MODELYEARINDEX

Which BMW X1 years to avoid

Across 7 scored model years, the 2014 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · BMW X1 Full report
D
Grade 2013–2020
2014 vs model median 1.6×
Model median3× median
Airbags & Restraints 39
Body & Interior 4
Electrical 4
Avoid

2014

Best

2013 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2013
0.92× 45 C
2014
1.64× 62 D
2015
1.14× 48 C
2016
1.08× 37 C
2017
0.94× 40 C
2018
1.00× 47 C
2020
0.59× 15 B
2023 P
2.32× 116 F
2024 P
1.21× 49 C
2025 P
0.65× 25 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2014 D 62 reports · median 22,425 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 39

    Takata recall" my bmw dealer does not know when to expect the replacement parts. I don't feel saf driving my car now. What should (can) I do? owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 4

    Start the engine closed all doors and start driving door ajar message popup on car dash board and interior light also on even all the doors are closed. Took to the dealer not able to fix it. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 4

    2014 bmw x-1. Attorney representing consumer writes in regards to power assist brake failure accident. The consumer was stopped at a red light, when the stop/start system on her vehicle automatically shut the… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 3 fire · 10 injuries

2018 C 47 reports · median 13,000 mi

  1. Body & Interior 24

    Tailgate locking system has electronic kick. There is no electronic chirp to alert closing. I was struck in the head. The top latch is was reversed to 'male' equivalent to a hammer. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 4

    Sun visors are too short / small and don't help on a sunny day. May as well not have them at all especially if you don't have an auto-tinted windshield. We find this to be a seriously dangerous situation. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Lights & Visibility 3

    On a sunny day, I drived with my family through the highway approximately at 45 miles per hour, sudendly a very strong noise was listed and many small glass pieces fell on US, I stop as fast as possible to review that… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 crash · 1 fire · 4 injuries

The best year for the X1

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring X1 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 82.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.59× 15 B
2013 0.92× 45 C
2017 0.94× 40 C

Recalls

17 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
24V608000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:PUMP 2013–2015 720,796
24V104000 ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2023–2025 266,716
19V349000 STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS 2016–2018 106,182
20V017000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2013–2015 59,965
23V079000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2023 15,803
16V747000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR 2016, 2017 15,455
24V739000 ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2023 11,579
19V074000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS 2018 5,920
18V465000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 2018 5,309
24V829000 STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS 2025 3,312
25V616000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR 2025 1,571
23V260000 SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER 2023 1,465

+ 5 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2014 were reported at a median of 22,425 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which BMW X1 years should you avoid?
2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any BMW X1 model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the BMW X1?
2020 is the best-scoring BMW X1 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 82.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the BMW X1 have?
17 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored BMW X1 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2014 X1
Complaints in window
62
Severity-weighted
96.5
Model median (weighted)
59
vs model median
1.64×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
2
Open investigations
1
Score 50.8 D