26 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
The integrated brake system in these vehicles can malfunction. When it does, you can lose the power assist that makes the brake pedal easy to press, so the pedal goes hard and the vehicle takes longer to stop. The fault can also stop the anti-lock brakes and the stability control from working, which can let you lose control of the vehicle. The dealer inspects the brake unit and replaces it if needed.
If you crank the engine over and over, the starter motor can draw too much electricity and get very hot. That heat can set fire to things near it in the engine bay. BMW is replacing the starter motor at no cost. Important: if your vehicle was already fixed under the earlier recall 24V576, it needs the repair again. Owner letters were mailed February 9, 2026, and your VIN has been searchable since November 17, 2025.
On these BMW cars and SUVs, the combined brake unit can act up. When it does, you may lose power brake assist, meaning the brake pedal gets much harder to push and the car takes longer to stop. The same fault can keep the anti-lock brakes and the stability control from working right, so the car may be harder to control. Dealers will replace the brake module. Even vehicles already fixed under earlier recall 24V-104 need this new repair.
Welds inside a small motor in the brake control unit can break. If that happens, you lose power brake assist and the rear brakes stop working, so the pedal gets hard and the vehicle needs much more distance to stop. The anti-lock brakes and the stability control may also quit, which makes the vehicle harder to keep under control. Dealers will replace the whole brake unit for free.
If the starter motor fails, repeatedly trying to start the engine can push too much electricity through it and make it overheat. A starter that gets that hot can set fire to nearby flammable parts in the engine compartment. The risk builds up when you keep cranking a car that will not start. A dealer will update the vehicle's software free of charge so the starter cannot be overloaded this way. BMW mailed owner letters on September 27, 2024.
The system that senses whether front occupants are buckled up may wrongly think a belt is fastened. Two things can go wrong: the reminder light that warns you about an unbuckled belt may never come on, and the airbags may not go off the way they are supposed to in a crash. Either problem means you could be hurt worse in a collision. These vehicles also do not meet the federal crash protection standard. Dealers will inspect the front lower seat belts and replace them as needed, free.
Your vehicle has an integrated brake system that can stop working correctly. If it fails, the brake pedal can suddenly get much harder to push, so you have to press far harder and the car needs more room to stop. The same fault can also knock out the anti-lock brakes and the stability control, the systems that keep the car from skidding or spinning during hard stops and slippery corners. The dealer replaces the whole brake unit.
The cover on the transmission's control unit may not have been welded properly, which can let transmission oil leak into the electronics inside. If that happens, the gears in the transmission can seize up and the vehicle can suddenly lose drive power while you are moving — including at highway speed with traffic behind you. A dealer will replace the transmission control module and change the transmission fluid if needed, at no cost.
The airbag that sits low in the dashboard to protect the front passenger's knees may not inflate the way it is designed to. If the vehicle is in a crash, that airbag may not do its job, which raises the chance of injury for whoever is riding up front. Dealers will replace the knee airbag with a new one at no cost. BMW mailed owner letters on November 3, 2023.
The knee airbag on the driver's side, the passenger's side, or both may not have been built correctly. Knee airbags sit low in the dashboard and are meant to open in a crash to keep your legs and lower body from being thrown forward. One that was not made properly may fail to open the way it should, so you could be hurt more badly in a crash. Dealers will replace the affected knee airbag free of charge.
The control unit that runs the sunroof was programmed incorrectly. Because of that, the sunroof can be closed even when the key fob is not inside the vehicle. Federal safety rules for power windows and roofs are written to prevent exactly that, so someone standing at the opening cannot be caught by a roof closing when they do not expect it. Dealers will reprogram the sunroof control unit free of charge.
When you shift into Reverse on these BMW cars and SUVs, the backup camera may not work properly. Part of the picture can be blocked, or the screen may stay dark and show no image at all. Backup cameras are required so you can see people, pets and objects directly behind the vehicle. If you rely only on the screen while backing up, you could hit something or someone you cannot see. A dealer will check the camera software and update it if needed, at no cost.
The brake unit in these BMWs has a part inside — a rotor joined to a shaft — that may not have been welded correctly at the factory. If you brake hard, the two pieces can come apart. When that happens, the anti-lock brakes stop working and the power assist that makes the brake pedal easy to press is reduced, so stopping the car takes much more effort and distance. BMW dealers will replace the whole brake unit.
The shaft that connects your steering wheel to the steering gear has a joint held by a bolt. On these vehicles the bolt may not have been tightened enough at the factory, so the connection can work loose. If it does, the steering can feel sloppy or vague and you may not be able to control the vehicle the way you expect. Dealers will inspect it and replace or properly tighten the bolt, or replace the whole shaft and joint.
These BMWs have a 48-volt battery that works with a starter-generator, a combined starter and charging unit. The connection between that battery and the starter-generator may not have been put together correctly at the factory. A poorly assembled connection resists the flow of electricity and can heat up, and that heat can lead to a fire. Your dealer will inspect the connection and replace it if it is not right, at no cost to you.
A welded joint at the front of your BMW may come apart. It joins the front axle support to the bracket that holds the right front suspension arm, which is part of what keeps the front wheel in place and lets the vehicle steer and handle properly. If that weld separates, the vehicle may not steer or handle the way you expect. A dealer will replace the front axle support at no cost to you.
The headlights on these SUVs can give off a blue tint instead of the white light required by federal rules. Blue-tinted headlights can confuse drivers coming the other way, who may misjudge what they are seeing on the road at night. The issue is the color of the light, not whether the headlights turn on. A dealer will inspect the headlights and replace them if necessary, free of charge. BMW started this recall on October 30, 2020.
The spoiler at the back of the roof may not be bonded tightly to the plate that holds it onto the car. Over time it can work loose and fly off while you are driving. A part coming off at speed turns into an obstacle in the road: it can hit another vehicle, injure someone standing near the roadway, or cause another driver to crash. Dealers will inspect the spoiler and replace it if necessary, free of charge.
Some Pirelli tires fitted to these X5 and X6 models were built with a damaged layer inside. The damage can let a tire lose air very quickly while you are driving, which can make the vehicle hard to steer and control. BMW says it already called every affected owner by phone and those vehicles have had the tires replaced, so no letters were mailed. The replacement tires cost the owner nothing.
Certain 2020 BMW X6 models — the sDrive40i, xDrive40i, and xDrive50i — may have a rear spoiler that can come off the vehicle. The spoiler is the trim piece mounted at the back of the roof or tailgate. If it separates while you are driving, it can fall onto the road behind you, where it becomes an obstacle for other drivers. BMW dealers will look at the spoiler and replace it if needed.
These X6s have metal anchor bars in the back seat that child safety seats clip onto. When a rigid-connector child seat is used, those bars can get damaged over time. Damaged bars may not hold the child seat as firmly as they should, so a child could be hurt more seriously in a crash. The dealer welds a reinforcing bracket onto the anchor bars and the body of the car to strengthen them.
On these BMW, Rolls-Royce and Toyota Supra vehicles, the camera and screen settings can be changed so the rear view picture no longer appears. The vehicle then remembers that setting, so the next time you shift into reverse the picture is still missing and you cannot see what is directly behind you. Federal rules require that image to appear, so these vehicles do not meet the standard. Dealers correct it with a free software update to the camera system.
On certain 2019 BMW X6 models, the bolts holding the rear upper control arms — the parts that keep the back wheels lined up and stable — may not have been hardened correctly when they were made. A weak bolt can let a rear control arm break. If that happens while you are driving, the back of the vehicle can suddenly feel loose and become hard to steer and control. All affected vehicles were still sitting on dealer lots, so no owner letters were mailed.
The bolts that hold the wheels onto these vehicles may not have been tightened correctly at the factory. Bolts that are too loose can work themselves looser over time and break, which affects how the vehicle handles and how well you can control it. A dealer will replace all of the wheel bolts and tighten them properly at no charge. This recall began back on November 1, 2018, so the free repair is available now.
A control arm is a metal arm that holds a front wheel in place and lets it move up and down with the road. On these SUVs, the bolt at one end of the front left control arm may not have been hardened properly when it was made. If that bolt fails, the arm can break. Losing a control arm while driving can make the vehicle swerve or go where you did not steer it. Dealers inspect the arm and replace it free if needed.
Bolts that hold part of the front suspension in place may not have been tightened properly when the vehicle was built. The suspension is what keeps the wheels planted and controls how the vehicle steers and handles, so loose bolts can affect the way it behaves on the road and raise the chance of a crash. A dealer will check the suspension arm bolts and tighten them at no cost. The repair has been available since January 2018.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the BMW X6. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: