There are 10 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2003 BMW 7 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE CHIME SOUNDED THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT. AFTER RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED AND STALLED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.
THERE IS A TUBE IN ENGINE THAT IS SECURED WITH TWO O RINGS. THE TUBE HOLDS COOLANT. IF THE O RINGS FAIL, THEN THE COOLANT LEAKS AND THE ENGINE WILL OVERHEAT. THERE ARE MULTIPLE CASES OF THIS DOCUMENTED ON THE INTERNET AND IT HAS OCCURRED IN MY VEHICLE. SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THEY SEE ON 745'S ENGINES MADE BEFORE 2006. *TR
MY BMW 745I 2003 HAS EXPERIENCE SEVERAL AREA OF OIL LEAKAGE. WHEN BROUGHT IN TO THE DEALER, I'M TOLD THAT IT'S DUE TO THE ENGINE COOLING ERROR. I FOUND THIS WEBSITE WITH THE RECALL OF THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR BMW FOR THIS VERY REASON BUT I AM TOLD BY MY DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURING COMPANY THAT MY VIN # IS NOT ON THE LIST OF RECALLS. HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE WHEN THE RECALL IS FOR THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL. *LN
COOLANT LEAKS AFTER 92K MILES. LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON BMW 745LI. *TR
11/09 DRIVERSIDE WINDOW REGULATOR REPLACED;CONSTANTLY REPLACING DRIVER SIDE TURN SIGNAL BULB; IN APPROX. MARCH 2010 CAR WOULD RANDOMLY NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GET IT INTO DRIVE CAR WOULD FEEL SLUGGISH OR WHEN COMING TO A STOP FELT AS IF I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND OR CAR WOULD GO INTO FAILSAFE MODE AND I WOULD BE UNABLE TO ACCELERATE, HAD DIAGNOSED BY BMW WAS TOLD 10K+ TO HAVE TRANNY REPLACED ; FOUND A REBUILT TRANNY AND REPLACED IN APPROX. MAY 2010; HERE WE ARE IN AUGUST 2011 AND CAR AGAIN BEGAN TO NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND GIVE A FAILSAFE NOTIFICATION; ATTEMPTED TO START CAR TODAY 8/8 TO TAKE TO SHOP; HOWEVER CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND WHEN IT FINALLY INDICATED IT WAS IN REVERSE; ACTUALLY WENT FORWARD BEGAN TO MAKE A WEIRD GRINDING NOISE SO I TURNED IT OFF AND THERE IT SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY LEAKING WHAT I PRESUME TO BE TRANSMISSION FLUID UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. CURRENT MILEAGE 133K
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING RECURRING FAILURES IN WHICH THE DASHBOARD WOULD DISPLAY AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE BEFORE STALLING. THE FAILURES OCCURRED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. AFTER THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WOULD BE PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED. AFTER SOME OF THE FAILURES THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V240000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,580.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 760LI. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLANT SERVICE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR UNKNOWN REPAIRS BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER YET THE CHECK ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLANT SERVICE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,170 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT DISPENSED COOLANT INTO THE RESERVOIR AND THEN AFTER DRIVING 50 MILES THE MALFUNCTION RECURRED. IN 2012, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE AN ENGINE OVERHAUL WAS PERFORMED. THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 300 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THERE WAS RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V324000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER THE VIN WAS INELIGIBLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.
I OWN A 2003 745LI, BOUGHT IT CERTIFIED USED IN 2006. I HAVE SO FAR HAD AIR CONDITIONING PROBLEMS, OIL LEAKS, TRANSMISSION FAILURES AND LEAKS, POWER WINDOW FAILURE AND SO MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THAT THEY ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST. MY CAR IS LITERALLY IN THE SHOP ONCE A MONTH. AS OF JULY 2009 THE VEHICLE HAS 63,000 MILES AND TRUST ME, IT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED PERFECTLY. IT EVEN PASSED A 160 POINT INSPECTION FOR THE EZ CARE AUTO EXTENDED WARRANTY AND PROCEEDED TO BREAK DOWN 3 WEEKS LATER, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? I PAID CLOSE TO 70K FOR A USED VEHICLE. I COULD HAVE BOUGHT TWO BRAND NEW TOP OF THE LINE JAPANESE CARS. *TR
CAR ROLLS BACKWARD ALTHOUGH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND ENGAGED IN FORWARD DRIVE GEAR. THIS HAS CAUSED NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS BY MY CAR ROLLING BACKWARDS INTO THE ONE BEHIND ME. CARS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS DO NOT ROLL BACKWARD.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026