Car Defect Radar
Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated September 22, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.

Recalls

0 total

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

No recalls on record for this model

No safety recalls were found in this dataset. It is still worth entering the exact VIN on NHTSA before purchase, since recalls can be added at any time.

Owner complaints by system

31 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Worth reading
21

Most reports here involve sudden stalling. Of these, 2 mention an injury.

sudden stalling 10fire 2
A recent report: I returned home from shopping at local store 15 miles away. Arrived home around 11:30pm on June 3. Unloaded groceries and sat down. Around 11:45pm-11:50pm heard yelling from outside that our car was…
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I returned home from shopping at local store 15 miles away. Arrived home around 11:30pm on June 3. Unloaded groceries and sat down. Around 11:45pm-11:50pm heard yelling from outside that our car was on fire. My husband ran out and and seen flames coming from under hood of car. I called 911 and within a couple mins middle of hood was completely starting to melt and components were spraying fluid and popping pieces of metal and plastic were thrown everywhere. A neighbor proceeded to use 2 fire extinguishers to try to control blaze which did not seem to calm flames. Fire department arrived and sprayed down side of house and back of our other car which was parked In front of our BMW. Do to the extreme heat we could not get into other car to move it as it was parked by closed garage doors. Myself, our 2 daughter's and visiting friend were forced from the house due to concerns that the house might catch fire. We watched as the cars whole front engine area burned completely.During the trip to the store there were no warning signs on vehicle stating anything wrong. The fire marshal did a report on the fire and it was towed to local tow yard. At this time it is available for inspection. Preceding fire since it was unexplained to us we looked into recalls of the BMW and found multiple claims and reports for recall. Looking up VIN on NHSTA' s website VIN came back as "0" unrepaired recalls. We purchased the vehicle from a private dealer who never mentioned if vehicle ever had any recalls or had been fixed. And our search before purchase said there were no recalls on the vehicle. Due to the extreme heat our driveway was burned and our vehicle in front received heat damage to whole back of car. The fire was so intense that the engine area all the way to the back seat is burned. Thank goodness me and my daughter were not driving the vehicle at the time this happened as the engine fire burned quickly. This fire was not caused by arson or any factors under our control.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11742337 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Minor
2

Most reports here involve electrical shorts.

electrical shorts 2
A recent report: 2011 BMW x6m 115k miles the car system was burning smell coming. Smell like electrical problem the system of the car shuts down no power just enough power to pull over off the road. Turned it off and…
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2011 BMW x6m 115k miles the car system was burning smell coming. Smell like electrical problem the system of the car shuts down no power just enough power to pull over off the road. Turned it off and back on it went away. Check engine light and reduced of power keeps coming on. We look into the truck water is leaking into the electrical. Trunk electrical broken. Comfort access not working. This car is really unsafe and its not fix.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11443848 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Minor
4

Most reports here involve loss of steering.

loss of steering 1
A recent report: While driving the check engine light came on moments later the steering wheel stiffened up then released mid turn when I turn the steering wheel the tires didn’t respond I hit a curb

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11501177 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Minor
1

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 1
A recent report: TAKATA RECALL I HAVE CONTACTED MY BMW CENTER IN SAVANNAH ABOUT THIS RECALL AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD TAKE UP TO MORE THEN YEAR FOR THE PARTS, THIS HAS BEEN ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO AND IM YET TO BE CONTACTED…
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TAKATA RECALL I HAVE CONTACTED MY BMW CENTER IN SAVANNAH ABOUT THIS RECALL AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD TAKE UP TO MORE THEN YEAR FOR THE PARTS, THIS HAS BEEN ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO AND IM YET TO BE CONTACTED. I TRULY DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY VEHICLES!

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10914304 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Other systems

Worth reading
3

Most reports here involve electrical shorts.

electrical shorts 1premature wear 1
A recent report: ABOUT SAFETY CAMPAIGN #16V-311, AT THE BEGINNING OF 2015, MY 2011 BMW X6 WITH ONLY 45000 MILES STARTED TO VIBRATE WHEN I TURNED THE WHEELS, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY NEVER FOUND ANY ISSUES, I…
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ABOUT SAFETY CAMPAIGN #16V-311, AT THE BEGINNING OF 2015, MY 2011 BMW X6 WITH ONLY 45000 MILES STARTED TO VIBRATE WHEN I TURNED THE WHEELS, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY NEVER FOUND ANY ISSUES, I HAVE RECEIVED A NOTICE OF WARRANTY EXTENSION ON THE DRIVE SHAFT AND RECENTLY A RECALL TO REPLACE IT, THE CAR KEEPS GETTING WORSE EVEN AFTER A NEW DRIVE SHAFT, I HAVE EMAIL BMWUSA BUT NO RESPONSE, I ONLY DRIVE THE CAR WHEN IS NECESSARY BECAUSE I'M ALMOST SURE SOMETHING IS GOING TO BREAK AND MIGHT CAUSE AND ACCIDENT, THE CAR VIBRATES AND MAKES MECHANICAL NOISES MOSTLY WHEN I'M TURNING THE WHEELS AND PRESS ON THE GAS.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10904566 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 31 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2011 and 2026, roughly 2 a year, which is more than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.