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2016 Bmw X1

The Verdict

62 Solid Pick

The 2016 Bmw X1 has 159 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (97 complaints) and transmission (30 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 62/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Bmw X1, consider the 2022 model year which has 99% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2022 has 99% fewer complaints

View the 2022 Bmw X1 dashboard →

62

Klunk Score: Solid Pick

Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 2

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

15V887000 STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

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...

Risk

A gearbox malfunction may cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will replace the steering gearbox, free of charge. Affected vehicles are located in dealer inventory and will be remedied before customer retail. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owne...

Reported Apr 10, 2026

19V349000 STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

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 ab...

Risk

In the event of a crash, the insufficient impact absorption can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the vertical trim pieces on the upper portion of the interior B-Pillars, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were m...

Reported Sep 5, 2019

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
201697717830
20175314181356
20183811181
201940331
202031152
202111400
202200010
2023649535
2024718112
202531332

By Category

Body
97
Transmission
30
Electrical
17
Engine
8
Brakes
7

By Severity

1
79
2
75
3
3
4
2

Worst Problems

Complaints

Body 2

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.

6mo ago
Engine 1

- 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.

13mo ago
Electrical 1

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.

13mo ago
Body 2

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)

13mo ago
Body 2

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.

13mo ago
Body 2

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.

14mo ago
Transmission 1

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

14mo ago
Body 1

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

17mo ago
Transmission 2

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.

18mo ago
Body 2

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

18mo ago
Body 2

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.

19mo ago
Body 1

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)

19mo ago
Body 1

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)

19mo ago
Brakes 2

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

20mo ago
Body 2

Message-secure vehicle from rolling

20mo ago
Transmission 1

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.

21mo ago
Transmission 1

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

21mo ago
Body 2

Sunroof shade ripped off

22mo ago
Electrical 2

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.

23mo ago
Body 1

My car just started showing an error code every time I turn it off or on saying to "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped" with a transmission status error code but is running perfectly fine.

24mo ago

159 total

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