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BMW 745liYears to avoid, problems & recalls

Based on 144 NHTSA owner complaints across 7 model years, no BMW 745li year stands out as one to avoid, and the strongest years are 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The 745li has 6 safety recalls on record.

BMW 745li
Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years'02 '03 '04 '05Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints144Top: Air bagsSafety recalls62002–2008 model years

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

Best & worst years

BMW 745li 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 745li median. Tap a year for its full report.

'02'03'04'05'06'07'08
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2008Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2007Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2006Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2005Solid49/10025 complaints · 3 recalls2004Solid55/10033 complaints · 0 recalls2003Solid45/10050 complaints · 2 recalls2002Solid51/10036 complaints · 2 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common BMW 745li problems

All model years combined: 144 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags352
Power train323
Electrical system224
Engine and engine cooling143
Engine133
Service brakes, hydraulic130
Seat belts120
Structure91
Vehicle speed control92
16 other systems627
6 recalls

BMW 745li recalls

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

32%Doors: latch17V-328 · 2005–2008 · May 18, 2017 · 45,484 vehicles–Ignition: switch12V-502 · 2005 · Oct 17, 2012 · 45,500 vehicles–Doors: latch12V-504 · 2005 · Oct 17, 2012 · 7,485 vehicles–Engine and engine cooling03V-324 · 2003 · Aug 26, 2003 · 2,400 vehicles–Engine and engine cooling03V-240 · 2002–2003 · Jul 1, 2003 · 5,470 vehicles–Fuel system, gasoline: delivery02V-150 · 2002 · Jun 3, 2002 · 8,412 vehicles
4 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the 745li

  1. Vehicle RollawayEA12002 · 2002–2005 · closed Jan 24, 2013
    Led to recall 12V-502
  2. Vehicle RollawayPE11025 · 2002–2005 · closed Apr 23, 2012
    No recall
  3. BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATIONEA08001 · 2005 · closed Dec 31, 2008
    Led to recall 08V-384
  4. BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATIONPE07045 · 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2008
    No recall