RecallRepo

2002 BMW 745i Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2002 BMW 745i has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 13,882 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 74 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 6, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 03V240000 2003-07-01 5,470 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.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 02V150000 2002-06-03 8,412 affected
Defect

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP RUNS AT A ROTATIONAL SPEED THAT COULD RESULT IN REDUCED LUBRICATION OF ITS INTERNAL COMPONENTS. OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, WEAR-INDUCED INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE FUEL PUMP COULD RESULT IN INSUFFICIENT FUEL SUPPLY TO THE ENGINE WHEN THE FUEL TANK CONTAINS…

Consequence

IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE ENGINE COULD STALL AND NOT BE RESTARTED UNTIL MORE FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE FUEL TANK. THIS COULD OCCUR EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT FUEL STILL REMAINED IN THE TANK.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL SYSTEM. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 28, 2002. 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 AT 1-800-332-4269.

Complaints by component

AIR BAGS
9
POWER TRAIN
8
1crashes
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
8
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
8
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
6
ENGINE
3
PARKING BRAKE
3
1crashes
SEAT BELTS
3
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
2
Total complaints74

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“I bought the car from someone in cash. It has smoke coming out of the tail pipes. When its sitting and idling for a while it smokes terribly.”

ENGINE · reported 2018-11-16

“Vehicle has a recall for brake vacuum pump 10v-446. Vehicle was brought into a local mechanic and he said the brake master cylinder was not working properly. He did research and said that it was a bmw recall. Finally took vehicle into bmw (tucson) and the said they saw no oil leak, therefore…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2016-01-26

“All of a sudden, I got into my 745i 2002,"fault in passenger restraint system affecting airbag belt tensioner or belt force limiter. Continue to wear safety belt despite fault." this is an obvious defective materials from bmw manufacturing plant.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2015-06-30

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the brake pedal had to be depressed with extreme force in order for the vehicle to stop without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2015-03-02

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into drive intermittently and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2014-10-13

“Started my 745i up for a quick trip to the store and received a restraint system failure light. After some research it seems that this has been a problem with the 7 series for some time and bmw has even issued a recall with a 10 year restriction. I cannot understand why my 2002 is not covered…”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2014-05-26

“Started my 745i up for a quick trip to the store and received a restraint system failure light. After some research it seems that this has been a problem with the 7 series for some time and bmw has even issued a recall with a 10 year restriction. I cannot understand why my 2002 is not covered…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2014-05-26

“Air bag light on seat driver want adjust proper”

AIR BAGS · reported 2014-01-07

Defect investigations

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation PE11025 Opened 2011-08-05 · closed 2012-04-23

Vehicle Rollaway

In response to the Office of Defects Investigation's (ODI) Information Request (IR) for PE11-025, BMW provided ODI with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. ODI's…

Investigation PE11025 Opened 2011-08-05 · closed 2012-04-23

Vehicle Rollaway

In response to the Office of Defects Investigation's (ODI) Information Request (IR) for PE11-025, BMW provided ODI with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. ODI's…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 BMW 745i as of July 6, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.