Owners have filed 74 complaints on the BMW X4, covering 2016–2025. The system named most often is Electrical System (15 reports). Worst years by volume: 2020, 2019, 2018; cleanest: 2017, 2024, 2022. 7 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire. On average the car was 4.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on BMW X4
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 74 X4 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 15 Read
Electrical system ignighted and caught fire while car was off, locked and parked inside the garage
We heard a whining sound under the hood on November 1st, 2025. Prior to noticing this noise, there were no warming lamps or messages appearing. Following a short drive we smelled burning in the garage. We did not drive the vehicle the following day and intended to take it to our mechanic on Monday morning, the 3rd.…
The authorized dealership (BMW of South Miami) explicitly instructed my wife to continue operating a vehicle subject to an active engine starter fire hazard recall because they 'have not seen any vehicles catch on fire yet.' Furthermore, BMW Corporate failed to respond to a written 48-hour legal demand requesting…
Power Train 9 Read
We had snow this afternoon and my wife drove the car home from work. We live on a private road and have a steep driveway. I had her park the car in the road while I plowed the driveway. There was only 1-2” of snow on the ground. My wife existed the car. It appeared to be off and in park meaning the engine was not…
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact stated that when she would stop the vehicle for a traffic signal, the vehicle would independently shift into park (P). The contact stated that the failure had started as an intermittent failure but had gradually become a recurring failure. The contact stated no warning light…
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X4. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the transmission independently shifted into park(P) and then into reverse(R). The vehicle was restarted and the contact continued driving. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure…
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 Read
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while idling at a stoplight, the vehicle caught on fire. The driver was able to exit the vehicle safely. There were no reported injuries. A Police and Fire…
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable…
Service Brakes 7 Read
Unknown: Dealership replaced my brakes however they weren’t working properly I reported it 3 times BMW said it was common about 2 weeks later I was involved in a car accident where the brakes failed to respond and I rear ended another car
Purchased a customized bmw x4 nov.2022 from bmw dealership. Dec. 2022 brakes have a loud screaming noise when reverse. Spoke with dealership multiple times and vehicle was seen approx. 6 times by service dept about the brakes. Corporate complaint filed about loud noise of brakes, corporate sent out an engineer out to…
On several occasions, the brake pedal has gone soft. Giving you the feeling that you have no breaks. On the highway when this happens, the brake pedal goes soft and then about halfway into the pedal the brakes lock up and the car veerers sharply in one direction or another. On residential street my wife was using this…
Engine 6 Read
On July 12, 2026, I received notice that my 2025 BMW X4 xDrive30i is subject to NHTSA Recall 26V-438 involving the engine starter. I contacted BMW of Austin on July 13 and again on July 27 to schedule the recall repair. On both occasions, I was informed that the remedy was unavailable. No estimated repair date was…
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System). While the vehicle was in park(P), there were abnormal sounds coming from the engine. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into drive(D) and the brake pedal was depressed, there was…
The Oil filter housing on my BMW X4 failed randomly while parked over night causing my vehicle to be depleted off coolant. If you want to inspect the part you will have to reach out to bmw of Columbus for documentation and I can provide the record for repair once complete.This caused my vehicle to be immobilized. If…
Suspension 5 Read
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Suspension How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Its giving head ache and body pain, driver & passengers are jumping / shaking / feeling very uncomfortable Has the problem been reproduced or…
I am filing a complaint regarding what I believe is a manufacturer defect in my BMW vehicle. During a recent visit to an authorized BMW dealership for a routine oil change, I was informed that the front tension joints (tension struts) must be replaced because the rubber bushings/gaskets are cracked and leaking fluid.…
My bmw x4M competition 2020 has pop off a sign that said chassis possible continue driving . It put me in sport suspension and it off traction mode . It is very dangerous for me to drive because in a snow or rainy day it very slippery and sometime I almost cash because slip indicators turn on . I cannot turn it off to…
Air Bags 4 Read
A week ago, the steering wheel locked and the braking system and airbags and cameras malfunctioned. We took it for service at BMW. They said the battery caused the malfunction. On thanksgiving day, we were going around 25-30miles per hour when we slammed on the breaks and the breaks didnot function and we could not…
On june 21, 2020, on a city street. My white bmw was traveling westward and a black bmw was traveling southbound. The black bmw ran its red light to my green light. When we collided in the intersection the complete front end of my white bmw impacted the black bmw driver's side, from approximately from the front tire,…
Vehicle was involved in a collision with right/ passenger front and side of vehicle. Whole bumper knocked off. Left front tire broke off during collision. Passenger side curtain air bag deployed. Stirring air bag did not deploy nor did the curtain airbag on driver side. Passenger injured with broken nose and face…
Steering 3 Read
I am filing a safety complaint for my 2020 BMW X4, VIN [XXX]. The vehicle recently began making a noticeable noise while turning. I reported this to an authorized BMW dealer before/during service and requested review for possible front-end, steering, suspension, axle, swivel bearing, tie rod, thrust rod, or…
The oil filter housing is now made of plastic. It was in the past made of metal. Being it is now made of plastics it is now exposed to possibility of cracking due to changes in temperature hot and cold. It did in fact crack, failed, allowing engine coolant to mix with engines oil lubricant diluting oil lubricant thus…
The vehicle's dash and infotainment screens will flicker or stay off for a period of a few seconds, immediately after the vehicle will display various errors including but not limited to loss of power steering, loss of braking power, the transmission will get thrown into neutral, on some occasions the car will turn…
X4 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2024 | Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags, Service Brakes, Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 1 | |
| 2022 | Power Train, Engine | — | — | |
| 2021 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags, Seat Belts | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2018 | Electrical System, Engine | 2 | 1 | |
| 2017 | Electrical System, Service Brakes | — | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 64 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.1 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,115,966 of them, covering 2,019 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the X4?
By complaint volume, 2020, 2019, 2018 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which X4 years are the cleanest?
2017, 2024, 2022 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the BMW X4 have?
74 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2016–2025. Of those, 7 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.
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