TOXIC MOLD IN VENTILATION PLUMBING. MAKES ALL OF US SICK IF WE TURN ON AC, HEAT, OR DEFROST. AS A RESULT CAN'T SEE OUT OF WINDSHIELD WHEN IT GETS FOGGED UNLESS WE ALL WANT TO GET SICK. MECHANIC IS STATING THERE IS NO SOLUTION FOR THIS. HE HAS CONSULTED BMW DEALERSHIP MECHANICS AND THEY ARE STATING THE SAME INFORMATION. THE ONLY SOLUTION GIVEN WAS TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE DASH, ALL VENTILATION PLUMBING AND HAND CLEAN IT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM WILL COME BACK.
2014 BMW X1 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2014 record →
2014 BMW X1 TRANSMISSION MOVES FROM DRIVE TO PARK WHILE IN MOTION. NO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AFTER OR BEFORE THE OCCURANCE. WHEN ENGAGING REVERSE OR DRIVE GEARS ON THE CAR, THE TRANSMISSION WILL LOCK BRING THE CAR TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THE CAR CANNOT BE STEERED IN ANY DIRECTION TO MOVE IT OUT OF HARMS WAY. ONCE THE CAR GOES TO PARK POSITION, I CAN MOVE THE HANDLE TO RE ENGAGE A GEAR. THE CAR MOVES SLIGHTLY THEN TRANSMISSION FREEZES FORCING IT BACK INTO PARK. I WILL TURN THE CAR OFF AND TRY TO ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION REPEATEDLY AND SOMEHOW THINGS GET MOVE. THE LAST TIME THIS OCCURRED I WENT ONLINE, AND FOUND INFORMATION ABOUT RELEASING THE TRANSMISSION. IT INVOLVES AN NUMBER OF STEPS, AND SO FAR WORKS. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED I BLOCKED AN INTERSECTION FOR SOMETIME BEFORE BEING ABLE TO FOLLOW THE STEPS I FOUND ONLINE TO GET THE CAR DRIVING. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY SCARY SITUATION AND DANGEROUS IF NOT DEADLY FOR ME AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD. THE CAR WILL GO TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS WEEK, AND I'M DRIVING A RENTAL NOW. I AM REPORTING THIS TO YOUR AGENCY, AS I HAVE NOTICED OTHER BMW X1 OWNERS HAVE NOTED THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN A CAR MOVES FROM DRIVE TO THE PARK POSITION WHILE IN MOTION,IT IS A BAD SITUATION. PLEASE NOTIFY ME REGARDING THIS COMMUNICATION. THIS HAPPENED ONCE IN 2015, 2018 AND 4 TIMES IN OCTOBER 2020.
MY CAR SMELLS LIKE MOLD AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ISOLATE THE ISSUE TO REMOVE THE SMELL. I AM CONCERNED IT POSES A SERIOUS HEALTH RISK IF MOLD IS GROWING. THERE IS NOT WATER IN THE VEHICLE AS I HAVE CHECKED THE FLOOR BOARDS AND CUSHIONS. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE A/C FILTER AND CHECKED THE WATER DRAINS FOR THE SUN ROOF. ALL SEEM TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BMW X1. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO EXPERIENCE FAILURES WITH THE ELECTRONIC PANELS AND GAUGES. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE WINDOW AND DOOR BUTTONS HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V087000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AND 20V017000 (AIR BAGS), HOWEVER THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CONTACT TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO CONTACT BMW OF SAN FRANCISCO LOCATED AT 1675 HOWARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 (628) 235-1200 BUT UNABLE TO SPEAK TO A REPRESENTATIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 146,000.
I HAVE BEEN ALERTED BY THE DEALER (BMW) THAT THE TIMING CHAIN ON THE VEHICLE IS COMING LOOSE. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 100,000 MILES, IS SIX (6) YEARS OLD AND AVERAGES >14,000 MILES PER YEAR. IT HAS HAD NO OTHER MAINTENANCE ISSUES EXCEPT A THERMOSTAT, WHICH WAS REPLACED TWICE AT COST TO THE MANUFACTURER. I WAS INFORMED THAT BMW PROVIDED A WARRANTY OF 7-YEARS/70,000 MILES ON THE TIMING CHAIN, HOWEVER THE CAR IN QUESTION HAS SURPASSED THE MILEAGE CONSTRAINTS. I WENT ONLINE TO RESEARCH AND HAVE NOTICED HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS BY OTHER BMW OWNERS THAT THE N20 ENGINE INSTALLED IN A FEW DIFFERENT MODELS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE---MEANING THAT BMW IS AWARE OF THIS DEFECT, BUT IS NOT INFORMING CONSUMERS, AND INSTEAD, PASSING ALONG THE COST AND POTENTIAL HARM. *TR
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2014 BMW X1 → · Every X1 year → · How the figures are calculated →