Model year record

2003 BMW 745i recalls & problems

The 2003 BMW 745i has 2 safety recalls and 32 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is power train (9 complaints).

Recalls2safety recalls

Complaints32filed by owners

Crashes · fires8 · 1reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths1 · 0reported in complaints

Safety recalls

Engine and engine coolingAug 26, 2003

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 03V3240002,400 vehicles

Problem: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ENGINE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG MAY BE INSUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED. THIS COULD LEAD TO LOOSENING OF THE PLUG CAUSING AN INITIAL OIL SPRAY AND A SUBSEQUENT OIL LEAK.
Risk: IF A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL LOSS OCCURS, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY RESULT. DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE OF THE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG AND, IF NECESSARY, RETIGHTEN THE DRAIN PLUG WITH THE CORRECTLY SPECIFIED TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Engine and engine coolingJul 1, 2003

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 03V2400005,470 vehicles

Problem: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.
Risk: IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF ENGINE ROUGHNESS, OR STALLING, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THE DRIVER'S REACTIONS, THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

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.

Fuel economy

745i

19mpg combined

City / highway	16 / 24 mpg
Fuel	Premium Gasoline

4.4 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 6-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $4,350/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Typical mileage*
Power trainAutomatic transmission	9	4	0	40,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulicFoundation components › Disc › Caliper; Foundation components	4	4	0	—
Engine	4	0	1	91,000 mi
Air bags	4	1	0	124,000 mi
Electrical systemSoftware; 12v/24v/48v battery	4	1	1	112,500 mi
EquipmentElectrical › Navigational system(global positioning system); Electrical › Radio/tape deck/cd etc.	3	0	0	—
Service brakes	3	0	0	98,000 mi
Seat belts	3	0	0	95,000 mi
Engine and engine coolingExhaust system	2	0	0	—
Unknown or other	2	0	0	—
Interior lighting	1	0	0	—
SteeringColumn	1	0	0	—

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

Recent owner complaints

Service brakes, hydraulicCrash
The contact owns a 2003 BMW 745i. The contact stated while pulling into the garage and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up loudly. The contact stated that upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, crashed into a refrigerator and pushed the refrigerator into the wall. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred the following day. The contact stated that the ABS warning light and the brake warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure…
Jun 14, 2023 · 47,000 miles
Engine
THE CAR SMOKES FROM EXHAUST SYSTEM WHEN YOU PULL OFF FROM RED LIGHT, DRIVEWAYS, OR WHENEVER YOU EXCEL IN THE CAR. I WAS TOLD ITS A ENGINE VALVE PROBLEM THAT BMW IS AWARE OF IN THE 7 SERIES. THIS CAR COST TO MUCH FOR ISSUES LIKE YOU ARE A VAPOR FROM BEYOND WHEN DRIVING. ALSO WHY IS IT A PROBLEM WITH SENSOR ON PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. I ONLY CARRY A 10 LB. PURSE THE LIGHT STAYS ON CONSIST.
Jul 2, 2018 · 106,000 miles
EngineFire
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE FAN BELT FRACTURED AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, WHICH MEANT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A WEEK LATER, THE HOOD WAS OPENED AND SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE COMPUTER PANEL AS A FIRE STARTED. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH A WATER HOSE AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE STOPPED SMOKING ONCE THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Aug 8, 2018 · 130,000 miles
Power train
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, THE "ENGINE FAIL SAFE TRANSMISSION" MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT SWITCH OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE "FAILED TRANSMISSION DRIVE MODERATE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE SPEED WOULD SUDDENLY REDUCE. THE VEHICLE ALSO JERKED AND ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATE ON OCCASION DURING GEAR CHANGES. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
Aug 1, 2015 · 100,000 miles
Air bags
FOLLOWING ERROR WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE: "FAULT IN PASS-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. FASTEN AND CONTINUE TO WEAR SEATBELTS. PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST BMW CENTER" IN THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM WHEN STARTING THE CAR. " 2003 BMW 745I. THIS MODEL/YEAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN PRIOR RECALL. *TR
Jan 23, 2015 · 95,000 miles
Air bags
THERE IS A FAULT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT CODE ALSO THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT WON'T GO OFF. *TR
Jan 1, 2015 · 155,000 miles
Air bagsCrash
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V502000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000. UPDATED 02/09/15*LJ THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 10/7/2015 *JS
Dec 20, 2014 · 153,000 miles
Power train
THIS VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, BMW IS AWARE OF THIS BUT IS BANKING ON NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. WHEN THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP IT PUSHES CAR TO FRONT AS IF BEING REAR ENDED, BUT ITS THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION GUIBO JOINT OR AND A SOFTWARE ISSUE THAT BMW HAD INSTALLED IN THOUSANDS OF BMW VEHICLES AT THE TIME. THERE ARE MANY FRUSTRATED OWNERS THAT HAVE PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THIS CAR. IT IS UNSAFE CAUSE IT PUSHES CAR TO FRONT CAUSING A POSSIBLE HIT TO FRONT CAR IN A TRAFFIC SITUATION. HERE IS MORE ABOUT THIS SERVICE BULLETIN, I FEEL BMW SHOULD FIX THIS AT NO CHARGE SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. READ A/T - HARSH 3-2/2-1 DOWNSHIFTS/CLUNK NOISE , SI B 24 17 07 ,AUTOMATIC…
Oct 1, 2007 · 40,000 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