2003 BMW 745I — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
47
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
0
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2003 BMW 745I
The 2003 BMW 745I has received a total of 47 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 2 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. The most commonly reported problems involve the Power Trainautomatic Transmission (5 complaints), Air Bags (4 complaints), and Engine (4 complaints).
Recalls for the 2003 BMW 745I
NHTSA has recorded 2 recalls for the 2003 BMW 745I, potentially affecting up to 7,870 vehicles.
Recall 03V324000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
| 2,400 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: IF A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL LOSS OCCURS, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY RESULT. DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
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.
View full details →Recall 03V240000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
| 5,470 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
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.
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.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2003 BMW 745I
47 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2003 BMW 745I. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Safety Rating for the 2003 BMW 745I
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2003 BMW 745I in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2003 BMW 745I
No technical service bulletins have been reported for this vehicle.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2003 BMW 745I
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the BMW 745I
- 2001 BMW 745I — 1 complaint
- 2002 BMW 745I — 74 complaints
- 2003 BMW 745I (current)
- 2004 BMW 745I — 41 complaints
- 2005 BMW 745I — 21 complaints
- 2006 BMW 745I — 0 complaints
- 2007 BMW 745I — 3 complaints
- 2008 BMW 745I — 0 complaints