Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2016 BMW X1, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Unknown or other64
- Power train33
- Visibility/wiper18
- Structure17
- Electrical system13
- Service brakes8
- Engine8
- Air bags4
- Suspension4
- Steering4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 8 2016 X1 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 3 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2016 BMW X1 failed the safety check 1.47% of the time — 25% less often than the average 2016 passenger car (1.97%). Median odometer at inspection: 69,770 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2016
93,075 new BMW X1 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2016; the largest markets were Germany (28,600), the United Kingdom (13,201), Italy (10,841).
- Average mass
- 1,575 kg
- Average power
- 121 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 80% · Petrol 20%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2016 BMW X1 cars on Dutch roads are the 2.0 petrol (141 kW, 189 hp), 1.5 petrol (100 kW, 134 hp) and 2.0 diesel (110 kW, 148 hp), out of 8 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 petrol | 141 kW 189 hp | 1,544 |
| 1.5 petrol | 100 kW 134 hp | 560 |
| 2.0 diesel | 110 kW 148 hp | 181 |
| 2.0 petrol | 170 kW 228 hp | 126 |
| 1.5 diesel | 85 kW 114 hp | 113 |
| 2.0 diesel | 140 kW 188 hp | 82 |
| 2.0 diesel | 170 kW 228 hp | 32 |
| 2.0 diesel | 100 kW 134 hp | 25 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
2,679 first registered in 2016 are on Dutch roads; 42% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €50,969.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde1,197
- Band onvoldoende profiel681
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm491
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld477
- Motorsteunrubber doorgescheurd/vulkanisatie geheel los196
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage161
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht152
- Achterlicht werkt niet (goed)149
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
12,115 cars built in 2016 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 138 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 12,595 of these cars first registered in 2016 took their annual MOT test. 86% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2016 the figure was 79%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 5.0% | 6.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.4% | 6.1% |
| Suspension | 2.7% | 4.9% |
| Visibility | 2.6% | 3.5% |
| Brakes | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.6% | 1.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
708 of these cars first registered in 2016 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 169,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
274 2016 cars are on the New Zealand register; 33% arrived as used imports, 65% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 9.2 L/100 km (about 26 mpg US), CO₂ 215 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| X1 xDrive28i · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 10.7 | 7.4 | 9.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2016 BMW X1.
| 2024544 15 Aug 2024 | 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 "N… |
| 2019276 7 Jun 2019 | Seats And Restraints Issue: A problem with the driver’s seat belt could cause it not to lock-up as designed during braking or in a crash. Safety Risk: A seat belt that does n… |
| 2017045 27 Jan 2017 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the trim of the instrument panel which covers the passenger frontal airbag may not have been manufactured to specification. This could affe… |
| 2016107 3 Mar 2016 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the screws securing the seat backrest and lower seat belt anchor to the passenger front seat may be incorrectly installed or missing due to… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2019 X1 sDrive28i and X1 xDrive28i vehicles. In the event of a crash where the occupants head contacts the B-pillar, the pillar may not absorb an adequate amount of the impact. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, MINI Hardtop 4 Door Cooper, Mini Hardtop 4 Door Cooper S, MINI Cooper Clubman, and Cooper S Clubman, 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost, and 2016 528i vehicles. The vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism of the seat belt Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) for the driver's seat may not lock as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2016 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door vehicle manufactured November 24, 2015, and one BMW X1 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) manufactured October, 19 2015. The steering gearbox may have been manufactured with incorrect parts.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 2016 BMW X1: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11009005 | 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 |
| 11008102 | For this vehicle, the EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles, from the original 10 years/120,000 miles, as determined from the original in-service date. This coverage is subject to the same vehicle eligibility requirements, limitations, and exclusion criteria that apply to the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Vehicles that are registered in California or a State that has fully adopted the State of California PZEV(SULEV) emission regulation (State of registration, model, and model year dependent), the |
| 10249435 | Customer complains of a musty odor or damp front footwell carpet. |
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 10247578 | When using the Key Reader to retrieve CBS information from the customer key, no current vehicle data is available, or the data does not match the maintenance schedule. |
| 10247576 | Customer states one of the front seats is inoperative. The seat heater and power supply are inoperative .During the vehicle test, the seat module does not respond. The power supply fuse for the seat module is found to have blown. |
| 10247567 | Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low CDA594 - Message (- 0x33E) missing, receiver DME, transmitter TFE |
| 10245422 | Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicles equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additionally, the red anti-theft alarm LED in the interior mirror does not briefly flash every 2 seconds, indicating the alarm is armed. |
| 10245377 | When using the Key Reader to retrieve CBS information from the customer key, no current vehicle data is available, or the data does not match the maintenance schedule. |
| 10245376 | The steering wheel heating takes a long time to achieve the desired temperature. |
| 10245372 | The paint finish on the door jamb (above the door striker) is scratched due to the inner door cavity window seal. |
| 10245368 | Vehicle exhibits a slight acceleration delay when taking off from a MSA (automatic engine start-stopfunction) stop. |
| 10244242 | Various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (ADCAM system) can lead to customer complaints. |
| 10238090 | After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails. |
| 10238081 | Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator. |
| 10235205 | The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose, the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration. The Connected Drive voice services (Concierge Call, BMW Assistance, and emergency call voice) can no longer be used regionally in the US in vehicle with telematics control units ATM-1 and TCB-4G. Voice cont |
| 10235192 | The buttons on the gear selector switch (GWS) do not work, or the function indicator lighting has failed. |
| 10235183 | While driving on rough roads, a knocking sound can be heard coming from top of the instrument panel (aka dashboard) in the bulkhead area. |
| 10228428 | During load reversal or taking off from a stop, there is a creaking or droning noise heard from the lower engine area. |
| 10228427 | During a vehicle inspection and/or while addressing a customer's concern, the engine stabilizer bar/link appears to be worn. |
| 10218420 | The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration. The Connected Drive voice services (Concierge Call, BMW Assistance and emergency call voice) can no longer be used regionally in the US in vehicle with telematics control units ATM-1 and TCB-4G. Voice control of |
| 10216793 | TEC26 Turbo Charger Return |
| 10216792 | Tec25 Wishbone Return |
| 10216791 | Tech24 Snap-in Adapter Return |
| 10216758 | MINI engine oil part number transition and model year 2016 engine oils |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation