2003 BMW 745I Problems and Recalls (32 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2003 BMW 745I is Transmission / driveline (25% of 32 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 32 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 2003 BMW 745I?

8 of 32 filings named Transmission / driveline (25% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (6 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 2002 has 54 reports on file; this year has 32. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2003 BMW 745I

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 2 campaigns on file below.
  2. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Transmission / driveline 8 complaints · 25.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 8
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 0
All BMW 745I years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) appears in 8 of 32 owner complaints (25.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 8 complaints, 25.0% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 4 crash reports 8 · 25.0% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 6 complaints, 18.8% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 3 crash reports 6 · 18.8% Engine (ENGINE): 3 complaints, 9.4% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 3 · 9.4% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 2 complaints, 6.3% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 · 6.3% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 6.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 2 · 6.3% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 2 complaints, 6.3% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 · 6.3% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 1 complaints, 3.1% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 · 3.1% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 1 complaints, 3.1% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 crash reports 1 · 3.1% Wheels (WHEELS): 1 complaints, 3.1% of reports Wheels (WHEELS) 1 · 3.1% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 16 complaints, 50.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 5 crash reports 16 · 50.0% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 8 25.0% 4 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 6 18.8% 3 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 3 9.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 6.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 3.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS) 1 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 16 50.0% 5 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 2003. 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2003 Jul 2023 Recall campaign 03V240000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V240000 Recall campaign 03V324000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V324000 Investigation PE11025 ● Investigation PE11025 Investigation EA12002 ● Investigation EA12002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 03V240000
Recall campaign 1 03V324000
Defect investigation 1 PE11025
Defect investigation 1 EA12002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

  1. Recall campaign 03V240000

    Safety recall 03V240000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 03V324000

    Safety recall 03V324000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 8 of 32 complaints · page 1 of 2
2023-08-14Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11538446
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2003 BMW 745i. The contact stated while pulling into the garage and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up loudly. The contact stated that upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, crashed into a refrigerator and pushed the refrigerator into the wall. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred the following day. The contact stated that the ABS warning light and the brake warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V446000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
2018-11-03Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 11145072
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE CAR SMOKES FROM EXHAUST SYSTEM WHEN YOU PULL OFF FROM RED LIGHT, DRIVEWAYS, OR WHENEVER YOU EXCEL IN THE CAR. I WAS TOLD ITS A ENGINE VALVE PROBLEM THAT BMW IS AWARE OF IN THE 7 SERIES. THIS CAR COST TO MUCH FOR ISSUES LIKE YOU ARE A VAPOR FROM BEYOND WHEN DRIVING. ALSO WHY IS IT A PROBLEM WITH SENSOR ON PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. I ONLY CARRY A 10 LB. PURSE THE LIGHT STAYS ON CONSIST.
2018-08-13Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11119569
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE FAN BELT FRACTURED AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, WHICH MEANT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A WEEK LATER, THE HOOD WAS OPENED AND SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE COMPUTER PANEL AS A FIRE STARTED. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH A WATER HOSE AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE STOPPED SMOKING ONCE THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
2015-10-20Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 10783556
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, THE "ENGINE FAIL SAFE TRANSMISSION" MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT SWITCH OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE "FAILED TRANSMISSION DRIVE MODERATE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE SPEED WOULD SUDDENLY REDUCE. THE VEHICLE ALSO JERKED AND ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATE ON OCCASION DURING GEAR CHANGES. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
2015-01-27Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10679219
CrashFireInjuryDeath
FOLLOWING ERROR WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE: "FAULT IN PASS-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. FASTEN AND CONTINUE TO WEAR SEATBELTS. PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST BMW CENTER" IN THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM WHEN STARTING THE CAR. " 2003 BMW 745I. THIS MODEL/YEAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN PRIOR RECALL. *TR
2015-01-16Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10676148
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THERE IS A FAULT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT CODE ALSO THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT WON'T GO OFF. *TR
2014-12-22Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 10667569
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V502000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000. UPDATED 02/09/15*LJ THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 10/7/2015 *JS
2014-10-16Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10648260
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THIS VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, BMW IS AWARE OF THIS BUT IS BANKING ON NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. WHEN THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP IT PUSHES CAR TO FRONT AS IF BEING REAR ENDED, BUT ITS THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION GUIBO JOINT OR AND A SOFTWARE ISSUE THAT BMW HAD INSTALLED IN THOUSANDS OF BMW VEHICLES AT THE TIME. THERE ARE MANY FRUSTRATED OWNERS THAT HAVE PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THIS CAR. IT IS UNSAFE CAUSE IT PUSHES CAR TO FRONT CAUSING A POSSIBLE HIT TO FRONT CAR IN A TRAFFIC SITUATION. HERE IS MORE ABOUT THIS SERVICE BULLETIN, I FEEL BMW SHOULD FIX THIS AT NO CHARGE SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. READ A/T - HARSH 3-2/2-1 DOWNSHIFTS/CLUNK NOISE , SI B 24 17 07 ,AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DECEMBER 2007, TECHNICAL SERVICE THIS SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN SUPERSEDES SI B24 17 07 DATED JULY 2007. DESIGNATES CHANGES TO THIS REVISION WARRANTY INFORMATION COVERED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE BMW NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST KSD FOR ALL APPLICABLE LABOR OPERATIONS AND ALLOWANCES. IF THE APPROPRIATE LABOR OPERATION IS NOT CONTAINED IN KSD, THEN A WORK TIME LABOR OPERATION SHOULD BE USED. DEFECT CODE 24 00 39 61 00. *TR

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2003 BMW 745I?

Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 8 of 32 reports (25%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2003 BMW 745I?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2003 BMW 745I?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources