Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, steering, and acceleration and cruise control. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2022One recall on this model year told owners to stop driving until the repair was done.
Do not buy until you have dealer paperwork or a recall lookup showing it was completed for this VIN.
Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2022 BMW iX: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/4
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2022's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
Worth adding to your 2022 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2022 BMW iX. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| Electric | AWD | 324 mi range |
NHTSA complaints for the 2022 BMW iX, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Sudden shutdowns while driving are the most serious reports. The dash goes black and drive power cuts out in motion, sometimes more than once, and in one case at about 1000 miles. Several filings describe waiting on a battery recall repair: parts were unavailable and cars sat at dealers for weeks. One also notes reduced battery capacity and a burning odor. Other reports cite false emergency stops at highway speed, erratic side collision warnings, and cruise control faults. Losing power at speed carries real crash risk.
A "Changed Steering Effort" warning appears on the dash, often only now and then, and steering becomes noticeably heavier. Some versions warn of reduced steering and advise a dealer visit. When dealers diagnose the problem, they replace the steering rack. One replacement came at about 21k miles, and owners say others fail under 10k miles. One owner was just past the factory warranty mileage. Drivers worry the extra effort could hit suddenly at freeway speed, which is a loss-of-control risk.
The car accelerates without any pedal input. Most reports involve B mode, the one-pedal driving setting. Lifting off the pedal makes the car lunge forward instead of slowing, including mid-turn. Another owner reports 6-8 surges right after startup with cruise control off, and braking stops them. So far these surges happen at low speed, but one toward a car ahead could cause a collision. One owner says a software update did not fix the problem.
Power loss while driving is the common pattern. A power loss or drivetrain error appears, and the car will not accelerate properly. In the most serious report, an emergency system malfunction message shows at about 65 mph, the throttle cuts out, and the car slows to a stop. A restart can bring back normal operation. One dealer kept a car over a month and still could not clear the error. Losing throttle in traffic carries clear crash risk.
The collision avoidance system fails to step in when it should. In one crash at 16,000 miles, a running car parked in a garage with the driver's door open reversed across the street on its own and hit a parked vehicle. The dealer could not find the cause. Another owner reports the safety systems locking up several times while driving, leading to near misses. Both reports involve safety features failing with no warning.
Excerpts from complaints iX owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
It took them 6 weeks to replace the battery component that was part of the recall. My car was unable to be driven during this timeframe. Under my state lemon laws I am eligible for a car buyback from BMW as it was out of service over 30 days. I registered a request for this through BMW corporate and it was denied by them.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2023
I have had 6-8 instances where the car "takes off" and accelerates without my touching the accelerator. It is not full-acceleration but strong enough that if a car was immediately in front of me - I might hit it. Hitting the brakes stops the acceleration and the car then drives normally. In all cases - the cruise control has been "off" and the unintended acceleration has occurred just after first starting up.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2022
When the car is being driven in B mode (one pedal driving for EVs) and is going around a turn, the car rapidly randomly accelerated. This has happened 2 times.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2022
Continually get a power loss error while driving and accelerating. Took to BMW dealership and not able to clear error after having the car for a over month.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2022 has the fewest owner complaints of the 3 iX years we cover, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2022 is the first model year of the iX's first generation (2022 on). First years of a redesign often carry teething problems that BMW fixes in later years, so the checks above matter more than usual.
BMW updated the iX for 2026, so a 2022 does not have those changes.
What changed for 2026 (not on a 2022)
Should you avoid the first year of a redesign? See the 45-car study.
Recall repairs are free at any BMW dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive50, iX M60, 2022 i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles. The high voltage battery may have internal damage, resulting in an electrical short-circuit.
Risk: A short-circuit in a high voltage battery increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive or charge their vehicles, and to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 23, 2022. A second letter will be mailed when remedy parts become available. Owner notification letters were mailed December 23, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Owners will also be contacted by phone.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2025 i4, 2022-2024 IX, 2023-2024 I7, and 2024 I5 vehicles. The electric drive motor software may shut down the high-voltage system, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The electric drive motor software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 5, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2025 IX, 2023-2024 I7, and 2022-2023 i4 vehicles. The high-voltage battery cell modules may not have been assembled properly, resulting in stress on the module frame and possible module failure.
Risk: Battery module failure may lead to a shutdown of the high-voltage system which can result in a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, module failure increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace specific high-voltage battery cell modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk were mailed September 11, 2025. Another notice will be sent once the remedy becomes available, anticipated December 31, 2025Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive50, iX M60, i4 eDrive40, i4 M50, and 2023 i760 xDrive hybrid electric vehicles. The high voltage battery combined charging unit (CCU) may not have been manufactured correctly, resulting in improperly connected and/or assembled components inside the CCU.
Risk: An improperly connected or assembled CCU can interrupt electrical power while driving and result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the high voltage battery combined charging unit (CCU), free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 23, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2024 iX xDrive50 and iX M60 vehicles. The driver may unintentionally reactivate the cruise control system while turning the steering wheel at low speeds, resulting in a sudden increase of vehicle speed.
Risk: A sudden increase in vehicle speed can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 2, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2024 iX xDrive50 and 2023 i4 eDrive35, i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 Hybrid Electric vehicles. The high voltage battery cell monitoring circuit may have improperly secured electrical connections which can result in an engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the high voltage battery cell monitoring circuit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive40, iX xDrive50, iX M60 and 2022-2023 X1 xDrive28i vehicles. The front driver's air bag may have been manufactured incorrectly and may not deploy as intended during a crash.
Risk: A driver's air bag that does not deploy as intended during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 14, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 i4 eDrive40 and iX xDrive50 electric vehicles. During vehicle start-up, the artificial sound generator control unit may experience a fault and fail to generate the external pedestrian warning sound. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.".
Risk: Without external warning sounds, pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the external artificial sound generator software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 9, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive40, iX xDrive50, iX M60, i4 eDrive35, i4 eDrive40, i4 M50, and 2023 i7 xDrive60 vehicles. The high voltage battery electronic control unit (ECU) software may cause an interruption of electrical power.
Risk: An interruption of electrical power may result in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the high voltage battery ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 10, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive40, iX xDrive50, iX M60, 2022 i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles equipped with hybrid electric powertrains. While in Valet Parking Mode, the Central Information Display (CID) may not display critical safety information, such as warning messages and/or warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays.".
Risk: A display that does not show critical information, such as warning messages and/or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the display's head unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive40, iX XDrive50, and iX M60 vehicles. The air bag malfunction indicator light and display message may not illuminate in the event of a problem with the air bag control or pedestrian protection systems, due to incorrect software.
Risk: An air bag malfunction indicator light that fails to warn the driver of a problem increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the air bag control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 13, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Cars shoppers compare with the BMW iX, with their own 2022 checklists.
