2009 Bmw 1 Series: Reliability Data

23
Total Complaints
44,000mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
0
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

20,266 25th Percentile
44,000 Median Mileage
46,100 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags
7
Exterior Lighting
5
Electrical System
4
Tail Lights
1
Tires
1
Wheels
1
Seats
1
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)
1
Engine
1
Seat Belts
1

Severity Assessment

0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 128I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS CITED BY THE POLICE DUE TO THE TAIL LIGHTS NOT OPERATING. WHEN SHE ARRIVED TO HER RESIDENCE, SHE DISCOVERED THERE WAS ONLY ONE TAIL LIGHT OPERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THE VEHILE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE FAIL..."
"2009 BMW SERIES 1 - TAIL LIGHTS DON'T WORK - REPLACED ONCE AND FAILED AGAIN. BMW KNOWS THERE'S A PROBLEM AND STATED THAT IT MIGHT TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS TO SEVERAL MONTHS TO GET REPLACEMENT LIGHTS. *TR"
"UNSAFE EQUIPMENT: DRIVER'S SIDE PARKING/RUNNING LIGHT STOPPED WORKING. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS ON THE DASH REGARDING IT'S FAILURE. THIS VEHICLE INDICATOR LIGHT IS INTEGRATED INTO THE TAIL LIGHT LENS ASSEMBLY. THEREFORE MAKING REPAIR IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THE BMW REPAIR/SERVICE..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Exterior Lighting 5 complaints
Median: 27,635 mi
Electrical System 4 complaints
Median: 108,657 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NJ: 5 FL: 4 GA: 3 VA: 2 NC: 2 TX: 2 SC: 1 CA: 1 OR: 1 MD: 1

Bmw 1 Series — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2008241
2011440

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28