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      08-20-2021, 02:56 PM   #1
steelmn18
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2018 X1 Steering Slack

Hi all, I just purchased a 2018 X1 xDrive with about 24,000 miles on it. So far it has been a great car, however I feel like there is an issue with the steering. It is a bit hard to describe, so here it goes.... When I start off from, say a stop light, under normal acceleration the steering seems to skip when the car shifts from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd gears. It feels like the steering goes completely away for a millisecond and then it catches. It really doesn't do it after about 30 MPH. It feels like the steering is gone but only for a very split second and then the stiffer BMW steering comes right back.

I also noticed it on very long turns at higher speeds. I bought the car from a dealer about 500 miles from house (long story but other bimmer lost an injector on the way back from vacation so I left it for repair and bought this one to get me home) and when driving it home on the highway, it seemed to lose steering for a millisecond on very long turns through the mountains at about 55-75 MPH.

I am trying to figure out if this is just the way that it is and I need to get used to it or if I need to take it to my local dealer to have them look at it. The car is under warranty for another 18 months so I can get them to repair it if there is truly a problem.

Thanks for any input!
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      09-02-2021, 12:29 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steelmn18 View Post
Hi all, I just purchased a 2018 X1 xDrive with about 24,000 miles on it. So far it has been a great car, however I feel like there is an issue with the steering. It is a bit hard to describe, so here it goes.... When I start off from, say a stop light, under normal acceleration the steering seems to skip when the car shifts from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd gears. It feels like the steering goes completely away for a millisecond and then it catches. It really doesn't do it after about 30 MPH. It feels like the steering is gone but only for a very split second and then the stiffer BMW steering comes right back.

I also noticed it on very long turns at higher speeds. I bought the car from a dealer about 500 miles from house (long story but other bimmer lost an injector on the way back from vacation so I left it for repair and bought this one to get me home) and when driving it home on the highway, it seemed to lose steering for a millisecond on very long turns through the mountains at about 55-75 MPH.

I am trying to figure out if this is just the way that it is and I need to get used to it or if I need to take it to my local dealer to have them look at it. The car is under warranty for another 18 months so I can get them to repair it if there is truly a problem.

Thanks for any input!
So you left your car to get repaired and just bought another one

From what I know the steering is electric on this car, not hydraulic like other beemers, and I think the wheel does "stiffen" up a bit when you are accelerating or above a certain speed.

I haven't driven mine in a while because it's in the shop after an accident (only had the car a few months before that) but I don't recall the steering wheel feel becoming loose between gear shifts.

Is there anyway you can test drive a similar car in your area to see?

I would try that and if the other performs about the same then it's probably normal, but maybe someone else can chime in
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      09-02-2021, 06:36 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Makis View Post
From what I know the steering is electric on this car, not hydraulic like other beemers
All BMWs have electric steering (well those made the last 10-15 years at least).

It is definitely not normal to loose steering, even for a split second and it is dangerous. I would have the car checked.
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      09-02-2021, 01:53 PM   #4
steelmn18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Makis View Post
So you left your car to get repaired and just bought another one

From what I know the steering is electric on this car, not hydraulic like other beemers, and I think the wheel does "stiffen" up a bit when you are accelerating or above a certain speed.

I haven't driven mine in a while because it's in the shop after an accident (only had the car a few months before that) but I don't recall the steering wheel feel becoming loose between gear shifts.

Is there anyway you can test drive a similar car in your area to see?

I would try that and if the other performs about the same then it's probably normal, but maybe someone else can chime in

That is what I was thinking of doing as well. I have really gotten used to it over the last month and it doesn't bother me, but it SO different than my 2012 328i.
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      09-03-2021, 11:41 AM   #5
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Hi there,

The steering should stiffen at higher speeds. If you put it on Sport mode, do you feel the same?
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      09-08-2021, 08:42 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by jrveron View Post
Hi there,

The steering should stiffen at higher speeds. If you put it on Sport mode, do you feel the same?
It does stiffen at higher speeds. I have not tried sport mode when driving around the city. I will give that a shot and see what happens.
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      09-20-2021, 10:24 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jorix View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Makis View Post
From what I know the steering is electric on this car, not hydraulic like other beemers
All BMWs have electric steering (well those made the last 10-15 years at least).

It is definitely not normal to loose steering, even for a split second and it is dangerous. I would have the car checked.
My 2013 e82 and plenty of 3 series have hydraulic. I don't have the numbers but I'm sure there are more hydraulic steering bmws than electric.
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      09-21-2021, 07:35 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steelmn18 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrveron View Post
Hi there,

The steering should stiffen at higher speeds. If you put it on Sport mode, do you feel the same?
It does stiffen at higher speeds. I have not tried sport mode when driving around the city. I will give that a shot and see what happens.
I would try the sport mode thing. I have an X1 and a 340 and enjoy both vehicles. They are of course different and handle differently. The X1 steering seems a bit looser to me than the 340 and I wonder if that is what you are noticing. After you pointed that out I sort of can feel that too at lower speeds on turns. To me it is looser steering. It does stiffen up at high speeds and sport mode feels better, at least as far as I can tell. Hope that helps.
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      09-21-2021, 08:03 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunBMW View Post
I would try the sport mode thing. I have an X1 and a 340 and enjoy both vehicles. They are of course different and handle differently. The X1 steering seems a bit looser to me than the 340 and I wonder if that is what you are noticing. After you pointed that out I sort of can feel that too at lower speeds on turns. To me it is looser steering. It does stiffen up at high speeds and sport mode feels better, at least as far as I can tell. Hope that helps.
Funny you should say this, because given all the previous BMW's I have owned, I find the X1 has very precise and light steering. My wife tends to find she is oversteering. It is oversteering instead of understeering.
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      09-21-2021, 03:24 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_R View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunBMW View Post
I would try the sport mode thing. I have an X1 and a 340 and enjoy both vehicles. They are of course different and handle differently. The X1 steering seems a bit looser to me than the 340 and I wonder if that is what you are noticing. After you pointed that out I sort of can feel that too at lower speeds on turns. To me it is looser steering. It does stiffen up at high speeds and sport mode feels better, at least as far as I can tell. Hope that helps.
Funny you should say this, because given all the previous BMW's I have owned, I find the X1 has very precise and light steering. My wife tends to find she is oversteering. It is oversteering instead of understeering.
I really wasn't implying it wasn't precise. Maybe we are using loose and light similarly. I was just noting that my two cars are different. For me, I drive my 340 more than the X1 which my teen has taken for her vehicle. I took the car to work today and was noting it feels looser or maybe lighter than my 340 and could that be the issue that OP noted? If so that could be the answer. If it is a problem with the car then that is a separate issue and one that OP wants to get fixed.
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      10-22-2022, 08:26 PM   #11
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Did you ever find the solution to this issue? I'm having the exact behavior from the steering of my new (to me) 2018 x1 with only 40k km on it.
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      05-24-2023, 07:45 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steelmn18 View Post
Hi all, I just purchased a 2018 X1 xDrive with about 24,000 miles on it. So far it has been a great car, however I feel like there is an issue with the steering. It is a bit hard to describe, so here it goes.... When I start off from, say a stop light, under normal acceleration the steering seems to skip when the car shifts from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd gears. It feels like the steering goes completely away for a millisecond and then it catches. It really doesn't do it after about 30 MPH. It feels like the steering is gone but only for a very split second and then the stiffer BMW steering comes right back.

I also noticed it on very long turns at higher speeds. I bought the car from a dealer about 500 miles from house (long story but other bimmer lost an injector on the way back from vacation so I left it for repair and bought this one to get me home) and when driving it home on the highway, it seemed to lose steering for a millisecond on very long turns through the mountains at about 55-75 MPH.

I am trying to figure out if this is just the way that it is and I need to get used to it or if I need to take it to my local dealer to have them look at it. The car is under warranty for another 18 months so I can get them to repair it if there is truly a problem.

Thanks for any input!
Hi, I just joined the forum and saw your post on the Steering issue. I have been having the very same problem since I bought the vehicle in 2018 and reported it several times. However, the BMW service personnel claim they can't detect it. The vehicle just completed 5 years and they still claim there is no problem! I have written to BMW that I do not agree with the service personnel and maintain there is a problem. Was your problem solved? You have described it way better than me. Do you have any objections if I share your post with the local BMW office to show it is not my imagination and at least one other owner experienced the same problem?
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      05-26-2023, 06:14 AM   #13
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My car (2020 x-drive) exhibits a similar behavior, but mine feels like it engages the rear wheels into the system at a certain speed while accelerating. Feels like a little jerk during acceleration. I can see it being described as a slight "slip".. not sure if this is what you're describing, but I figured it had something to do with the front and rear clutch/coupling engagement.
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      06-15-2023, 06:12 AM   #14
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Steering Slack

Quote:
Originally Posted by Carlman3 View Post
My car (2020 x-drive) exhibits a similar behavior, but mine feels like it engages the rear wheels into the system at a certain speed while accelerating. Feels like a little jerk during acceleration. I can see it being described as a slight "slip".. not sure if this is what you're describing, but I figured it had something to do with the front and rear clutch/coupling engagement.
Mine is a 2018 S Drive which is a 2 wheel drive (front wheels only). So, it's a different problem. I suspect it has to do with some part of the steering linkage or the drive shafts where it couples with the wheels.
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      06-15-2023, 12:05 PM   #15
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Well, I may have the same problem and was guessing incorrectly. But during moderate acceleration at a certain speed or something, it does that little 'slip' and catches very quickly. Just feels like a slight jerk. I've come to anticipate it and be ready... otherwise, it does create a minor oversteer/reaction type of thing if I'm trying to merge/change lanes while entering a highway. That's the only potential danger and the only thing that concerns me/keeps it on my radar.

Looking back, I think all the ones I test drove had this little jerk at the same time. So I think it's the way it is. But one day when I have some time, I'll get it checked out and ask.

Last edited by Carlman3; 06-15-2023 at 12:21 PM..
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      06-15-2023, 01:48 PM   #16
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Are you guys testing with DTC totally off? I think it’s part of the ESP.
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      06-17-2023, 05:16 PM   #17
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Whatever the default settings are... Haven't tried DTC or ESP changes.
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      11-23-2023, 11:55 AM   #18
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I too believe that stability control features "can" have noticeable effects while driving. I've owned two X1's xDrive (2016 and 2017) and there is a sweet spot I find often during a long winding turn that I would describe as oversteer. It's always a bit of a surprise because it happens during ideal conditions and low'ish speeds that seem well within the vehicle's capabilities. Or maybe I'm vastly overestimating my entry level BMW.

I'm not a professional driver or engineer so I may not have the vocabulary to describe this effect. It's a "floating" feeling for just a split second during the turn. I'm not entering at high speed or turning the wheel sharply but suddenly it feels like I'm going too fast! The car might start to spin as it turns inward! It's confusing and doesn't match the rest of the kinetic experience at that moment. Eventually I must take my foot off the gas to correct the situation, to provide relief.

Then I started wondering if the stability assistance features were contributing to this effect. If so, that could explain why it feels so unnatural in the moment and disconnected from the rest of the driver experience. During the summer I began experimenting with turning off DSC completely and driving the same curves. And you know what... it felt better! It would hold my line and I could accelerate through the turn!

Does anyone else have similar experience with oversteer in their xDrive F48 while DSC is on?

Last edited by mighty-x1; 11-23-2023 at 12:01 PM..
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