BMW 740iYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 131 owner complaints and 23 safety recalls on record for the BMW 740i.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaints Best years—Fewest complaints for their age Owner complaints131Top: Electrical system Safety recalls231993–2026 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

BMW 740i years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the 740i median. Tap a year for its full report.

15 7 9 1 3 8 8 12 15 4 1 1 1 12 7 5 4 1 1 12 3 0 1

'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'23'24'25'26

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

2026Too new–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls 2025Too new–/1000 complaints · 3 recalls 2024Not rated–/1003 complaints · 5 recalls 2023Not rated–/10012 complaints · 9 recalls 2021Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls 2020Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls 2019Not rated–/1004 complaints · 1 recall 2018Not rated–/1005 complaints · 0 recalls 2017Not rated–/1007 complaints · 0 recalls 2016Not rated–/10012 complaints · 0 recalls 2015Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 2014Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 2013Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall 2012Not rated–/1004 complaints · 1 recall 2001Not rated–/10015 complaints · 3 recalls 2000Not rated–/10012 complaints · 1 recall 1999Not rated–/1008 complaints · 0 recalls 1998Not rated–/1008 complaints · 0 recalls 1997Not rated–/1003 complaints · 2 recalls 1996Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls 1995Not rated–/1009 complaints · 4 recalls 1994Not rated–/1007 complaints · 2 recalls 1993Not rated–/10015 complaints · 2 recalls

Complaints by system

Most common BMW 740i problems

All model years combined: 131 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

24Electrical system4 crash/fire/injury

21Engine and engine cooling3 crash/fire/injury

14Engine1 crash/fire/injury

11Air bags6 crash/fire/injury

11Power train1 crash/fire/injury

10Suspension1 crash/fire/injury

9Fuel system, gasoline

8Service brakes

6Seat belts

5214 other systems4 crash/fire/injury

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Electrical system	24	4
Engine and engine cooling	21	3
Engine	14	1
Air bags	11	6
Power train	11	1
Suspension	10	1
Fuel system, gasoline	9	1
Service brakes	8	1
Seat belts	6	0
14 other systems	52	4

23 recalls

BMW 740i recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

Electronic stability control (ESC)26V-422 · 2023–2025 · Jul 1, 2026 · 428 vehicles Electronic stability control (ESC)24V-739 · 2023–2024 · Oct 2, 2024 · 11,579 vehicles Electronic stability control (ESC): control module24V-697 · 2023–2025 · Sep 18, 2024 · 309 vehicles Electrical system: starter assembly24V-576 · 2020–2021 · Aug 1, 2024 · 105,588 vehicles Electronic stability control (ESC)24V-104 · 2023–2025 · Feb 12, 2024 · 266,716 vehicles Driver monitoring: camera/sensor23V-700 · 2023–2024 · Oct 18, 2023 · 12,296 vehicles Visibility/wiper23V-644 · 2023 · Sep 20, 2023 · 3,820 vehicles Electrical system23V-479 · 2023 · Jul 12, 2023 · 384 vehicles Seats23V-414 · 2023 · Jun 8, 2023 · 318 vehicles Electrical system22V-860 · 2023 · Nov 21, 2022 · 169 vehicles Sensing system: camera21V-096 · 2020–2021 · Feb 19, 2021 · 13,858 vehicles Engine and engine cooling: engine18V-465 · 2019 · Jul 11, 2018 · 5,309 vehicles

Showing the 12 newest of 23 recalls. Each model-year page lists all recalls for that year.