FaultScore

FaultScore report

2021 BMW X1 problems

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the 2021 BMW X1 with NHTSA between 2021 and 2026. The largest single group is the electrical system. Across this model's run it ranks 9 of 12 worst.

C

FaultScore 43/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the BMW X1.

How this is worked out

The numbers

12

Complaints

2

Crashes reported

0

Fires reported

2

Injuries reported

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

Complaint volume 8 vs 50 Severity 100 vs 50 Early failure not reported
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 8
Against the median year of the BMW X1. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
33.3% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.

How 2021 compares with every other BMW X1

Click any bar to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2021 BMW X1

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 3 25.0%
Electrical System 3 25.0%

Median failure at 35,000 miles

Airbags 2 16.7%

2 crashes, 0 fires · median 6,000 mi

Other & Unspecified 1 8.3%
Suspension 1 8.3%
Brakes 1 8.3%
Engine & Cooling 1 8.3%

Median failure at 35,000 miles

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Dec 2021 peak 6 Aug 2026

Recalls on the 2021 BMW X1

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

Canada — Transport Canada

Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.

Recall 2024544 587,250 units in Canada

Label

Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: This error does not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.

Recall 2021777 21,732 units in Canada

Brakes

Issue: On certain vehicles, the tell-tale (warning light) for the antilock brake system (ABS) doesn't light up in the instrument cluster when you start the vehicle. Canadian regulations require the ABS tell-tale to turn on during the start-up sequence to tell you that the ABS is working. Note: The braking system will continue to work normally, and the ABS tell-tale will turn on when there is a problem with the ABS. Safety Risk: If the ABS tell-tale does not turn on during start-up, you may not know if the ABS is working correctly. A problem with the ABS will cause a warning message to appear on the vehicle's central information display screen, even if the ABS tell-tail fails. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer update the vehicle software.

Recall 2021448 1,615 units in Canada

Seats And Restraints

Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger seat belt assemblies may contain defective automatic locking retractors (ALR). As a result, the seat belts may not properly lock to secure a child seat. Safety Risk: A seat belt that is not properly locked could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the seat belts. They will be replaced, if necessary.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

Atlanta, GA Crash 2 injured

AIR BAGS

I was involved in an accident today and the front steering wheel airbags didn’t deploy The blue car in the pictures turned in front of me and I hit them

NHTSA complaint #11523048 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 6,000 miles Ashland, MO Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact mentioned the air bags failed to deploy from the intensity of the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the driver sustained a broken right hand that needed medical attention and was unaware of the other vehicle injuries. The vehicle was towed to the body shop. The dealer was not contacted. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but there was no answer. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA complaint #11444704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

at 35,000 miles Hyde Park, MA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the navigation screen was glitching and became inoperable. The service message was displayed. There was a red triangle with an exclamation mark displayed. The vehicle was difficult to start. The contact stated that the failure was caused by a failure with the grounding cable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the grounding cable was underneath the vehicle. The battery was previously replaced. No additional repairs were completed. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The manufacturer confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle associated with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA complaint #11756155 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 35,000 miles Hyde Park, MA

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the navigation screen was glitching and became inoperable. The service message was displayed. There was a red triangle with an exclamation mark displayed. The vehicle was difficult to start. The contact stated that the failure was caused by a failure with the grounding cable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the grounding cable was underneath the vehicle. The battery was previously replaced. No additional repairs were completed. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The manufacturer confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle associated with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA complaint #11756155 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Ridgefield Park, NJ

SUSPENSION

At approximately 20,000 miles, the vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer due to abnormal noises from the front suspension when turning the steering wheel. The dealer confirmed abnormal noise from the front struts when the wheels were turned while the vehicle was on a lift and diagnosed premature front strut failure. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. Repair was quoted but not performed. This condition involves a safety-critical suspension component and may affect vehicle handling, stability, and braking performance, particularly during turning or emergency maneuvers. This issue follows a prior safety-related brake failure at approximately 17,000 miles. At that time, a brake system warning light illuminated, and the condition was confirmed and repaired by the dealer. Both incidents involve safety-critical systems occurring at unusually low mileage. No warning lights or messages were observed prior to the suspension issue. The vehicle has not been involved in a collision and has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives.

NHTSA complaint #11713081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Ridgefield Park, NJ

SERVICE BRAKES

At approximately 20,000 miles, the vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer due to abnormal noises from the front suspension when turning the steering wheel. The dealer confirmed abnormal noise from the front struts when the wheels were turned while the vehicle was on a lift and diagnosed premature front strut failure. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. Repair was quoted but not performed. This condition involves a safety-critical suspension component and may affect vehicle handling, stability, and braking performance, particularly during turning or emergency maneuvers. This issue follows a prior safety-related brake failure at approximately 17,000 miles. At that time, a brake system warning light illuminated, and the condition was confirmed and repaired by the dealer. Both incidents involve safety-critical systems occurring at unusually low mileage. No warning lights or messages were observed prior to the suspension issue. The vehicle has not been involved in a collision and has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives.

NHTSA complaint #11713081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Atlanta, GA Crash 2 injured

AIR BAGS

I was involved in an accident today and the front steering wheel airbags didn’t deploy The blue car in the pictures turned in front of me and I hit them

NHTSA complaint #11523048 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Bridgewater, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While I was driving my BMW X1 1 to 3 weeks ago, frontal collision warning malfunction, pedestrian alert and request service flashed. It was a distraction and not safe. When My husband brought it to the dealership, they were not certain how to fix it. They took a video while doing diagnostic. The right bumper is pop out a little bit because it got hooked to a protruding rod in a concrete parking block while I was parking in front of a food store in Raritan sometime last year. I did not have it fix yet because it was not so obvious and the aesthetics of the car was not much affected. For that reason, the man in the video was saying that he saw a little damage there and was assuming that there’s sort of impact there to the right but it’s hard for him to tell. He was talking of a hard impact which did not happen. He said, visually he could not see anything that is bent but usually if there is a hard impact, it usually twigs the knuckle or the tire rod and he was pointing to those. He also said that when there is a hard impact, they usually recommend to replace the steering rack which is very delicate electronic steering rack and he was pointing where it is. He said, those 3 parts need to be replaced and he will do an alignment once they’re done. He said the reason why always the collision warning are coming on are because of all the steering angle faults from the steering moving so far off. I spoke with the manager last Monday and agreed with alignment but he said if the warning won’t go away after then, I have to spend about $5,000 to replace all those 3 parts. They were not listening that the car did not get a hard impact that’s why they could not see anything bent. It was just the right side of the bumper that was hooked to a rod. They did not even talk about checking the cameras or sensor of the car which according to google is the common cause of frontal collision malfunction. The root cause should be found to fix the problem.

NHTSA complaint #11522577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Bridgewater, NJ

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

While I was driving my BMW X1 1 to 3 weeks ago, frontal collision warning malfunction, pedestrian alert and request service flashed. It was a distraction and not safe. When My husband brought it to the dealership, they were not certain how to fix it. They took a video while doing diagnostic. The right bumper is pop out a little bit because it got hooked to a protruding rod in a concrete parking block while I was parking in front of a food store in Raritan sometime last year. I did not have it fix yet because it was not so obvious and the aesthetics of the car was not much affected. For that reason, the man in the video was saying that he saw a little damage there and was assuming that there’s sort of impact there to the right but it’s hard for him to tell. He was talking of a hard impact which did not happen. He said, visually he could not see anything that is bent but usually if there is a hard impact, it usually twigs the knuckle or the tire rod and he was pointing to those. He also said that when there is a hard impact, they usually recommend to replace the steering rack which is very delicate electronic steering rack and he was pointing where it is. He said, those 3 parts need to be replaced and he will do an alignment once they’re done. He said the reason why always the collision warning are coming on are because of all the steering angle faults from the steering moving so far off. I spoke with the manager last Monday and agreed with alignment but he said if the warning won’t go away after then, I have to spend about $5,000 to replace all those 3 parts. They were not listening that the car did not get a hard impact that’s why they could not see anything bent. It was just the right side of the bumper that was hooked to a rod. They did not even talk about checking the cameras or sensor of the car which according to google is the common cause of frontal collision malfunction. The root cause should be found to fix the problem.

NHTSA complaint #11522577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Bridgewater, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The car was displaying these messages: Frontal Collision Warning System: Malfunction, Brake intervention not available. Visual and acoustic ⚠️ warnings active. Consult service center. Daytime Pedestrian Warning reduced:Brake intervention not possible, but visual and acoustic warnings are still given. Consult service center. It was inspected by the dealership but they were saying that I have to pay $5,000 for it to be fixed which is not right because I think it is a manufacturer’s defect. They were blaming it to a collision which never happened. A portion of the right side of the bumper came off sometime last year because as I was trying to park it, it got hooked to a rod in a parking block. It is not even obvious that’s why I did not have if fix yet, not a priority for my budget. I need a car to go to work. An unfix controller area network and electronic control units could lead to fatal accident.

NHTSA complaint #11521985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Bridgewater, NJ

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The car was displaying these messages: Frontal Collision Warning System: Malfunction, Brake intervention not available. Visual and acoustic ⚠️ warnings active. Consult service center. Daytime Pedestrian Warning reduced:Brake intervention not possible, but visual and acoustic warnings are still given. Consult service center. It was inspected by the dealership but they were saying that I have to pay $5,000 for it to be fixed which is not right because I think it is a manufacturer’s defect. They were blaming it to a collision which never happened. A portion of the right side of the bumper came off sometime last year because as I was trying to park it, it got hooked to a rod in a parking block. It is not even obvious that’s why I did not have if fix yet, not a priority for my budget. I need a car to go to work. An unfix controller area network and electronic control units could lead to fatal accident.

NHTSA complaint #11521985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Bridgewater, NJ

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

The car was displaying these messages: Frontal Collision Warning System: Malfunction, Brake intervention not available. Visual and acoustic ⚠️ warnings active. Consult service center. Daytime Pedestrian Warning reduced:Brake intervention not possible, but visual and acoustic warnings are still given. Consult service center. It was inspected by the dealership but they were saying that I have to pay $5,000 for it to be fixed which is not right because I think it is a manufacturer’s defect. They were blaming it to a collision which never happened. A portion of the right side of the bumper came off sometime last year because as I was trying to park it, it got hooked to a rod in a parking block. It is not even obvious that’s why I did not have if fix yet, not a priority for my budget. I need a car to go to work. An unfix controller area network and electronic control units could lead to fatal accident.

NHTSA complaint #11521985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Hardeeville, SC

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On November 18, 2022, around 9:45 a.m. on Rt. 462 in South Carolina. I was driving my 2021 BMW X1 when “boom.” I thought I’d been shot at with a shotgun. I nearly lost control of the car. As it turns out, by sunroof exploded. (See attached photo). My BMW dealer is covering it under warranty, but I thought I should let NHTSA know. It has been replaced, so inspection is not an option. There were no symptoms prior to the failure.

NHTSA complaint #11495931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 6,000 miles Ashland, MO Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact mentioned the air bags failed to deploy from the intensity of the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the driver sustained a broken right hand that needed medical attention and was unaware of the other vehicle injuries. The vehicle was towed to the body shop. The dealer was not contacted. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but there was no answer. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA complaint #11444704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.