2016 BMW X1 Complaints

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/05/2026

Known HVAC-produced moisture drainage issue that cause water to get trapped inside the system and cabin air filter housing, causing significant mold or mildew to grow on the filter itself and spread spores through cabin ventilation system and contaminates air inside cabin which poses serious health hazards.

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 06/17/2025

- Roof and pillars I have been having for almost a year when trying to open and slide on the track. It is harsh and noisy. - Engine oil filter housing and coolant leak. This issue is critical. Finally on April 10, 2025 I ended spending $1007.52 to get the housing replaced to stop the ongoing drip drip effect. - Steering gear box. This issue remains despite the fact that I replaced struts. For almost a year since I bought the vehicle, there appears to be a clunking type noise especially when going over rail tracks on the road where I am forced to almost come to a complete stop to let the car go over the tracks out of fear of sustaining damage.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 06/09/2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 BMW X1. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 81,295, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 135,400.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/15/2025

My 2016 BMW X1 28i is leaking coolant. I am also getting a smell of something burning inside the car when driving. This is consistent with problems associated with the 2024 recall for water pump. I was told by my dealership that my vehicle was not one affected by the recall. I think it might be one that is. The vehicle could catch fire if there is a failure of the wiring.

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 05/22/2023

About 24 months back the sunroof curtain of my BMW X1 started having problems when I retract or operate it. It used to make stretching noises when I tried to open my sunroof and after a few times I heard a crackling noise and before I can stop it the curtain tore. Initially it was a small tear, so it did not bother much but over time the curtain completely left the guide/rail on one side and started sagging. Given it is a sunroof the curtain is as long as the vehicle and so now it is sagging to a point that it obstructs driver's visibly in back mirror. BMW won't do anything about it saying it is out of warranty and ultimately to avoid accidents I had to remove the curtain completely. I also tried getting it fixed, but the issue is not just the curtain but the rails of the curtain which is a non-replaceable part :( I would have to replace full sunshade assembly which is upwards of $1600. Also, it seems to be a common problem with these vehicles. Here are more examples of it: [XXX] . Please help me and other drivers be safe on the road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STRUCTURE — Filed 02/15/2025

Sunroof shade came off the tracks and is now sagging partially obstructing the view of my rear view mirror, if this sags more or falls off completely I will be unable to see out the rear window and can cause a collision. I see this has been an issue with multiple vehicles and should be addressed with the company immediately.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 04/21/2025

Every time I get in or out of my car, the secure vehicle against rolling indicator light comes on.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/27/2025

Error message when getting in the truck says “Secure vehicle against rolling”.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 01/16/2025

The car is indicating the I need to press the parking brake to secure the car from rolling after I have placed it in park and pressed the electronic parking brake.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/08/2025

"Secure vehicle from rolling" keeps coming on the dashboard when I turn the car off or put into park.

TIRES — Filed 12/05/2024

225/50 R18. Purchased in March 2024 and tread is already at 4/32 and 5/32 as of Dec 2024 for 2 of them. Tires driven for 13K miles. This is completely unacceptable and unsafe. I believe there is a defect, for tires to be so new and tread to be degrading so quickly.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/28/2024

After I got my 2016 BMW X1 from Service, I heard a rough sound when I reversed the vehicle from Park. After a few days, I noticed my vehicle showing an error saying "Secure Vehicle against rolling" every time I parked the vehicle and advising me to use my hand brake. I then did some search on the web and finally took it for servicing at BMW Rockville, Maryland where the service department is managed by Auto Nation. They gave me a quote for around $2500 to fix this issue. Based on the research of this issue on the web, it looks like a $10 spring malfunction causes this issue. I have less than 55,000 miles on my vehicle. I am not sure if this issue is caused by some incorrect service work performed by Auto Nation The report from Auto Nation is at the link below [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 11/19/2024

My 2016 X1 is showing in the dashboard a “secure vehicle against rolling” transmission message; the fault is due to a little spring in the selector level which has been reported in other BMW and MINI models. I recently found a report in the NHTSA website related to a 10 year warranty extension for the Mini [XXX] ) but it does not include the X1 model, which suffers from the same type of defect. The warning showed up for the first time on Tuesday [XXX]. I have made an appointment with the car dealer to diagnose the issue. Multiple X1 owners have reported the same issue in multiple forums, for example: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 11/12/2024

Warning light stating "Secure vehicle against rolling". Even when the vehicle is in park it could still roll and injure or kill someone.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 11/06/2024

Message-secure vehicle from rolling

POWER TRAIN — Filed 10/24/2024

The contact owns a 2016 BMW X1. The contact stated that after arriving to the destination and shifting the vehicle into park(P), the message "Secure Vehicle against Rolling Malfunction" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission shifter lever control cable. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter lever control cable was abnormally stretched. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 04/04/2024

The transmission lock sensor is defective in this car design- the spring in the gearshift assembly that contacts the transmission lock sensor has a faulty design and is prone to breaking. This leads to a warning in the car that the transmission lock has not occurred when the car is in park (although it is actually functioning). This creates a "false alarm" situation that then does not allow the user to know if the transmission is truly locked in park This defect has occurred in my car as diagnosed by both dealer and independent mechanic. This is a common and known defect amongst X1 owners (as well as the mechanical sibling Mini Cooper). It is also well known amongst the BMW dealer service; It should be consider a recall defect

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/29/2024

Sunroof shade ripped off

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/22/2024

Received an error message: Transmission. Use parking break to prevent rolling. Dealership said it was the internal gear shift. It didn’t recognize the vehicle was in park. It was an expensive repair because they had to remove the console to fix. Was told it was an issue with my model.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/19/2024

Secure vehicle from rolling error. Secure vehicle with parking brake Spring pin broke in side gear shifter.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/27/2023

The rear defroster burst into flames. Melting the paneling and wiring

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 04/18/2021

YESTERDAY (APRIL 18, 2021), WHILE I WAS EXITING THE EXPRESSWAY TO THE TOWN OF SILVERTHORNE, COLORADO, THE SUNROOF GLASS OF MY BMW X1 SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED INTO MY HEAD AND MY WIFE'S AND OF COURSE ALL OVER THE CAR. I WAS TRAVELLING ABOUT 50MPH AND SLOWING DOWN TO THE EXIT RAMP; THERE WAS NO VEHICLE AHEAD OF US. MY WIFE AND I SUSTAINED SOME SMALL CUTS AND I FEEL LIKE THERE IS A SENSATION OF A FOREIGN OBJECT IN MY EYES THAT SEEMS TO GO AWAY AND BACK AGAIN. NO OTHER INJURIES BEYOND THAT.

STEERING,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 02/20/2016

YOUR BOX WAS BAD IT WOULD JUMP OUT A GEAR FORCE ME TO HIT A CURB AT ONE TIME. ALL WHEEL DRIVE WAS BAD. BACK WHEELS PUSH FRONT WHEELS SO FRONT TIRES WEAR OUT ABOUT EVERY 2000 MILES, NO NOTICE OF RECALL GIVEN. AIR BAG PROBLEM NO NOTICE OF RECALL SENT. ROOF UNSAFE NOT AIR BAGS. SEAT BELTS, NO RECALL NOTICE SENT. ON X1 IS LARGE BUT I GEAR BOX WAS BAD THE CAR WOULD JUMP OUT OF GEAR, AT ONE POINT I HIT A CURB MESS UP THE WHEEL, NO NOTICE WAS SENT. SOMEONE HIT THE BACK OF MY CAR WHEN THE CAR JUMP OUT OF GEAR AND LEFT A MARK. I ONLY RECEIVED ON RECALL NOTICE. KNOW IT'S ON NET BMW X1'S HAVE BEEN RECALLED FROM 2015-2020. THE ONE NOTICE WAS DRIVERS SEAT BELT, MY LEASE WAS EXTENDED FOR 6 MONTHS AND DID NOT ADVISE ME OF ALL THE OTHER PROBLEMS AND I WAS DRIVING AN UNSAFE CAR FROM 2016/SEPT THRU 2020 WITH NO KNOWLEDGE. I RETURNED THE CAR AND AFTER PAYING 6 MONTHS OF EXTRA PAYMENTS THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR DAMAGES THAT THE RECALLS CALL CAUSED. WHY ARE THEY NOT SENDING NOTICE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS THE CAR HAS. DOSE SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 10/29/2016

2016 BMW X1 NEW SAV EQUIPPED WITH COMFORT ACCESS . APPROACHED LOCKED PARKED HATCHBACK AND DEPRESSED HATCH EXTERIOR LOCK HANDLE. HATCH OPENED TO MID-HEIGHT OPENING TO ALLOW 6 FT TALL PERSON TO GET INTO THE TRUNK HATCH AREA. WITHIN APPROXIMATELY TEN SECONDS, LOUD WARNING SOUND PLAYED WHILE HATCH STARTED TO AUTOMATICALLY CLOSE. THIS WAS STARTLING AND UNEXPECTED. TRIED TO REMOVE MYSELF QUICKLY FROM VEHICLE AND WAS STRUCK BY CLOSING TAILGATE. SUFFERED BLEEDING FOREHEAD GASH AND NEEDED SEVERAL STITCHES AT THE EMERGENCY ROOM. DID NOT HIT ANY BUTTONS ON THE VEHICLE OR THE REMOTE KEY. ALSO DID NOT DO ANY FOOT WIGGLE DANCE OR KICKING IN PROXIMITY OF REAR BUMPER TO ACTIVATE CLOSURE OF HATCH TAILGATE (THIS FEATURE IS SILLY BUT I CAN APPRECIATE IT BEING UTILIZED TO OPEN THE HATCH, BUT NOT TO CLOSE IT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS). I WAS GIVEN AN INDIRECT IMPRESSION AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT BECAUSE THE CAR WAS ARMED WITH THE ALARM SYSTEM THAT PERHAPS IT TREATED THE OPENING OF THE HATCH AS AN INTRUSION THEREBY CLOSING ITSELF. HOWEVER I CANNOT SUBSTANTIATE THIS AS I DO NOT WANT TO SACRIFICE FURTHER INJURY ). UNCLEAR OF WHY THIS HAPPENED BUT IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY THE AUTO CLOSURE SHOULD NOT PHYSICALLY OCCUR UNLESS A PHYSICAL BUTTON IS DEPRESSED. THERE ARE FOUR SUCH BUTTONS ON THIS VEHICLE: ON THE LOWER DRIVERS DOOR, TWO ON THE INSIDE RIGHT HAND EDGE OF THE TAILGATE, ANOTHER ON THE REMOTE KEY. I HOPE THIS NOTICE WILL MAKE OTHER X1 USERS AWARE OF THIS CONCERN. I DO HOPE THE MANUFACTURER WILL PROGRAM OR DESIGN A FIX TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN. IT IS A PROBLEM AND PERHAPS A HIDDEN DANGER AS ONE DOES NOT EXPECTED TO BE MAMED OR INJURED BY THEIR CAR IN THIS MANNER. BMW NJ CORPORATE WAS INFORMED AND SUGGESTED TO WORK OUT A FIX DIRECTLY WITH THE BMW DEALER. MANUFACTURER SHOULD REDESIGN FEATURES TOWARDS CUSTOMER SAFETY.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/14/2016

I BELIEVE THAT THE EXHAUST TAIL PIPES COME OUT TOO FAR. I WAS GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF THE REAR OF MY X1 AND BURNED MY LEFT LEG ON THE LEFT REAR EXHAUST PIPE. THE CAR WAS PARKED ON A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET AND TURNED OFF AT THE TIME. HOWEVER, I HAD JUST FINISHED DRIVING IT.