Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 BMW X1 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On February 7th, 2016 at 3:15 am, on my way to work in the intersection between forest hill and military, a drunk driver traveling west bound while I was heading east drove into my lane, hitting me directly. After this head-on collision, the driver decided to flee the scene, leaving me stuck inside the vehicle in pain. I was lucky enough to be alive. The airbag inside of my vehicle did not deploy leaving me with excruciating pain in my neck, chest and knee. I could not breathe or talk, I was rush to the wellington regional hospital. I was approaching the light and I was going to turn left on military trail, the guy who crashed onto me was coming from the north on military trail trying to make a right onto forest hill blvd, but took the lane heading east instead of the one heading west. He was driving really fast while I was approaching the light to turn left.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated that while idled at a red light, the vehicle was rear ended causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed: (190801030). The contact sustained head, neck and chest injuries and the passenger that was a child sustained a head injury that needed medical attention. The contact was unaware for the other drivers that had injuries. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired 4 months ago under NHTSA campaign number: 16V071000 ( air bags). The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
I crashed my car on 11/10/2015 and the airbag did not deploy. I drove through a heavy rail fence and struck a tree with the left front side of the bumper. A large section of the fence penetrated the front of the car and lodged in the vehicle. Cause of accident I became unconscious while driving due to heart problem
Takata recall - called upon receipt of the letter from BMW/ntsb stating the repair is now available, made an appointment for 3 weeks out as the parts take that long to get in. Now I've received a call after 2 weeks with an appointment that ralph schomp BMW was told by BMW USA that they are limited to the number of airbags they are allowed to replace each week so they need to cancel my appointment indefinitely. I was also told that the parts are now on back order, so there is no way to get the airbag repaired in a timely manner. I spoke with BMW USA & they advised that yes, they are limiting how many recalls can be repaired each week, but that the parts are not on back order. She advised I try a larger dealer in my area or complain to the service manager as they can magically get things repaired. …
Takata recall. BMW did not make me aware of this dangerous airbag recall. I was in the process of transferring my lease to another willing party when BMW notified me of the recall issue and blocked the lease transfer which they had previously agreed to. They also will not let me purchase the vehicle. Both these issues breach the lease agreement I signed with them. The car is unusable with such a defect and is likely to take 6months or more to fix. They offer no time line to fix the issue and request that I sign a waiver accepting an inferior rental care during the period it takes for them to resolve the issue and assume the cost and liability of storing the unusable BMW. I either want BMW to fix the issue immediately, let me cancel my lease with no penalty.
Passenger restraint system malfunction is the error code. I am reporting this because it seems to be a common problem with a very important safety system in the vehicle.
Takata recall; I've been trying for about 2 yrs to have the defective airbag in my car replaced by my local BMW dealer and still haven't been able to do so. When I first called them about the airbag they told me they didin't have the replacement airbag and that they would let me know when they have it. In sept of this year, I got a notice in the mail from BMW of north America, telling me they had the replacement parts in stock and to call my local BMW dealer immediately to schedule the repair. I called BMW of honolulu on 9/21 to make an appointment and the lady I talked to told me she was in charge of the airbag recall. I asked for an appoint asap and she told me that the computer system was down and that she would call me back the same day. Today is sat, 10/14 and no one has called me back to tell me what's going on or when or if they can do the repair. …
Takata recall - I received a recall letter from the BMW dealership stating the recall of the driver's air-bag, that they have the necessary parts to complete the recall. When I called to schedule the service I was informed that they had to order the part. I called on10/16/17, was informed as soon as the part was in they would call me. I called again today, 12/20/17 and was told that the part was still about 13 weeks out. The manufacturer was only sending the dealership about 20 airbags at a time and that the is the reason that it is taking so long. My complaint is that it will take over 23 weeks for me to receive the part/airbag that I need to have replaced. My recall letter stated that if the BMW center is unable to remedy the defect within a reasonable period of time that I should notify the administrator, national highway traffic safety administration. …
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V071000 (air bags); however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called the bert smith BMW dealer who informed the contact that the part was not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue several times and informed the contact that the parts would be available in July of 2017; however, the part was not available. The contact had since contacted the manufacturer regarding the issue and was informed that they were now unable to provide an estimated timeframe for the remedy. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V071000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer (BMW of annapolis, 31 old mill bottom rd, annapolis, md 21409, [phone]) did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the contacts vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. Updated 10/26/17 updated 10/30/2017
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 325i, 325xi,…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, and X1 xDrive35i vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the driver frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment, that may explode due to propellant degradation…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes, 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans, 2009-2011 335d sedans, 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons, 2007-2013 328i, 328xi, 328i…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Airbag complaints in other X1 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2015 BMW X1?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the air bags of the 2015 BMW X1, 32% of the model year's 94 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 BMW X1 airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-017 (inflator module, Jan 15, 2020); NHTSA recall 19V-016 (inflator module, Jan 14, 2019); NHTSA recall 16V-071 (inflator module, Feb 5, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 BMW X1 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 28,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.