2018 BMW X4 Recalls & Complaints

Incident: November 1, 2025 · Filed: December 22, 2025

We heard a whining sound under the hood on November 1st, 2025. Prior to noticing this noise, there were no warming lamps or messages appearing. Following a short drive we smelled burning in the garage. We did not drive the vehicle the following day and intended to take it to our mechanic on Monday morning, the 3rd. Upon trying to start the car it was dead. We had to have it professionally jumped as standard jumping with our personal jumper cables would not start it. Our mechanic explained both the battery and the water pump would need to be replaced. Upon further examination, he realized that the cable or water pump harness that connects the two had been burned and discovered a recall on thousands of 2017/2018 X4 models. He called us and encouraged us to take it to BMW as he found the recall and assumed they would take care of it. Upon calling our local dealership, they looked up our VIN and said our model was not part of the recall. We proceeded with the repair as we had to have our vehicle. Once those parts were replaced, it was also discovered that the issue caused the entire DME/ECU unit to go bad. Our mechanic then ordered that directly from BMW. Once in he had it reprogrammed and we got the car back. We were without a vehicle for a month. We would ask that you please review this as it's clear, this was the exact issue that has affected thousands of other BMW X4 Models. It is a safety issue as we smelled the burning in our garage and learned later that it could have started a fire either while driving it or in our garage at home. Our VIN should be included in the recall. Upon calling BMW of North America Customer Service, they told us to file a complaint on nhtsa.

Incident: July 22, 2025 · Filed: August 23, 2025

The water pump was found to have extreme corrosion after several other components on the car were damaged from the coolant leak into the electrical system. The car was suddenly losing power while driving and the DME was smoking, potentially causing an engine fire. So far the water pump, Digital Motor Electronics (DME) and throttle body were replaced over a 15 day period in service. The day the car was picked up, the chassis stabilization light came on and the dealership was receiving codes saying multiple additional electrical systems are now triggering the codes. The car was back at the dealer for service and now they are saying even more systems have been damaged by the leak. There is currently a recall on the water pump for this model and year, although this exact VIN is not included in the recall. Initial overheat warnings came on July 22, 2025 just prior to the car going in the shop although the dealer didn't see that the car was overheating. The fault codes were coming up as electrical. Only the dealer has inspected the car thus far. I content this car should have been included in the recall for the water pump as the description of the recall fits the exact damage to the water pump in my car.

Incident: July 18, 2025 · Filed: July 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted on several occasions; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: November 4, 2024 · Filed: June 17, 2025

Unknown: Dealership replaced my brakes however they weren’t working properly I reported it 3 times BMW said it was common about 2 weeks later I was involved in a car accident where the brakes failed to respond and I rear ended another car.

Incident: May 30, 2025 · Filed: June 1, 2025

Water pump completely failed and no longer working. I had to pull off of road on a busy interstate. Firestone confirmed water pump no longer working. Vehicle is at BMW service center. No warning until vehicle overheated and warning came on.

Incident: September 25, 2024 · Filed: April 25, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle there was a burning odor coming from the engine compartment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: September 15, 2024 · Filed: March 5, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: October 22, 2024 · Filed: November 22, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle occasionally failed to move. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: November 22, 2024 · Filed: November 22, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Incident: April 15, 2023 · Filed: July 26, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. The contact stated that when she would stop the vehicle for a traffic signal, the vehicle would independently shift into park (P). The contact stated that the failure had started as an intermittent failure but had gradually become a recurring failure. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been the cause of a recent crash at a traffic signal. The contact's vehicle had slipped into park (P) when the signal light changed to green her vehicle did not move forward and the vehicle behind her crashed into the rear bumper. The contact stated that there was minor damage to the other vehicle's front bumper and no damage to her vehicle, both vehicle's were able to drive away. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer after the first failures, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that she drove the vehicle back to the same dealer following the crash and the dealer diagnosed that the crank position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.