2021 BMW X1 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 BMW X1 has 9 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than most X1 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Seat belts.

2012 BMW X1 — Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (4 of 9), then Electrical system (3) and Forward collision avoidance (2). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 X1 has 13 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2022 has 1 complaint, 0 per year. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2021 BMW X1. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (1)

Recall Seat belts 2021-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 21V554000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), Rolls Royce Ghost, MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4), Rolls Royce Phantom, Rolls Royce Cullinan, and Toyota Supra vehicles. The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts. As such, these assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Remedy Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).

Complaints by component (9 total)

Air bags

Electrical system

Forward collision avoidance

Engine

Service brakes

Suspension

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 10 MPH, she was involved in a head-on crash with another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow…"
Air bags · filed 2026-09-18
"I got into an accident, i was hit on the driver side and the car was pushed to hit a tree, the air bag did not deploy."
Air bags · filed 2026-09-12
"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…"
Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-08-11
"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…"
Suspension, Service brakes · filed 2026-01-24
"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"
Air bags · filed 2023-05-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2021 BMW X1 SUV AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2021 BMW X1 SUV FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
X1 sDrive28i	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	24	33	27 MPG	$2950
X1 xDrive28i	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	23	31	26 MPG	$3050

Specs and fitment

F48 generation, 2016–2022

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20 (B46/B48) , 5.6 qt capacity

Tire size 205/60R17, 225/55R17, 225/50R18 or 225/45ZR19 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V349000 covers certain 2016-2019 X1 sDrive28i and xDrive28i vehicles (~106,182 units) that may not absorb enough B-pillar impact energy in a crash to meet FMVSS 201; dealers replace the upper interior B-pillar trim pieces. This generation moved to the front-wheel-drive UKL2 platform and B48 four-cylinder engines, leaving behind the N20 timing-chain settlement class that applied to the prior E84.

Compare

Previous year 2020 BMW X1 See every BMW X1 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 BMW X1 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 BMW X1?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (4 of 9), then Electrical system (3) and Forward collision avoidance (2). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 BMW X1 more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2021 BMW X1 been recalled?

The 2021 BMW X1 has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 BMW X1?

Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 2021 BMW X1 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 BMW X1 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 BMW X1 is 26.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a BMW X1 use?

E84 models commonly use 0W-20 (28i N20) or 0W-30 (35i N55); F48/U11 gasoline models commonly use 0W-20 (~5.6 qt with filter on B46/B48).

What tire sizes does a BMW X1 use?

OEM sizes span about 205/60R17 through 225/45ZR19 (and staggered rear packages on some E84 options); confirm the door placard.

What timing-chain settlement covers certain early X1 models?

N20/N26-powered 2012-2015 X1 SAV models were included in the Gelis timing chain and oil-pump drive chain class-action settlement (BMW SI B11 02 21).