Model year record

2003 BMW 745Li recalls & problems

The 2003 BMW 745Li has 2 safety recalls and 50 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (11 complaints).

Recalls2safety recalls

Complaints50filed by owners

Crashes · fires1 · 0reported 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

745li

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	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Air bagsFrontal	11	1	1	129,500 mi
Power trainAutomatic transmission	8	0	0	103,000 mi
Electrical systemIgnition; 12v/24v/48v battery	7	0	0	75,000 mi
Service brakes	6	0	0	114,875 mi
Vehicle speed control	5	1	1	—
Engine and engine coolingCooling system; Exhaust system	5	0	0	92,000 mi
TiresTread/belt; Pressure monitoring and regulating systems	4	0	0	—
EquipmentRecreational vehicle/trailer	4	0	0	—
Service brakes, hydraulicPower assist › Vacuum	4	0	0	106,500 mi
StructureBody › Tailgate; Body › Hood › Hinge and attachments	3	0	0	—
Seat beltsFront › Buckle assembly	3	0	0	—
Fuel system, gasolineStorage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap	3	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
The contact owns a 2003 BMW 745LI. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the brake fluid warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with rotors, brake wear sensors, and brake failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 174,500.
Jul 1, 2022 · 174,500 miles
Air bags
IT SHOWED UP ON MY DASH BOARD AND NOW ITS NOT GOING AWAY
May 6, 2020 · 115,000 miles
Air bags
THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND WARNING NEVER CLEARS WHEN DRIVING THE PASSGNERS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON , SAYING BRING TO NEAREST BMW DEALER SHIP.
Apr 9, 2012 · 75,000 miles
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. AFTER PLACING THE VEHICLE IN PARK, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTED INDEPENDENTLY INTO NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT CALLED BMW OF STERLING LOCATED IN STERLING, VIRGINIA AND WAS INFORMED THAT HE HAD TO PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG MALFUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 181,000.
Oct 1, 2016 · 181,000 miles
Power train
MY CAR IS HAVING SEVERE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS THAT WERE RECALLED ON OTHER CARS OF THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. ALSO THE PARK LIGHTS WON'T WORK MOST OF THE TIME. THE TRACTION CONTROL AS WELL AS THE ANTILOCK BRAKES GO IN AND OUT. THE STABILITY CONTROL ON THE FEONT PASSENGER SIDE GOES OUT. IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING.
Mar 11, 2014
Service brakes
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES AND ALMOST REAR ENDED A STOPPED VEHICLE. THE BRAKES WHERE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AFTER THAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE I WAS TOLD VACUUM BRAKE PUMP, THE LOCK RING SEAL, AND THE BRAKE BOOSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL BMW DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL WAS CLOSED FOR MY VEHICLE AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE TO REPAIR.THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000. *TR
Dec 13, 2016 · 116,000 miles
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Aug 1, 2016
Air bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. IN ADDITION, THE TENSION SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 202,082.
Apr 14, 2016 · 202,082 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