SEAT BELTS
2021 BMW X1
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 7 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 BMW X1, most frequently naming the electrical, airbags and driver assistance categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 37 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2021 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec 2022 | 1 | 2 |
| May 2023 | 3 | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | 1 | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | 1 | 7 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Electrical330.0%
- Airbags220.0%
- Driver assistance220.0%
- Brakes110.0%
- Engine110.0%
- Suspension110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govRecent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
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 ID
- 11756155
- Incident
- Jun 1, 2026
- Mileage
- 35,000 mi
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 ID
- 11713081
- Incident
- Jan 20, 2026
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 ID
- 11523048
- Incident
- May 20, 2023
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 ID
- 11522577
- Incident
- Apr 30, 2023
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 ID
- 11521985
- Incident
- Apr 30, 2023
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 ID
- 11495931
- Incident
- Nov 18, 2022
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 ID
- 11444704
- Incident
- Dec 17, 2021
- Mileage
- 6,000 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ENGINE
The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
ENGINE
The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date.
STRUCTURE:BODY
A groaning noise is present from the door frame of any door, most commonly when driving over rough roadsor during body flex. This situation may be worse in vehicles which are regularly waxed in th e area of the door jamb.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
As a result of a data input error, certain fault memories are permanently stored. The permanent storage offault memories does not comply with the legal specifications of the authority (California Air Resources Board– CARB). The fault has no effect on the use of the vehicle by the customer.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The “End of life” or “Emergency call system error” Check Control message appears in the vehicle. The following fault memory entry is stored: B7F341 – Emergency battery: Hardware faulty
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The tailgate sporadically fails to open when signaled via- The interior button (driverâÂÂs door panel) Button on key fob The switch on the tailgate (inside or outside) In some cases, the tailgate will release and open only a short distance before stopping.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.