BMW bulletin B360121
What it saysAt low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 1, 2024, received May 24, 2021, about the steering — 3 documents under this number. It names 116 model years (2016–2024). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationAt low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned. This can be felt (jerking)/ heard via an acoustic acknowledgement (clunk) as seen at the 11 second mark of the video. See attached video V36 01 21.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B360121 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2024 | 11000563 | PDF, 133 KB |
| B360121 | Service bulletin | Jan 8, 2024 | 10249018 | PDF, 121 KB |
| B360121 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2021 | 10194298 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
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Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themand 57 more on this site: 2019 BMW 8 Series, 2024 BMW M, 2023 BMW M, 2022 BMW M, 2021 BMW M, 2020 BMW M, 2019 BMW M, 2018 BMW M, 2017 BMW M, 2016 BMW M, 2022 BMW X3, 2021 BMW X3, 2020 BMW X3, 2019 BMW X3, 2018 BMW X3, 2017 BMW X3, 2024 BMW X4, 2023 BMW X4, 2022 BMW X4, 2021 BMW X4, 2020 BMW X4, 2019 BMW X4, 2018 BMW X4, 2024 BMW X5, 2021 BMW X5, 2020 BMW X5, 2019 BMW X5, 2018 BMW X5, 2017 BMW X5, 2016 BMW X5, 2024 BMW X6, 2023 BMW X6, 2022 BMW X6, 2021 BMW X6, 2020 BMW X6, 2019 BMW X6, 2018 BMW X6, 2017 BMW X6, 2016 BMW X6, 2024 BMW X7, 2023 BMW X7, 2022 BMW X7, 2021 BMW X7, 2020 BMW X7, 2019 BMW X7, 2024 BMW XM, 2023 BMW XM, 2023 BMW Z4, 2022 BMW Z4, 2021 BMW Z4, 2020 BMW Z4, 2019 BMW Z4, 2020 BMW i8, 2019 BMW i8, 2018 BMW i8, 2017 BMW i8, 2016 BMW i8.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2020 BMW 330E; 2019 BMW 540D; 2020 BMW 540D; 2022 BMW 540D; 2023 BMW 540D; 2020 BMW 550E; 2021 BMW 550E; 2019 BMW 750GS; 2019 BMW 850GS; 2018 BMW B7 Alpina; 2019 BMW B7 Alpina; 2020 BMW B7 Alpina; 2021 BMW B7 Alpina; 2018 BMW C 400 X; 2021 BMW F 850 GS Adventure; 2017 BMW F800 R; 2023 BMW M4 GT4; 2019 BMW M850XI; 2017 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 97 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,700 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 336 of them name Service Brakes, Steering — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2019 BMW X5, the 15 owners who gave an odometer reading for Steering reported it at a median of 1,200 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
2022 Bmw X4. Consumer writes in regards to defective brakes. The consumer stated the vehicle lunges, rocks, and jerks when the brakes were applied. The vehicle was road tested the lunges were aknowledged, but the dealer stated the vehicle was operating as designed. The manufacturer was notified and stated the vehicle operated as designed
2022 BMW X4 · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Mar 4, 2022 · ODI 11455176
On July 27, 2024, the parking brake on this car would not disengage, thus, I was unable to drive my car. We had to turn off the car for 15 minutes and then step on the gas and brake at the same time at which point the park brake "disengaged." I believe this is a safety/manufacturer issue that needs to be addressed and should be under a…
2020 BMW X6 · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Aug 2, 2024 · ODI 11606171
The vehicle will not drive straight when the steering wheel is at center. The vehicle will drift either to the left or to the right, but it will not go straight without constant corrections. In short, the steering system does not have a center. The authorized dealer's certified technician test drove the vehicle and confirmed the issue.
2017 BMW X3 · Steering · filed with NHTSA Jul 11, 2017 · ODI 11004269
In depth: 2024 BMW X5 brake problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the steering
Source: same model, same component group24 other manufacturer communications filed against these BMW models under the same component group (steering), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the BMW list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0032860300 | Service campaign | Sep 17, 2026 | Check Control message and a minimally changed steering feel. |
| 0032770300 | Service campaign | Sep 2, 2026 | Check Control message and a significant change in steering feel . |
| B320526 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | “Cracking” noise might be heard when turning the steering wheel from lock to lock. See attached video V3202 26 EPS noise. |
| B320326 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2026 | “Groaning” noise from the EPS when the steering wheel is at the end stops. |
| B310426 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2026 | SITUATION When turning the steering wheel fully to the steering end stops, a ”groaning” noise can be perceived at the respective steering st… |
| B320123 | Service bulletin | Apr 6, 2026 | When turning the steering wheel while stationary or when driving on uneven roads; cracking, creaking, or knocking noises may be heard. |
| B320126 | Service bulletin | Jan 22, 2026 | When turning left, a “creaking” noise may be heard from the EPS when near the steering wheel end stop. The noise occurs at speeds less than… |
| B320925 | Service campaign | Sep 18, 2025 | Delivery Stop - Steering Gear |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for BMW, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is BMW B360121 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the B360121 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every BMW warranty extension on file lists the ones BMW has filed.
Which vehicles does B360121 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 116 model years: 2024 BMW 2 Series, 2023 BMW 2 Series, 2021 BMW 2 Series, 2020 BMW 2 Series, 2019 BMW 2 Series, 2018 BMW 2 Series and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.