BMW 1 Series Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 88 consumer complaints across the 6 model years of the BMW 1 Series (2006–2011) that have at least 5 complaints. 2011 has the most, with 33. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (33 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All 1 Series model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 33 | 24,974 | 2 | 145 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Stable |
| 2010 | 8 | 25,000 | 2 | 65 | — | Not enough data |
| 2009 | 18 | 35,818 | 1 | 53 | — | Stable |
| 2008 | 18 | 71,000 | 2 | 54 | — | Stable |
| 2007 | 6 | 78,750 | 0 | 42 | — | Not enough data |
| 2006 | 5 | 62,500 | 0 | 35 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags33 35%
- Electrical system17 18%
- Exterior lighting14 15%
- Fuel system9 9.6%
- Engine7 7.4%
- Seats5 5.3%
- Other or unknown5 5.3%
- Vehicle speed control4 4.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2008: “Major fueling issues with my car. So far I've had to replace injectors, low pressure fuel pump, fuel control module, and now I'm being told I need to replace the high pressure fuel pump. From reading the forums online it seems to be that all these parts are very faulty on the car especially the injectors and high pressure fuel pump.”
NHTSA complaint #11205112, filed 2019-05, 140,000 miles2011: “The vehicle was in motion and the blower motor resistor harness began to smoke heavily. The A/C stopped working. I pulled over and disconnected the wiring harness and pulled the fuse. The wires melted, the connector melted, and the resistor is broken. After some research I see that Bmw has recalled other cars for this exact same issue, but not the 1 SERIES.”
NHTSA complaint #11153013, filed 2018-11, 90,000 miles2007: “Actually, after the light signal became green light then I moved and every car moving normally I took the left lane then suddenly I saw a land cruiser stopped on my lane , I don't have any option so I treaded the brake one long tread , but unfortunately, it's didn't help because my car slipped under the land cruiser !!”
NHTSA complaint #10670022, filed 2015-01, 115,000 milesOther BMW models
3,165 complaintsBMW 328I
2,576 complaintsBMW X3
2,016 complaintsBMW 325I
1,377 complaintsBMW Z4
1,271 complaintsBMW 3 Series
832 complaintsBMW 528I
830 complaintsBMW 330I
813 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology