The 1993 BMW 740i has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 590,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO THE SAME THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATING LEVER AT THE THROTTLE HOUSING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLASTIC BUSHING ON EITHER CABLE COULD BREAK DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES COUPLED WITH VIBRATION. IF THE BUSHING BREAKS, THE OUTER CABLE HOUSING CAN SEPARATE FROM THE…
Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN. IT HIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE CAR MIGHT NOT DECELERATE AS EXPECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.
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.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:HOSES/LINES/PIPING/FITTINGS
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
1crashes1injuries
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
3
1crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
2
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
1fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
1
1fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
Total complaints24
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1993 bmw 740i. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed gas leaking out of the gas tank on the garage floor. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and the fuel tank was replaced. A day later, the failure happened again and the fire department was called and they…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1993 bmw 740i. While driving 73 mph, the contact attempted to decelerate, but was unsuccessful. He had to slam on the brake pedal to prevent a crash from occurring. The vin was unknown. The failure and current milages were 120,000.”
“The engine completely failed on my 1994 bmw 740i. I understand that this model year has a known problem related to the sulphur content in america gasoline. Please inform me or any recall or recourse I may be able to take regarding this matter. Demetrius brandon [REDACTED]”
“While driving vehicle stalled. Consumer tried to restart vehicle, but was unable to do so. The temperature light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic informed the consumer that the problem could not duplicated.…”
“Driver's seat on my 1993 bmw 740i reclined while car was in motion. Seat back went all the way down and will not move. This made me lose partial control of car, lucky I was able to pull over with out causing a serious accident. *jb”
“The air bag light illuminated due to faulty module.*jb”
“The srs light came on in my vehicle and I took the vehicle into the dealer to have it inspected. They told me that the airbag module was defective and was in need of replacement at a significant cost. I asked them if the manufacturer covered this since an airbag module was not something that had…”
“While driving power seat on the driver's side kept moving forward, pinning the driver against the steering wheel. Vehicle was taken to the dealership. Dealer removed the control unit because of the high cost of replacement, now seat cannot be moved manually or automatically. *ak *ml”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1993 BMW 740i as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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