no recall for the 2025 model - although the incidents are also reported for this model. We are concerned over the the safety of this car moving forward.

NHTSA complaint #11716615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Newport Beach, CA Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My 2025 BMW iX xDrive50 has experienced three separate random shutdown events while driving in active traffic. These shutdowns occurred without warning and caused sudden loss of vehicle functionality. One of these shutdowns resulted in a rear-end collision. The vehicle has been brought to BMW of Carlsbad three separate times. Each time, the dealership stated no defect could be found and blamed the driver for “user settings.” A BMW of Carlsbad service advisor later sent written messages stating that BMW software can crash and shut off the vehicle and that normal phone contact data (such as emojis in phone contacts) can cause the system to crash and shut the vehicle off. Customers were instructed to change normal phone usage and re-pair phones to avoid shutdowns. Despite software updates, the vehicle continues to generate shutdown warnings. A vehicle that can randomly shut down while driving constitutes a serious safety defect.

NHTSA complaint #11708608 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Newport Beach, CA Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

My 2025 BMW iX xDrive50 has experienced three separate random shutdown events while driving in active traffic. These shutdowns occurred without warning and caused sudden loss of vehicle functionality. One of these shutdowns resulted in a rear-end collision. The vehicle has been brought to BMW of Carlsbad three separate times. Each time, the dealership stated no defect could be found and blamed the driver for “user settings.” A BMW of Carlsbad service advisor later sent written messages stating that BMW software can crash and shut off the vehicle and that normal phone contact data (such as emojis in phone contacts) can cause the system to crash and shut the vehicle off. Customers were instructed to change normal phone usage and re-pair phones to avoid shutdowns. Despite software updates, the vehicle continues to generate shutdown warnings. A vehicle that can randomly shut down while driving constitutes a serious safety defect.

NHTSA complaint #11708608 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Newport Beach, CA Crash 1 injured

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

My 2025 BMW iX xDrive50 has experienced three separate random shutdown events while driving in active traffic. These shutdowns occurred without warning and caused sudden loss of vehicle functionality. One of these shutdowns resulted in a rear-end collision. The vehicle has been brought to BMW of Carlsbad three separate times. Each time, the dealership stated no defect could be found and blamed the driver for “user settings.” A BMW of Carlsbad service advisor later sent written messages stating that BMW software can crash and shut off the vehicle and that normal phone contact data (such as emojis in phone contacts) can cause the system to crash and shut the vehicle off. Customers were instructed to change normal phone usage and re-pair phones to avoid shutdowns. Despite software updates, the vehicle continues to generate shutdown warnings. A vehicle that can randomly shut down while driving constitutes a serious safety defect.

NHTSA complaint #11708608 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Harbor City, CA Crash 2 injured

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

On October 17, 2025 at approximately 3:15 PM in the parking lot of a shopping mall at 2040 Lomita Blvd, Lomita, CA, our 2025 BMW iX M60 suddenly accelerated forward unintentionally while the driver was attempting to park. The vehicle made a loud “whirring” sound as if the motor engaged on its own, and it lurched forward rapidly without any acceleration input from the driver. The car traveled only about 2 feet before crashing into a wall in front of the parking space. All front and side airbags deployed. The driver (my father) suffered a chest fracture and hand laceration, and the passenger (my minor son) sustained severe bruises to the chest and shoulder from seat belt impact. The Driver (my father) was hospitalized for four days. The vehicle was towed to a body shop and is currently under insurance inspection for total loss. This appears to be a case of Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) possibly related to the vehicle’s electronic drive control system. We request that NHTSA and BMW investigate this incident to determine if there is a safety defect in the 2025 BMW iX EV platform.

NHTSA complaint #11695421 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Miami, FL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

At low speeds, the cruise control engages, causing the vehicle to accelerate. Stepping on the brake disengages the cruise control as it normally would. I have had this leased vehicle since March 2015. I have reported the issue 4 times to the dealer. Each time they interrogate the computer and tell me there are no errors. I have researched the internet, and there are numerous complaints about this potentially life-threatening issue. "Point of interest." This is the same dealer who insisted my BMW 7 Series had nothing wrong when it was burning a quart of oil every ten days. Eventually, the engine was no longer manufactured. I'm taking the car back next week; they are taking the issue to BMW.

NHTSA complaint #11687045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Arcadia, CA

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

I have backed up from my dirveway everyday for a month and the rear cross traffic nevered worked as advertised.

NHTSA complaint #11632503 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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