The 1991 BMW 735il has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 255,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH CAN FAIL ALLOWING THE SWITCH TO REMAIN IN THE "BRAKE LIGHTS OFF" POSITION OR IN THE "BRAKE LIGHTS ON" POSITION.
Consequence
IF THIS HAPPENS, THE BRAKE LIGHTS EITHER WILL NOT OPERATE OR WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY ON, REGARDLESS OF BRAKE PEDAL POSITION. FOLLOWING DRIVERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS STOPPING, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SWITCH.
AIR BAGS96V1100001996-07-0175,000 affected
Defect
THE AIR BAG CONTACT RING LOCKING TAB LOCATED IN THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY CAN BREAK WITHOUT WARNING.
Consequence
IF THIS HAPPENS, THE CONTACT RING WIRING COULD EVENTUALLY BREAK. THE AIR BAG READINESS INDICATOR LAMP (SRS OR AIRBAG) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WILL ILLUMINATE, AND THE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A FRONTAL IMPACT VEHICLE COLLISION.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOCKING TAB WITH ONE OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN.
Complaints by component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
1
Total complaints1
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While driving in the neighborhood headlights come on and off intermittently. When switched to high beams, if the headlights are off, then they won't come on. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1991 BMW 735il as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.