Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 BMW X1 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I am getting the same message as others before me: "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." This occurs when I begin to engage the car and prior to exiting the car. It's been sending that message for a couple of months now. At the beginning of drive time, the rear camera does not engage until I acknowledge the parking brake message and press the dial down on the center console. Of course, I wonder, "Is the car actually in Park and the computer just doesn't recognize it?" or "Am I actually at risk because the car is NOT in Park and at risk of rolling until I engage the parking brake?" Could we at least have THAT answered? Service rep at dealership engaged my key fob but couldn't tell me anything about the issue... until I allowed diagnostics at a cost of almost $250. …
"Secure vehicle against rolling" warning light comes on when vehicle's gear is shifted into park. Additional information displayed states, "Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." Confirmed vehicle's gear is mechanically shifted into park. Researched issue, and found many BMW X1 owners posting to various online forums stating root cause is due to a broken spring in the gear shifter that is supposed to toggle a switch informing the vehicle's electrical system that the vehicle is shifted into park. Hence the warning message. My vehicle is currently mechanically sound with no issues. My fear is that I have no way of knowing when a real issue does occur because the warning message is constantly displayed. …
Error message displayed: "Secure vehicle against rolling" This message is displayed due to a broken spring in the gear selector mechanism. Because of the broken spring, the car's computer cannot detect whether or not the gear selector is in park. This creates a safety hazard because the gear selector can be shifted into Drive without having your foot on the brake. Note that a very large number of BMW owners have complained about this problem on social media and in the BMW message forum. This is clearly wide scale problem that stems from a faulty design and it creates a potential safety hazard. As such, BMW should be forced to do a formal recall to correct this issue. The repair effort requires 6-8 hours of work to tear apart the center console, replace the spring, and put it all back together...at a cost of around $2,000. …
Three months after purchasing my 2017 BMW X1, the back hatch without warrant inadvertently starting closing, at one time almost closing on my just about 3 year old granddaughter. there was no movement and the key was placing remotely on a table. Soon after, while opened, it came down on my sisters hand. Then on Sept. 21, while removing groceries from the trunk, it started beeping and rapidly came down on my head and neck while I tried to hit the open button, causing a concussion and swelling on my neck. I have had to go on short term disability from work to deal with the long term effects of the concussion. I informed BMW North America immediately, had them do an inspection. Although the report was sent to me stating SIB states to replace Control Unit, Smart Opener for closing concern, BMW takes no responsibility and refused to pay to replace the unit.
I spilled coffee in the coffee cup holder, which is mounted in front of shifting mechanism and other controls. The coffee cup holders are not leak proof and before I could safely stop to clean up, the coffee leaked down into the console. This caused a short and now my car throws weird messages all the time. Apparently I burnt out an electrical component. I can't let anyone drive my car because they would have no idea what these warnings mean because they mean nothing. I did contact BMW customer care and told them that I didn't think coffee cup holders should leak especially in a BMW they're not concerned about it. It would be a safety issue for anyone driving this car but me because basically I ignore everything that it tells me. I will be getting this fixed soon. The cost to repair this part is $2500 because they have to take the whole console apart.
Error message "Secure Vehicle against rolling engage parking brake" on starting car and when parking. Come to find out there have been several complaints about 2017 BMW X1 having this same problem, error message caused by a faulty spring in the Shifter panel. Seems to me that this should be put on a Recall list as soon as possible as this could cause a safety issue if in fact the system malfunctions and causes the car to roll or shift into drive when stopped. This error message just started about a week ago. BMW dealership has checked the car and confirmed the issue is a faulty spring and that the whole Shifter needs to be replaced.
Error msg indicating "secure vehicle against rolling" appeared. Also, "Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." Apparently from many comments from other BMW owners and mechanics the issue is common and is related to an inexpensive spring that has broken in the shifter box. It seems the broken spring prevents the electronic system from receiving a signal that the car is in Park. Also, from comments, this a very expensive repair. I'm not sure of the safety risk with this.
Car won't start up on first try anymore. Taking 3 tries. Keeps saying that there is no signal. Seems like from the bimmer forum a lot of people are having the same issue. Also saying to close the hood when the hood isn't open. It's happening every day now that the messages are popping up and the car won't start! I hope there is a recall asap. I've only had this car for a year and is has $38k miles on it! Absolutely ridiculous. These cars are to expensive to be dealing with this issue!
Warning message: "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stationary". Extremely common issue with various BMW's including Mini Cooper vehicles. Error code reads "420106". Vehicle's computer can't read/tell if parking brake is engaged or not while parked. This is a safety hazard that is often quoted as several thousand dollars in repair costs by BMW dealers. A faulty gear box is at play and should be recalled by BMW.
There is a light that came on that states Transmission: secure vehicle against rolling. This is a common problem with these cars and is very expensive to fix. This is a defect in these cars and I don't want to find out what will happen in the event that my car does roll especially my children in the car. I chose BMW because it is not only a luxury vehicle but was suppose to be safe. This to me is NOT safe.
Electrical complaints in other X1 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2017 BMW X1?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the electrical system of the 2017 BMW X1, 15% of the model year's 164 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2017 BMW X1 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2017 BMW X1, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2017 BMW X1 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles, and 75% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.