Regarded by the automaker as “the most successful BMW model in the luxury class,” the revised 2022 BMW X7 boasts “More presence, more sportiness, more technology.” But what does this matter when your 2022 X7 catches fire, has a sunroof that explodes, or has major software issues? These are just some of the complaints owners have logged with the NHTSA.
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Most Common Problems with the 2022 BMW X7
The problems 2022 BMW X7 owners are reporting to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) are varied, but serious. Oddly, as at August 21, 2023, only one complaint mentioned specific components and subsystems, namely the electrical system, service brakes, and steering. All the rest were filed under Unknown or Other. However, issues in this category involve software problems, buttons for navigation modes, and the sunroof, which is also implicated in a recall.
The most serious complaint relates to a parked 2022 X7 that caught fire. According to the owner who lives in Los Angeles, the vehicle “caught fire under our carport and burned, and the fire spread to my home and totally destroyed it. We heard (the) car alarm go off and ran to (the) back door of our home where the car (was) parked and noticed (the) hood was engulfed in flames.” At the time of the complaint, there was no reason given for the fire.
There are also two recalls, one due to a sunroof malfunction and the other due to third row seat springs being “improperly installed.” Both issues increase the risk of injury to anyone traveling in an affected X7.
2022 BMW X7 Complaint Summary
Complaint Category
Number of Complaints
Unknown Or Other
4
4
Steering
3
3
Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking
2
2
Electrical System
2
2
Lane Departure: Assist
1
1
Seats
1
1
Service Brakes
1
1
Suspension
1
1
Visibility/wiper
1
1
Exploding Sunroof
The owner of a 2022 BMW X7 from Kansas describes how the sunroof exploded while he was about to drive onto a highway. Weather and road conditions were normal, and the sunroof was closed. “I heard what sounded like a gunshot. It then sounded like my sunroof was open because I could hear the wind along with the sound of glass breaking and falling.”
The complaint states that he pulled over and opened the sunshade, which was also closed at the time of the incident. “Glass fell into the vehicle and onto my wife and I. Had the sunshade not been closed at the time the glass would have fallen directly on us or into our eyes. I then drove the vehicle home and parked it in my garage. There were no existing cracks, chips or visible defects to the sunroof prior to this happening.” He adds that “there were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.”
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Sunroof Recall
A total of 61,221 BMWs in North America are affected by this recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 22V267000, issued on April 20, 2022. They include 2019-2023 X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, X7 xDrive60i, and X7 M60i vehicles. The issue is that the “roof function control unit may be programmed incorrectly, allowing the sunroof to close without the key fob present inside the vehicle.” Any sunroof that closes without the key fob fails to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 118, Power-Operated Window Systems. Most importantly, if this happens, it can increase the risk of injury.
Software Problems
When a couple from Maryland bought a 2022 BMW X7 in November 2021, delivery was delayed for two weeks because the touch screen software wasn’t available. But “then the vehicle was delivered without software installation for touch screen.” The dealer did mention this, but the complaint, dated July 3, 2022, states that they accepted the vehicle because they needed it for transportation.
Once they started driving the X7, they realized how essential the touch screen was for “judgemental driving.” The “BMW X7 model 2022 is very highly advanced and sophisticated in terms of accessing driving features,” the complaint states. “We are experiencing too much distraction during driving to access features through other ways” (in other words by not having a touchscreen.) This, they found “takes (the) driver’s concentration and eyes off of the road.”
After driving the vehicle for about 7 months without the touch screen, their plea to the NHTSA is to make sure the manufacturer and/or supplier installs the touch screen software as they are required to do.
In the complaint listed as a Steering, Electrical System, and Service Brakes issue, another owner highlights a computer software system malfunction. It happened on Interstate 10 near New Orleans resulting in a “loss of power steering and 90% loss of braking action requiring a great distance to stop.” The vehicle was towed to a dealer “and was found to have 184 codes violated. No parts were replaced, only an update. If this had happened in traffic, I would not have been able to stop for 1,000 feet.”
Problems with Navigation Mode Buttons
A complaint lodged by an owner from Arizona points out that the start button for the 2022 BMW X7 is positioned close to the stick shift and buttons, including those used to access navigation modes. The problem is that if you hit the start button by mistake when not in Park and driving at a speed of 25 mph, this will shut off the car and you will lose the power brakes and power steering.
The complaint states that BMW maintained this is the way the X7 is designed. When traveling over 25 mph “even if you are at 100 mph, if you do it once, the car will go into neutral. If you do it twice the car will shut off and you lose everything. I think that is very serious. This happened to me while driving. We hit the start/stop button and the car shut off, throwing us into neutral.”
Coming to a complete stop in a busy intersection, “I became a road hazard.” But, luckily, they didn’t have an accident and nobody was injured.
What to do if your 2022 BMW X7 is a lemon?
Do you think you might have bought a lemon? If your problems recur and affect your use and/or the value of your 2022 BMW X7, you may well have bought a lemon.
Lemberg Law has negotiated many settlements for clients leading to buybacks, trade-ins, or replacement vehicles. Because they are lemon cases, BMW has to pay the legal fees.
If you want us to assess your problems free of charge all you have to do is contact us by calling our Helpline or filling out a contact form.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
