2005 BMW 7 Series recalls & problems

Safety recalls

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

What owners report

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

• Air bags

  TOOK THE BMW 745LI IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SLOW TO START CRANKING AND SECOND OPINION. ALSO WANTED THE DEALERSHIP TO REVIEW AIRBAG LIGHT AND DSC. UPON REVIEW BY THE DEALERSHIP, ALL FOUR DOOR TAGS AND SZL (COMFORT ACCESS) IS CAUSING BATTERY DRAIN AND MUST BE REPLACED. ALSO WAS QUOTED THAT THE CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND A FUEL LINE LEAK IS PRESENT. AFTER SPEAKING WITH A MANAGER, IT WAS DECIDED THAT THEY WERE NOT SURE IF THE DOOR TAGS AND SZL WOULD ASSIST WITH CLEARING THE SLOW CRANK. I OPTED THE SERVICE FROM THAT DEALER AND DECIDED TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 5 MILES, I REALIZED THAT THE CAR REEKED OF GAS. THIS WAS NOT AN APPARENT ISSUE WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN TO…

  Oct 27, 2014 · 172,169 miles
• Fuel/propulsion system

  I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SLOW TO CRANK. I HAD THE BATTERY TESTED AND IT WAS FINE. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED I NEEDED A FUEL PUMP. IT WAS REPAIRED. TWO DAYS LATER, I AM DRIVING THE 745LI BMW UP AN INCLINED HIGHWAY MERGING ONTO A BRIDGE WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED JERKING, LOOSING POWER, CUTTING BACK AND DECELERATING UNTIL IT SHUT COMPLETELY OFF. I WAS UNABLE TO CRANK IT OR EVEN MOVE OFF THE HIGHWAY TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE CAR TOTALLY STALLED ON THE BRIDGE. WHEN THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY CLAIMED THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. HOWEVER A FEW DAYS LATER THE CAR STALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AGAIN. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO CLAIMS IT WAS OUT…

  Aug 6, 2014 · 169,472 miles
• Engine

  TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 7 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO PASS EMISSIONS BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE INTAKE VALVES ON THE AUXILIARY PUMP LEAKED OIL INTO THE MANIFOLD AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RELEASE SMOKE AND EMISSIONS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,100.

  Oct 8, 2012 · 99,500 miles
• Service brakes, hydraulicCrash

  BMW NA SUBMITTED TO NHTSA A NOTICE THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THERE MAY BE A POWER BRAKING LOSS DUE TO A LEAKING VACUUM PUMP. BMW NA HAS NOT INSTITUTED A CONSISTENT RECALL POLICY ACROSS ITS DEALERSHIPS RELATED TO THIS RECALL. DEALERSHIPS ARE LEFT TO THEIR DEVICES IN COVERING THE RECALL WORK WITH SOME DEALERSHIPS REPLACING VACUUM PUMPS, AND OTHERS CHARGING OWNERS FOR THE REPLACEMENT. OUR 745 EXPERIENCED THE BARE MINIMUM OF RECALL WORK IN DECEMBER 2010, BUT THE LEAKING VACUUM PUMP WAS NOT REPLACED, NOR WERE WE NOTIFIED THAT IT WAS LEAKING BY THE DEALERSHIP. 5 MONTHS LATER VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN INTO A COMMERCIAL STRIP MALL AND AS THE VEHICLE WAS BEING PARKED, IT DID NOT STOP. VEHICLE…

  Apr 5, 2011 · 107,800 miles

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

• Vehicle RollawayClosedLed to recall 12V502000

  In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the Comfort Access Option.The Comfort Access option allows the driver to start and stop the engine (by pressing the engine start / stop button) without inserting the key fob into the vehicles key slot in the instrument panel.Subject vehicles not equipped with the Comfort Access option require the key fob be inserted the key slot to start the engine.Upon removal of the key from the key slot the vehicle will automatically shift to Park if the driver has not done so using the gearshift lever.Sunject vehicles equipped with the Comfort Access option are designed such that when the…

  EA12002 · opened Apr 10, 2012 · closed Jan 24, 2013
• Vehicle RollawayClosed

  In response to the Office of Defects Investigation's (ODI) Information Request (IR) for PE11-025, BMW provided ODI with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. ODI's analysis of the data provided by BMW identified 14 crashes and 5 alleged injuries. ODI has also identified 3 additional reports in its database alleging vehicle rollaway incidents of which 2 resulted in crashes.The subject vehicles are all equipped with push-buttons (Start/Stop button) to control starting/stopping the engine and Shift-by-Wire gearshift systems controlled by a column mounted selector lever behind the steering wheel. The Start/Stop button also controls switching the ignition and the radio ready state On and Off. Shift-by-wire systems replace the traditional…

  PE11025 · opened Aug 5, 2011 · closed Apr 23, 2012