There are 2 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2018 BMW X1in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
There is an issue with the X1 series of BMWs where the system shuts down after a cold start. This car displays alerts on the dashboard, and BMW service has confirmed that there are two firmware updates available to fix the issues. However, instead of providing the updates at no charge, they are asking for almost $1,000 for the firmware update. Forum discussions indicate that this issue causes the engine to stop after a cold start, which is extremely challenging, especially when leaving a garage into oncoming traffic, as the car just shuts off. There should be a recall and free firmware updates for these vehicles. FC 151001 IGNITION TIMING DURING COLD START
When first turning on the car in the morning and trying to reverse the vehicle, it begins jerking and the acceleration revs up rpm almost as if it's trying not to shut off. We have friends with the same model and they have had the same issue and were told it has to do with the crankshaft.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026