NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW X1. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Known HVAC-produced moisture drainage issue that cause water to get trapped inside the system and cabin air filter housing, causing significant mold or mildew to grow on the filter itself and spread spores through cabin ventilation system and contaminates air inside cabin which poses serious health hazards.
- Roof and pillars I have been having for almost a year when trying to open and slide on the track. It is harsh and noisy. - Engine oil filter housing and coolant leak. This issue is critical. Finally on April 10, 2025 I ended spending $1007.52 to get the housing replaced to stop the ongoing drip drip effect. - Steering gear box. This issue remains despite the fact that I replaced struts. For almost a year since I bought the vehicle, there appears to be a clunking type noise especially when going over rail tracks on the road where I am forced to almost come to a complete stop to let the car go over the tracks out of fear of sustaining damage.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 BMW X1. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 81,295, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 135,400.
My 2016 BMW X1 28i is leaking coolant. I am also getting a smell of something burning inside the car when driving. This is consistent with problems associated with the 2024 recall for water pump. I was told by my dealership that my vehicle was not one affected by the recall. I think it might be one that is. The vehicle could catch fire if there is a failure of the wiring.
Every time I get in or out of my car, the secure vehicle against rolling indicator light comes on.
Sunroof shade came off the tracks and is now sagging partially obstructing the view of my rear view mirror, if this sags more or falls off completely I will be unable to see out the rear window and can cause a collision. I see this has been an issue with multiple vehicles and should be addressed with the company immediately.
Error message when getting in the truck says “Secure vehicle against rolling”.
The car is indicating the I need to press the parking brake to secure the car from rolling after I have placed it in park and pressed the electronic parking brake.
"Secure vehicle from rolling" keeps coming on the dashboard when I turn the car off or put into park.
225/50 R18. Purchased in March 2024 and tread is already at 4/32 and 5/32 as of Dec 2024 for 2 of them. Tires driven for 13K miles. This is completely unacceptable and unsafe. I believe there is a defect, for tires to be so new and tread to be degrading so quickly.
My 2016 X1 is showing in the dashboard a “secure vehicle against rolling” transmission message; the fault is due to a little spring in the selector level which has been reported in other BMW and MINI models. I recently found a report in the NHTSA website related to a 10 year warranty extension for the Mini [XXX] ) but it does not include the X1 model, which suffers from the same type of defect. The warning showed up for the first time on Tuesday [XXX]. I have made an appointment with the car dealer to diagnose the issue. Multiple X1 owners have reported the same issue in multiple forums, for example: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Warning light stating "Secure vehicle against rolling". Even when the vehicle is in park it could still roll and injure or kill someone.
Message-secure vehicle from rolling
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X1. The contact stated that after arriving to the destination and shifting the vehicle into park(P), the message "Secure Vehicle against Rolling Malfunction" was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission shifter lever control cable. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter lever control cable was abnormally stretched. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.
Sunroof shade ripped off
After I got my 2016 BMW X1 from Service, I heard a rough sound when I reversed the vehicle from Park. After a few days, I noticed my vehicle showing an error saying "Secure Vehicle against rolling" every time I parked the vehicle and advising me to use my hand brake. I then did some search on the web and finally took it for servicing at BMW Rockville, Maryland where the service department is managed by Auto Nation. They gave me a quote for around $2500 to fix this issue. Based on the research of this issue on the web, it looks like a $10 spring malfunction causes this issue. I have less than 55,000 miles on my vehicle. I am not sure if this issue is caused by some incorrect service work performed by Auto Nation The report from Auto Nation is at the link below [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Received an error message: Transmission. Use parking break to prevent rolling. Dealership said it was the internal gear shift. It didn’t recognize the vehicle was in park. It was an expensive repair because they had to remove the console to fix. Was told it was an issue with my model.
My car just started showing an error code every time I turn it off or on saying to "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped" with a transmission status error code but is running perfectly fine.
Secure vehicle from rolling error. Secure vehicle with parking brake Spring pin broke in side gear shifter.
Every time I start or stop my vehicle I get a notification that shows Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center. And my console has a hazard warning that shows: Secure vehicle against rolling. This happens every time, even if the car is parked on a completely flat surface in no danger whatsoever of rolling. I've read SEVERAL X1 owners get this message and all state this needs to be a RECALL. They take their vehicles in for service and are told it's between $2500 and $3000 due to a tiny spring that breaks and the selector no longer communicates with the car in the parking position, and because of this there is an error message in dashboard in which warns you to make sure the vehicle is secure
Keep getting the following warning "Transmission - secure vehicle with parking brake". It seems this is a known issue relating to a simple spring in the gear shifter that causes the computer to not recognize that the vehicle is in park. It's not only a very expensive repair for such a simple part failure, but also a safety concern in not knowing if the vehicle is secure to park.
Steering Geer Box Structure body Roof and Pillars Seat belt retractors Air bags frontal
Dash keeps reading secure vehicle against rolling. I believe it may be something with the gear shifter.
The transmission lock sensor is defective in this car design- the spring in the gearshift assembly that contacts the transmission lock sensor has a faulty design and is prone to breaking. This leads to a warning in the car that the transmission lock has not occurred when the car is in park (although it is actually functioning). This creates a "false alarm" situation that then does not allow the user to know if the transmission is truly locked in park This defect has occurred in my car as diagnosed by both dealer and independent mechanic. This is a common and known defect amongst X1 owners (as well as the mechanical sibling Mini Cooper). It is also well known amongst the BMW dealer service; It should be consider a recall defect
Repeatedly getting warnings of "secre vehicle with parking brake"
It is showing "SECURE VEHICLE AGAINST ROLLING". what does this mean? Why would the vehicle roll?!
Secure vehicle against rolling error displayed despite the fact the car is securely in Park. Issue is a broke $1 spring inside the gearshifter that requires $4000 to fix at dealership. This is a poor quality issue driving a cash cow at the dealership ls with many people complaining online about this issue. It should be a recall
Error message stating “secure vehicle from rolling”. This is a common issue with the X1. I’ve found countless complaints of the issue on BMW forums. Dealers are quoting $3000-$3500 for the repairs due to the time it takes to repair. BMW has in some cases acknowledged the issue and provided repair as a goodwill gesture but has yet to issue a recall for this known issue.
Front left strut and right motor mount failed at less than 40K miles. Vehicle was not driven off road and was not in any accidents. This seems extremely early for such a failure. BMW dealer noted there was a "bulletin" on this model that if one strut failed, the pair should be replaced. It seems there may be a larger issue and possibly the need for a safety recall. Water pump also failed
The following warning came up on my car: secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center. The problem is a gear selector replacement. This small faulty spring costs only $10 but because of where it is located in the car will cost close to $4,000 to fix; it’s a well-known problem in X1s. This should be recalled.
Secure transmission from rolling light keeps coming on when I try to get out of park. ….drive shifter needs to be replaced. Estimated $2400!!!!! This should be a recall issue. .
When turning car on and off error message “Secure Vehicle against rolling”. Everything shifts completely fine in the car, the parking brake engages and the car shifts into park fine. I’ve been told by dealer to bring in for $199 to do an assessment. I see on line this is a common issue and dealers charge between $2000 and $3000 to repair. I submit that this issue should be corrected by BMW through a recall.
Please note that this is NOT the result of an accident. The car is a 2016 BMW X1 model which we have purchased in July 2020 as a BMW certified vehicle from a BMW dealer. Starting in December 2023 the car dashboard shows a warning light saying Secure Vehicle from Rolling. I have read that is it due to a broken pin in the transmission and it seems a common problem in 2016-17 BMWs X1 . BMW should have issued a recall . Again, there was NO accident.
having an issue with the warning light saying Secure Vehicle from Rolling. gear selector replacement Needed. Shifter Linkage needed replacing
Warning - Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped.
Many X1 owners have reported the "Secure Vehicle Against Rolling Error" online in forums once the vehicle hits 100K miles. BMW is charging customers over $3K to fix a worn out spring that costs less than $10 on eBay. This should be under recall!
Visor screen covering sunroof. The driver side of screen is partially ripped from track.
I am receiving the secure vehicle against rolling error message. I will be researching how to fix.
Im having a message on my bmw states “ secure vehicle against rolling”
Dash displays: “secure vehicle with parking break when stopped. Consult service center.” Apparently this is an ongoing issue with the 2016 X1 and is a relatively simple fix albeit, costs an insane amount of money. This should be a recall.
During the parking of my vehicles (gearbox shifter in P position) and after turning off the engine, the iDrive system shows the following messages: "Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." This happens each and every time and also when the vehicle is parked on level ground the error will remain even if the parking brake is applied. After turning on the engine again and putting the shifter either in R or D position, the error goes away. I have ever come to dealer for help, but they charge 300$ for any diagnosis. So I went to a local BMW body shop, and they are able to reproduce it and couldn't fix it completely. After studying this issue on one of the biggest BMW global forums - [XXX] , I came to the opinion that the problem most likely is either in weak design of the gearbox shifter unit or in the gearbox mechatronic unit and unfortunately is a common problem for BMW models. I'm concerned that BMW hasn’t announced any recall procedure, despite the fact that both of the units mentioned are quite expensive and definitely shouldn’t appear after such low odometer readings that are displayed. Other than me, many BMW X1 owners are experiencing the same issue: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The power sunshade came loose and dropped one side of the sunshade to the drivers side because it came loose
Every time I put the car in park It warns me “secure the vehicle against rolling”. I have done extensive research that this is a simple spring located in the gear box. This is something that all X1 have issues with. It should be covered as a RECALL.
per internet, very common problem. Gear box problem that prevents car from automatically going into Park when rolling, doors open, etc....there is a message warning driver to secure car by parkiing brake to prevent from rolling. Thousands of dollars to repair per internet ( i understand the problems with internet info) but multiple discussions on line. BMW x1 2016, 35k miles. Multiple mechanics on line state that it results from a broken spring, but 3000.00 labor to open and remove gear box to repair the spring. Any recourse? thanks for any info.....
A transmission warning light comes on when started that says to use the park brake to keep the car from rolling
Today the moonroof lining just fell off. It is hanging from both sides but one of the sides has a thin metal strip bunched up. I am unable to close the moonroof lining and because it hangs it blocks my vision to the back rear from the view mirror. Please keep in mind my BMW has low miles so how is this possible? I am trying to upload a picture but unable on the form.
I am receiving a ,Secure vehicle against rolling Secure vehicle with parking brake when stationary. Have the problem checked by Service. The following message displays every time I turn vehicle off “Transmission: Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped.” The error message remains even when parked on level ground or when the parking brake is engaged.
On 6/27/23 the car dealership confirmed that the emergency brake sensor has broken and the car now misinforms the driver of whether the emergency brake has been activated. This had been an Issue for a few months. The display screen informs the driver that the brake is not activated, even if it has been activated. The result of this is that a driver may start to ignore the incorrect warning and may cause a driver to get confused regarding whether the brake is activated. A failure to properly activate an emergency brake could result in life threatening injuries. The car was taken to the dealer who confirmed the above problem with the sensor. I explored online blogs and found that many other X1 BMW owners have experienced similar issues. It looks as if this is a failing of the sensor system in this model car.
Secure vehicle against rolling error sign
During the parking of the vehicle (gearbox shifter in “Park Position") and after turning off the engine, the iDrive system shows the following message: “Secure vehicle with parking brake and have the problem checked by dealership. This happens when I start up the vehicle in park and when turning off the vehicle. Also, when the vehicle is parked on level ground the error will remain even if the parking brake is applied. After turning on the engine again and putting the shifter either in R or D position, the error goes away. Dealership error computer diagnostic shows the code “420106” - Shift Lock solenoid: Selector lever wrongly not locked in Park. I shared with the dealership that this is a manufacturer problem and if they could fix it for free or give me a discount to fix the problem due to safety issues and I was told “No” I have to pay the total cost to repair this problem. Currently I am still driving a vehicle that can increase my risk of injury and the injury of bystanders. I purchased this vehicle after I retired because BMW makes good vehicles and this would be the last car I would purchase in my life.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026