The contact owned a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, she noticed there was smoke emerging from underneath the hood, and it caught fire. The contact was able to exit the vehicle safely. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The service warning light was illuminated prior to the failure. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployments, or crashes. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The local dealer was contacted, but there was no assistance provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 95,800.
2015 BMW X1: fire, smoke or burning smell
8 of the 52 complaints about the 2015 BMW X1 describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 15%
- typical mileage
- 95,800
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
- 20251
- 20231
- 20211
- 20201
- 20181
- 20162
- 20158
- 20148
- 20134
What owners say
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment, after which the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the thermostat and radiator hose. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 134,000.
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power with the message "Stop the Vehicle - Engine Overheating" was displayed before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted each time, except after the last failure. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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 while driving at undisclosed speeds, the A/C was activated, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. There was smoke entering the cabin of the vehicle through the A/C vents. A fuel-burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
This is a complaint surrounding the recall on the vehicle. I have called the dealerships closest to me 4 times over the last month and a half to remedy with no such luck. My car 12/15, was smoking from the water pump location in the engine. It has done this when driving for more than 20 minutes or driving for the first time if taking the weekend off from doing so. There is a burning smell that comes in from the vents. I have had the oil changed and inspected, there was no leak found either time. there is "no remedy available" according to the dealership but this has been ongoing for 4 months. There is a fire hazard, I have relayed that I have seen smoke but have to drive the car as it is a daily driver for my family. no solution, even temporary has been discussed from the dealer.
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated that the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that there was a coolant leak. The dealer diagnosed that the oil filter gasket housing had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the oil filter gasket housing was replaced, however the failure progressively worsened. The contact stated that there was oil leaking in the engine compartment, and there was a strong oil odor coming through the A/C vents. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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 vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure was approximately 109,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The engine caught on fire - While driving the car, the engine suddenly started running poorly. Check engine lights went on and the car went into limp mode. Smoke came out of the engine compartment. We were able to pull over to the side of the road. The engine died and would not start. The car was towed to an independant repair shop and then to the BMW dealer. BMW of NA sent a field investigation team to inspect the car. BMW said there was "thermal activity in the engine compartment where the intake ducting was partially melted". BMW would not release a copy of the report. The insurance company is inspecting the car now. Photos are available. This might be related to the federal safety agency recall number 22V‑119.
22,000 actual miles oilfiter housing leak on engine and cylinder cover is plastic like on other x1 sdrive . Leaking on electrical parts and smoke terrible when come too stop under the hood. This is abad plastic part and gasket leak with holly any miles. 22,000 something miles when purchase online . Dealership I took it too say it's a fire hazard it could catch on fire I just hope others too don't notice it and car catches on fire as reported for other x1 2015 sdrive 28i my car need a recall asap.
Service bulletins that may apply
- The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few...
- When using the Key Reader to retrieve CBS information from the customer key, no current vehicle data is...
- Vehicle exhibits a slight acceleration delay when taking off from a MSA (automatic engine...
Related recalls
Electrical system: wiring: connectors/plugs/receptacles
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
- Risk
- An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 24V608000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2015 BMW X1 fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2015 BMW X1?
8 of 52 owner complaints about the 2015 BMW X1 (15%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2014.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 BMW X1?
There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 BMW X1
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