RecallRepo

2003 BMW 745li Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2003 BMW 745li has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 7,870 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 03V324000 2003-08-26 2,400 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.

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.

Complaints by component

AIR BAGS
10
1crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN
6
SERVICE BRAKES
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
5
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE
3
EQUIPMENT
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
Total complaints77

What owners report

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

“The contact owns a 2003 bmw 745li. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the brake fluid warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with rotors, brake wear sensors, and brake failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2022-07-01

“It showed up on my dash board and now its not going away”

AIR BAGS · reported 2020-05-06

“While driving approximately 25 mph and applying pressure to the brake pedal it became difficult to engage the brakes and almost rear ended a stopped vehicle. The brakes where no longer functioning properly after that. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where I was told vacuum brake…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2016-12-13

“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 745li. After placing the vehicle in park, the contact noticed that the gear shifted independently into neutral. The contact called bmw of sterling located in sterling, virginia and was informed that he had to pay for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired.…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2016-10-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 745li. After placing the vehicle in park, the contact noticed that the gear shifted independently into neutral. The contact called bmw of sterling located in sterling, virginia and was informed that he had to pay for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired.…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2016-10-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 745li. The contact stated that the air bag indicator remained illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was not available.”

AIR BAGS · reported 2016-08-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 745li. After the vehicle was serviced, the air bag warning light illuminated continuously. In addition, the tension seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2016-04-14

“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 745li. While attempting to stop the vehicle with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated. As a result, the contact crashed into the driver side of another vehicle and then into a building. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2016-01-19

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 2003 BMW 745li as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.