The 2001 BMW 740il has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 3,167 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
TIRES01V0010002001-01-043,167 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 18-INCH TIRES. (18-INCH TIRES ARE STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON THE M5 AND OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT ON THE 7-SERIES MODELS). THE MACHINE USED TO MOUNT AND INFLATE THE TIRES ON THE WHEELS AT THE ASSEMBLY PLANT MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE SIDEWALL OF ONE OR MORE TIRES. THE DAMAGED…
Consequence
HANDLING AND CONTROL WOULD BE DRASTICALLY AFFECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TIRES AND IF DAMAGE FROM THE MOUNTING MACHINE IS FOUND, THE TIRE WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 10, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
3
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
2
1crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN
2
STEERING
2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
1
Total complaints33
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“"takata recall" my car brake lights just started to stay eliminated when I am driving. The steering wheel also adjusts on its on up and down while driving. The is when the vechile is in motion on any highway”
“I would like to report that the airbag control modules in the bmw 7 series from model year 1995 to 2001 have airbag control modules that are failing at a very high rate, leaving owners without airbags and the airbag warning light on. The new module from bmw is $1400. This is happening more…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 bmw 740il. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000. .. Updated 12/2216 *bf *tr”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 bmw 740il. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000. .. Updated 12/2216 *bf *tr”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 bmw 740il. The contact stated that a strong fuel odor entered the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.”
“Navigation system fails (computer), I checked online seem a lot car owners have a similar problems which not effecting navigation only also effect the audio system and drain the battery. Mechanic advice me to replace the battery and I did, problem still the same. For a high end car with low miles…”
“Start the car power steering froze, I have shut off the car and restart it fix the problem or I have to repeat. Sometime while driving steering freeze. I had hoses leak, replaced hoses still have more leaks. While driving car unstable, I changed tires problem remain the same. I checked all…”
“Start the car power steering froze, I have shut off the car and restart it fix the problem or I have to repeat. Sometime while driving steering freeze. I had hoses leak, replaced hoses still have more leaks. While driving car unstable, I changed tires problem remain the same. I checked all…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 BMW 740il as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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