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BMW X1 2016 — Reported problems

Reported by owners to the source below. It is not a verdict on this car: it is what people wrote. 🇺🇸 Local data

40 owners reported problems with the 2016 BMW X1 to NHTSA, most often about unknown or other.

All reports

40
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2026-01-05 · NHTSA 11708977

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 2025-06-17 · NHTSA 11667511

- 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 2025-06-09 · NHTSA 11665898

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 2025-06-02 · NHTSA 11664401

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 2025-06-02 · NHTSA 11664440

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 2025-05-08 · NHTSA 11659743

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 2025-04-26 · NHTSA 11656952

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2025-01-28 · NHTSA 11639150

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

POWER TRAIN 2025-01-17 · NHTSA 11636409

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 2025-01-08 · NHTSA 11634955

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

TIRES 2024-12-05 · NHTSA 11628993

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 2024-12-04 · NHTSA 11628788

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 2024-12-03 · NHTSA 11628459

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 2024-11-19 · NHTSA 11626264

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 2024-11-07 · NHTSA 11624094

Message-secure vehicle from rolling

POWER TRAIN 2024-10-24 · NHTSA 11621777

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 2024-10-04 · NHTSA 11618197

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 2024-08-30 · NHTSA 11611775

Sunroof shade ripped off

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2024-08-25 · NHTSA 11610691

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 2024-07-22 · NHTSA 11603681

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-07-22 · NHTSA 11603918

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.

POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2024-07-17 · NHTSA 11602851

Every time I start or stop my vehicle I get a notification that shows Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center. And my console has a hazard warning that shows: Secure vehicle against rolling. This happens every time, even if the car is parked on a completely flat surface in no danger whatsoever of rolling. I've read SEVERAL X1 owners get this message and all state this needs to be a RECALL. They take their vehicles in for service and are told it's between $2500 and $3000 due to a tiny spring that breaks and the selector no longer communicates with the car in the parking position, and because of this there is an error message in dashboard in which warns you to make sure the vehicle is secure

POWER TRAIN 2024-06-28 · NHTSA 11597421

Keep getting the following warning "Transmission - secure vehicle with parking brake". It seems this is a known issue relating to a simple spring in the gear shifter that causes the computer to not recognize that the vehicle is in park. It's not only a very expensive repair for such a simple part failure, but also a safety concern in not knowing if the vehicle is secure to park.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-05-26 · NHTSA 11590832

During the parking of the vehicle (gearbox shifter in “Park Position") and after turning off the engine, the iDrive system shows the following message: “Secure vehicle with parking brake and have the problem checked by dealership. This happens when I start up the vehicle in park and when turning off the vehicle. Also, when the vehicle is parked on level ground the error will remain even if the parking brake is applied. After turning on the engine again and putting the shifter either in R or D position, the error goes away. Dealership error computer diagnostic shows the code “420106” - Shift Lock solenoid: Selector lever wrongly not locked in Park. I shared with the dealership that this is a manufacturer problem and if they could fix it for free or give me a discount to fix the problem due to safety issues and I was told “No” I have to pay the total cost to repair this problem. Currently I am still driving a vehicle that can increase my risk of injury and the injury of bystanders. I purchased this vehicle after I retired because BMW makes good vehicles and this would be the last car I would purchase in my life.

SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE,LANE DEPARTURE 2024-04-17 · NHTSA 11583481

Steering Geer Box Structure body Roof and Pillars Seat belt retractors Air bags frontal

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-04-15 · NHTSA 11583140

Dash keeps reading secure vehicle against rolling. I believe it may be something with the gear shifter.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-04-04 · NHTSA 11581255

It is showing "SECURE VEHICLE AGAINST ROLLING". what does this mean? Why would the vehicle roll?!

SERVICE BRAKES 2024-03-27 · NHTSA 11579739

Repeatedly getting warnings of "secre vehicle with parking brake"

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-02-19 · NHTSA 11572817

Error message stating “secure vehicle from rolling”. This is a common issue with the X1. I’ve found countless complaints of the issue on BMW forums. Dealers are quoting $3000-$3500 for the repairs due to the time it takes to repair. BMW has in some cases acknowledged the issue and provided repair as a goodwill gesture but has yet to issue a recall for this known issue.

POWER TRAIN 2024-02-10 · NHTSA 11571195

Secure vehicle against rolling error displayed despite the fact the car is securely in Park. Issue is a broke $1 spring inside the gearshifter that requires $4000 to fix at dealership. This is a poor quality issue driving a cash cow at the dealership ls with many people complaining online about this issue. It should be a recall

POWER TRAIN 2024-01-24 · NHTSA 11567650

Please note that this is NOT the result of an accident. The car is a 2016 BMW X1 model which we have purchased in July 2020 as a BMW certified vehicle from a BMW dealer. Starting in December 2023 the car dashboard shows a warning light saying Secure Vehicle from Rolling. I have read that is it due to a broken pin in the transmission and it seems a common problem in 2016-17 BMWs X1 . BMW should have issued a recall . Again, there was NO accident.

SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-01-18 · NHTSA 11566252

Front left strut and right motor mount failed at less than 40K miles. Vehicle was not driven off road and was not in any accidents. This seems extremely early for such a failure. BMW dealer noted there was a "bulletin" on this model that if one strut failed, the pair should be replaced. It seems there may be a larger issue and possibly the need for a safety recall. Water pump also failed

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2024-01-05 · NHTSA 11563719

When turning car on and off error message “Secure Vehicle against rolling”. Everything shifts completely fine in the car, the parking brake engages and the car shifts into park fine. I’ve been told by dealer to bring in for $199 to do an assessment. I see on line this is a common issue and dealers charge between $2000 and $3000 to repair. I submit that this issue should be corrected by BMW through a recall.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2023-12-26 · NHTSA 11561817

The following warning came up on my car: secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center. The problem is a gear selector replacement. This small faulty spring costs only $10 but because of where it is located in the car will cost close to $4,000 to fix; it’s a well-known problem in X1s. This should be recalled.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2023-12-26 · NHTSA 11561841

Secure transmission from rolling light keeps coming on when I try to get out of park. ….drive shifter needs to be replaced. Estimated $2400!!!!! This should be a recall issue. .

POWER TRAIN 2023-12-20 · NHTSA 11561140

Many X1 owners have reported the "Secure Vehicle Against Rolling Error" online in forums once the vehicle hits 100K miles. BMW is charging customers over $3K to fix a worn out spring that costs less than $10 on eBay. This should be under recall!

SUSPENSION 2023-12-15 · NHTSA 11560386

2016 BMW X1 - 16,500 miles. When the car is in idle and the wheel is turned left or right it makes a groaning sound. The dealer says the strut mounts failed, and they need to take out the spring shocks, replace the mounts, and realign the vehicle. The vehicle is out of warranty (warranty was 4 yrs or 50,000 miles). When I look on BMW forums I see numerous other X1 owners had this issue at low mileages such as 300, 5000, 7000, 18000, 25000, etc miles. And that on 11/1/16 BMW knew of this defective part, that affected vehicles produced from 7/1/15 to 9/29/16, and issued TSB: SI B31 05 16. However, BMW did not notify owners of the defective part so it could be repaired while the car was under warranty.

POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2023-12-13 · NHTSA 11560025

having an issue with the warning light saying Secure Vehicle from Rolling. gear selector replacement Needed. Shifter Linkage needed replacing

VISIBILITY/WIPER 2023-12-04 · NHTSA 11558362

The power sunshade came loose and dropped one side of the sunshade to the drivers side because it came loose

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2023-12-01 · NHTSA 11557974

Warning - Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped.

Specifications, safety and listings for this car

Questions

What do owners report most on the 2016 BMW X1?
Problems with unknown or other: 17 reports of 40 on record at NHTSA.
How many owner reports mention a crash or a fire?
Out of 40 reports: a crash is mentioned in 0 and a fire in 0. These are what owners wrote, not confirmed findings.