BMW 1 Series
Owners filed 98 complaints across 13 model years of the BMW 1 Series. The 2011 drew the most (33).
Which BMW 1 Series years should you avoid?
Not enough of the record to single a year out. Fewer than 4 BMW 1 Series model years have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to judge, so any ranking would be noise. The table below has every year as filed.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every BMW 1 Series model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 2011 | 33 | 3 | 2 | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2010 | 8 | 3 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2009 | 18 | 2 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2008 | 18 | 3 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2007 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2006 | 5 | 0 | — | — | Steering | Routine | |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2004 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | Routine | |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.