NHTSA vehicle safety data

2003 BMW 745I Recalls & Complaints

The 2003 BMW 745I has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns and 32 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized BMW dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2003 BMW 745I. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

Pre-purchase inspection checklist → Reliability & 5-year cost forecast →

2003 BMW 745I owner complaints

Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 BMW 745I, describing incidents dated August 1, 2003 to June 14, 2023.

Most-cited components

Power Train 9 complaints
Engine 6 complaints
Service Brakes 6 complaints
Air Bags 4 complaints
Electrical System 4 complaints
Seat Belts 3 complaints

Of the 32 complaints on file, 8 report a crash and 1 a fire; across all 32 complaints, owners report 1 injury (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11538446 · Filed August 14, 2023
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…
ODI #11145072 · Filed November 3, 2018
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…
ODI #11119569 · Filed August 13, 2018
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…

Read all 32 complaints

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2003 BMW 745I in 2 investigations. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

Engineering Analysis EA12-002: Vehicle Rollaway
Closed January 24, 2013
- Recall 12V-502
Preliminary Evaluation PE11-025: Vehicle Rollaway
Closed April 23, 2012

Open and recently closed NHTSA defect investigations

BMW/ENGINE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG

NHTSA #03V324000 · Engine and Engine Cooling · NHTSA notice

Reported August 26, 2003 · BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

Potentially affected: 2,400 vehicles

Owners notified September 12, 2003 · Vehicles built May 20, 2003 – July 18, 2003 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

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.

Safety consequence

IF A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL LOSS OCCURS, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY RESULT. DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Notes

CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

BMW/ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT

NHTSA #03V240000 · Engine and Engine Cooling · NHTSA notice

Reported July 1, 2003 · BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

Potentially affected: 5,470 vehicles

Owners notified July 8, 2003 · Vehicles built October 24, 2001 – April 9, 2003 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

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.

Safety consequence

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.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Notes

CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2003 BMW 745I. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

32 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2003 BMW 745I.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

ODI #11538446

Crash

Incident: June 14, 2023 · Filed: August 14, 2023

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 was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V446000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

Seat Belts; Engine

ODI #11145072

Incident: July 2, 2018 · Filed: November 3, 2018

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.

Electrical System; Engine

ODI #11119569

Fire

Incident: August 8, 2018 · Filed: August 13, 2018

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.

Power Train

ODI #10783556

Incident: August 1, 2015 · Filed: October 20, 2015

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.

Electrical System; Air Bags; Seat Belts

ODI #10679219

Incident: January 23, 2015 · Filed: January 27, 2015

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

Air Bags

ODI #10676148

Incident: January 1, 2015 · Filed: January 16, 2015

THERE IS A FAULT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT CODE ALSO THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT WON'T GO OFF. *TR

Power Train; Electrical System; Air Bags

ODI #10667569

Crash

Incident: December 20, 2014 · Filed: December 22, 2014

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

Power Train; Unknown or Other; Engine

ODI #10648260

Incident: October 1, 2007 · Filed: October 16, 2014

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 TRANSMISSION DECEMBER 2007, TECHNICAL SERVICE THIS SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN SUPERSEDES SI B24 17 07 DATED JULY 2007. DESIGNATES CHANGES TO THIS REVISION WARRANTY INFORMATION COVERED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE BMW NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST KSD FOR ALL APPLICABLE LABOR OPERATIONS AND ALLOWANCES. IF THE APPROPRIATE LABOR OPERATION IS NOT CONTAINED IN KSD, THEN A WORK TIME LABOR OPERATION SHOULD BE USED. DEFECT CODE 24 00 39 61 00. *TR

Electrical System

ODI #10615634

Incident: October 11, 2012 · Filed: July 23, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. AFTER THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM, SEAT BELT, AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INDICATORS WERE RESET BY SELECTING THE HARD DRIVE BUTTON LOCATED ON THE GPS PANEL; HOWEVER, THE INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSISTENTLY THEREAFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

Air Bags; Seat Belts

ODI #10608950

Incident: July 9, 2012 · Filed: July 8, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS STUCK IN THE LATCH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY REPAIRED FOR THE SEAT BELT PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,060.

Other BMW 745I model years

Check your 2003 BMW 745I VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your BMW 745I at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a BMW VIN