The 2008 BMW 1 Series has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 34,285 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS10V2540002010-06-1031,935 affected
Defect
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 1-SERIES VEHICLES. IN A CRASH OF SUFFICIENT SEVERITY, DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PRE-TENSIONER AND LOAD-LIMITER OCCURS.
Consequence
THE INSULATION AROUND THE PRE-TENSIONER COULD IGNITE.
Remedy
VEHICLES PRODUCED UP THROUGH DECEMBER 2009 WILL RECEIVE NEW FRONT SAFETY BELT RETRACTOR UNITS AND A MODIFICATION TO THE SOUND INSULATION NEAR THE UNITS, WHILE VEHICLES PRODUCED BETWEEN JANUARY 2010 AND MAY 2010 WILL RECEIVE A MODIFICATION TO THE SOUND INSULATION NEAR THE UNITS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF…
SEAT BELTS09V2570002009-07-082,350 affected
Defect
BMW IS RECALLING 2,350 MY 2008 1-SERIES AND 3- SERIES PASSENGER CARS. INCORRECT CRIMP CONNECTORS MAY HAVE BEEN USED ON THE SIDE AIR BAG AND BELT TENSIONER WIRING. AS A RESULT SUFFICIENT CONTACT BETWEEN THE CRIMP CONNECTORS AND THE CORRESPONDING PLUG MAY NOT OCCUR WHICH COULD LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN THE ELECTRICAL…
Consequence
IF THAT HAPPENED, IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE SIDE AIR BAG AND/OR THE SAFETY BELT TENSIONER NOT TO DEPLOY AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT AN OCCUPANT, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES.
Remedy
BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
6
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
3
SEATS
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
ENGINE
2
POWER TRAIN
1
SEAT BELTS
1
STEERING
1
1crashes
Total complaints24
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Major fueling issues with my car. So far I've had to replace injectors, low pressure fuel pump, fuel control module, and now I'm being told I need to replace the high pressure fuel pump. From reading the forums online it seems to be that all these parts are very faulty on the car especially the…”
“The passenger seat occupancy sensor mat is defective and is a quite common occurrence on all bmw vehicles. The mat will send a trouble signal to the dash that brings up the airbag light on the instrument panel that will not go off.”
“The passenger seat occupancy sensor mat is defective and is a quite common occurrence on all bmw vehicles. The mat will send a trouble signal to the dash that brings up the airbag light on the instrument panel that will not go off.”
“The passenger seat occupancy sensor mat is defective and is a quite common occurrence on all bmw vehicles. The mat will send a trouble signal to the dash that brings up the airbag light on the instrument panel that will not go off.”
“Car goes into limp mode when passing car and goes into limp getting on interstate. The car has shown bad high pressure fuel pump but bmw will not stand behind there bad pumps.”
“The passenger seat occupant sensor began to sound off to secure the seat belt though no one sat there. I reported this problem to bmw when I got the takata airbag replaced and got a questions about my opinion on whether I considered it a safety issue. I declined to say and they just sent me away.…”
“The passenger seat occupant sensor began to sound off to secure the seat belt though no one sat there. I reported this problem to bmw when I got the takata airbag replaced and got a questions about my opinion on whether I considered it a safety issue. I declined to say and they just sent me away.…”
“"3rd brakelight" lens continues to break. I purchased the car in july of 2008 and will soon be on its 3rd lens. This is a bmw defect and is a very expensive part. I'm concerned about re-replacing this defective part over and over again and if I choose not to, others being able to see me when I…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2008 BMW 1 Series as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.