BMW X1 Power Seat System: Total Failure & Troubleshooting

As someone with some experience working on cars, I had a similar issue with my 2013 BMW X3 last year. My power seats completely stopped working, both adjustment and memory settings were dead. Took it to my trusted workshop, and they found it was just a loose connection in the wiring harness under the seat. The connector had worked itself loose over time, probably from all the seat movements. The fix was pretty straightforward, they cleaned the connector pins and properly secured the plug connection. Including diagnostic time, the whole thing cost me about 95 Euro. Much better than having to replace the entire seat motor, which I initially feared! What's the mileage on your X1? Also, do you hear any clicking sounds when trying to adjust the seat? This could help pinpoint if you're dealing with the same issue I had. By the way, the X1 and X3 share quite a few electrical components, so these problems tend to be similar across models.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My X1 is at 31681 KM and I just had it serviced. When I try adjusting the seats, there's no clicking sound at all, just complete silence. That's interesting about the loose connection you mentioned. I was worried it might be something more serious like a complete motor failure. I'll definitely mention this to my mechanic when I take it in. Did you notice any warning signs before your seats completely stopped working?

Yeah, I should mention about my experience before the complete failure happened. Looking back, there were definitely some warning signs with my X3 that I initially ignored. About a month before the seats completely stopped working, they would occasionally be sluggish to respond, especially in cold weather. Sometimes, the memory function would work on the first try, and other times it would need multiple button presses. The lack of clicking sound in your case is actually different from what I experienced. In my situation, there was at least a faint clicking noise when pressing the controls, even though the seat wouldn't move. The complete silence in your case might point to a different electrical issue, possibly with the control module or a blown fuse. Just a heads up, in my case, the loose connection was fairly easy to fix, but if you're dealing with a different electrical problem, it might take a bit more diagnostic time. My mechanic mentioned that these seats have quite a complex electrical system. Would definitely recommend getting it checked soon before it potentially gets worse. Also, might be worth checking if it's still under warranty since you've got relatively low mileage.

Thanks for that detailed explanation, especially about the warning signs you experienced. It's definitely concerning that my situation seems different with the complete silence, no clicking at all. You make a good point about the warranty; I just checked and I actually might still be covered since I'm under the mileage limit. I'll first try checking the fuses myself tonight, as that seems like an easy first step. I did notice now that I think about it, the seat adjustment was getting a bit finicky about two weeks ago, similar to what you mentioned about needing multiple button presses. I probably should have paid more attention to that. Guess these things don't usually fail without some warning signs! I've already scheduled an appointment with my mechanic for next week, so I'll definitely bring up both the fuse possibility and the control module you mentioned. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. It's helped me feel a bit more prepared for my mechanic visit, and at least I know it might not be as expensive as I initially feared!