There are 10 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2006 BMW 7 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY VEHICLE HAS THIS WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE EXHAUST AFTER IT SITS FOR LIKE A FEW MINUTES. SMOKE DOES NOT COME OUT WHEN I'M DRIVING ONLY WHEN I SIT. SO IF I'M AT A RED LIGHT LONG ENOUGH IT WILL SMOKE. THIS JUST START HAPPENING OUT OF NOWHERE AND AFTER LOOKING IT UP EVERYBODY WHO HAS THESE CARS ALMOST HAVE THE SAME ISSUE.
FUEL IS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL PUMP ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR INTO THE VEHICLE CABIN, APPARENTLY EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO WHAT 5 AND 6 SERIES BMW'S WERE RECALLED FOR (BMW RECALL CAMPAIGN 16V-746)
HARD TO START, IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES DIES WHEN SITTING AT STOP LIGHT. WHEN TAKING OFF, IT STALLED WHILE DRIVING AND LOST TOTAL POWER FOR STEERING AND OTHER CONTROLS, VERY DANGEROUS. WE WERE LUCKY THAT WE WERE NOT ON THE FREEWAY. I KNOW BMW HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS. MY CAR HAS 130000 MILES AND AFTER SPENDING OVER $4000 AT THE LOCAL BMW FOR THE SAME ISSUE, NOW THEY WANT AN EXTRA $6000 FOR THE HPFP. MY CAR IS SITTING AT THEIR SHOPS, NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX IT. IS THERE A RECALL OR ANYTHING THEY CAN BE DONE? THANK YOU. *TR
HARD TO START, CRANKS FOR A WHILE TILL IT BUILDS UP PRESSURE THEN STARTS. IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES DIES WHEN SITTING AT STOP LIGHT, AND SPUTTERING POWER AT TIME WHEN TAKING OFF, ALSO WHEN IT STALLS WHILE DRIVING IT IS A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER FOR STEERING AND OTHER CONTROLS, VERY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. CAR HAS 2 FUEL PUMPS. VERY VERY COSTLY REPAIR AT THE DEALER. DEALER SHOULD REPLACE AT THEIR COST.
FUEL LEAK IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT UNDER SEAT. THE PLASTIC CAP COVERING THE FUEL TANK AND PUMP ACCESS HAS A LEAK NEAR BLACK WIRE HARNESS CONNECTOR. SEVERAL OTHERS IN ONLINE FORUMS HAVE DESCRIBED SAME PROBLEM. FUEL POOLS BENEATH RIGHT REAR PASSENGER SEAT. PLASTIC CAP HAS A CRACK ON UNDERSIDE WHICH WHEN PRESSURIZED PUSHES FUEL OUT THE TOP OF THE CAP. DEALERSHIP QUOTED $767.81 FOR NEW FUEL PUMP. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY CONCERN AS FUEL SMELL IS IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE DEFECT IS ONLY ON THE PLASTIC CAP COVERING THE FUEL TANK ACCESS AND IS SOLD AS PART OF THE FUEL PUMP SYSTEM. THE FUEL POOLS INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT
BAD FUEL PUMPS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE YOU CAN BE DRIVING AT ANY DRIVING SPEED AND THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF ON YOU WITH NO WARNING. *TR
FUEL LEAK AND ROUGH IDLE. FUEL RAPIDLY LEAKS OUT OF TANK WHEN RE-FUELING CAR. DMTL PUMP AND HPFP (HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS) NEED TO BE REPLACED. *TR
HAD VEHICLE DIAGNOSED FOR STALLING, ROUGH IDLING, LOSS OF POWER, AND SHUTTING OFF IN TRAFFIC. FIRST BMW REPAIR FACILITY, "LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP OUTPUT, AND HIGH PRESSURE PUMPS VERIFIED VEHICLE HAS EXTENDED CRANK. READ OUT FAULT MEMORY AND FOUND NO RELATIVE FAULTS STORED. PROCEEDED TO PERFORMED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CHECK. FOUND OUTPUT PRESSURE LOW AND AFTER VEHICLE SHUT OFF SYSTEM LEAKING BACK. PROCEEDED TO REPLACE INTAKE FUEL PUMP AND FUEL FILTER." PROBLEM WAS STILL PRESENT 3 DAYS LATER. SUBMITTED VEHICLE INTO ANOTHER REPAIR FACILITY WHERE A BMW TECHNICIAN WORKS ON WEEKENDS TO RECEIVE INFORMATION FROM THE FACILITY OWNER, THAT BMW TECHNICIAN CANNOT TOUCH MY VEHICLE. SUBMITTED VEHICLE INTO A 3RD REPAIR FACILITY TO FIND THAT BOTH HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS HAVE FAILED, "REPLACE BOTH HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS, REPLACE FUEL TANK PRESSURE LEAK DIAG PUMP." BMW REPAIR FACILITY WAS AWARE OF THIS FAULTY READING BEFORE FIXING A PART THAT WAS NOT BROKEN. THEY KNOW THEIR HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS ARE FAULTY. *TT
VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT TO NEUTRAL ON ITS ON THEN SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. IT WAS ALSO ROUGH IDLING, LOSS OF POWER, AND EXTENDED IGNITION START. *TR
HARD TO START, CRANKS FOR A WHILE TILL IT BUILDS UP PRESSURE THEN STARTS. IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES DIES WHEN SITTING AT STOP LIGHT, AND SPUTTERING POWER AT TIME WHEN TAKING OFF, ALSO WHEN IT STALLS WHILE DRIVING IT IS A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER FOR STEERING AND OTHER CONTROLS, VERY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS. BMW STATES IT IS THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND THE PART IS $2,700 + 1300 LABOR. THIS IS THE FLAGSHIP CAR FOR BMW. PLEASE RECALL AND REPLACE BOTH PUMPS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR
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