Owners have filed 112 complaints on the BMW 740iL, covering 1993–2001. The system named most often is Engine And Engine Cooling (28 reports). Worst years by volume: 1998, 2001, 1997; cleanest: 1994, 1999, 1993. 5 reports describe a crash, 4 a fire. On average the car was 8.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on BMW 740iL
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 112 740iL complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine And Engine Cooling 28 Read
Car was running fine, was at a stop light and the car shut off had a really strong electrical smell coming from the engine compartment. Opened up the hood and had a flame down at the thermostat area. Quickly put it out and pushed the car off to the side of the road. Had to have a tow truck come tow the car and bring…
The contact owns a 2001 bmw 740il. The vehicle was tuned up on october 6, 2007 and november 28, 2007. The vehicle began smoking and the add engine coolant light illuminated. The contact stated that this was the quickest the add engine coolant light has ever illuminated following a tune up. The dealer stated that the…
In april 2008 low coolant warning caused me open hood and add coolant. The coolant level was perfect but I still added more. The light for low coolant was still appearing every time I drove the car. Every preventive maintenance has been done by book on this bmw. The car has been to the dealer twice after this low…
Electrical System 13 Read
5 times failure to start the car and needed 5 return visits for the same problem,2 new batteries,and continue the same problem.now my faith has been shaken with this car,I cannot rely on it,bought as new 2001 bmw 740il,5000 miles only,it is a substantial impairment to my line of work
Purchased pre-owned certified car in april 06, starting having problems with electrical systems: window motors, GPS system/monitor, car kept dyeing while stopped and driving, engine shutdown/failsafe mode, brake lights blowing all the time, fuses and ignition switch going out all the time. The car has been in for…
The contact owns a 2001 bmw 740il. The contact stated the pixels in the dashboard display were progressively fading, making it very difficult to read the center of the dashboard. Only the center of the dashboard display was difficult to read and the failure would occur whether he was driving or not. The vehicle was…
Fuel System 13 Read
My gas tank is slowly imploding...apparently, bmw is quite aware of the condition as a bulletin was produced on 11-9-2003 based on a defect in engineering design or the hardware chosen. In the meantime, my car is a fuel timebomb - this is an obvious manufacturing defect
Approximately a year ago I started smelling mild gasoline fumes emanating from the left side of the car. At the time I thought it might be caused by some spillage when refueling. Over time the odor has become stronger. Upon inspection by the bmw dealership it was ascertained that a crack existed on the left side of…
Dt: the consumer states approximately 4 days ago the cluster on the dash went out the turn signal stopped working on the inside of the vehicle, but they were working on the outside of the vehicle. Called dealership, they informed contact to bring in the vehicle. Monday, may 9, the vehicle started chugging, as if…
Power Train 11 Read
Vehicle was involved in a crash and neither air bag deployed. Manufacturer was notified. *ak the new small safety switch which allows the vehicle to start in park and neutral positions
The contact owns a 2001 bmw 740 il. The contact stated that while driving in reverse at 6 mph, he heard a clicking noise and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced or rebuilt. The manufacturer was…
The contact owns a 2001 bmw 740il. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000. .. Updated 12/2216 *bf
Steering 8 Read
Start the car power steering froze, I have shut off the car and restart it fix the problem or I have to repeat. Sometime while driving steering freeze. I had hoses leak, replaced hoses still have more leaks. While driving car unstable, I changed tires problem remain the same. I checked all suspension components and…
While driving on a higway and taking a turn over a curved portion of the highway I found the power in the steering was not functioning and the steering wheel became extremely hard. Whe I tried to brake and pull to the side the brake was also quite hard. The car had then to be towed to a bmw dealershi, and the problem…
Steering and over all control of the vehicle is compromised for no reason feels like it is disconnecting and loose clanking noises form front suspension all the time on all surfaces also a squeaky old bed frame noise appears . Concerned about family safety the vehicle is well cared for. Feels like a sloppy messy…
Vehicle Speed Control 6 Read
While in park and after turning on ignition switch vehicle suddenly accelerated and took off, resulting in a vehicle crash. Manufacturer was notified. Feel free to provide any further information
The contact owns a 2001 bmw 740 il. The contact was driving 2 mph into a parking space. When the brakes were engaged the vehicle surged forward approximately 24 to 36 inches. The vehicle was able to proceed to a complete stop with extreme force applied to the brakes. The failure mileage was 110,000. The current…
I was driving my bmw 740il on 2-17-2015 when after getting onto the highway and accelerating, there was a loud boom noise and black pieces shot out onto the road in front of me. I immediately got off the first exit only to find that 1.) the car wouldn't stop after I applied the brakes, and 2.) the car continued to…
Air Bags 5 Read
Front crash at 35 mph, neither airbag deployed. Driver suffered minor head injuries, damage to vehicle unknown at this time
While driving between 40-50 mph hit a concrete post direct center of vehicle. Theere was deployment of driver's or passenger's side airbags. Also this vehicle is equipped with side airbags which did not deploy. Cause unknown
No summary listed for above vehicle
Service Brakes 5 Read
Vehicle was involed in sudden acceleration while traveling on the highway with cruise control engaged at approximately 55 mph. Consumer was approaching oncoming vehicle, applied brakes to slow down, as soon as he lifted his foot from pedal, vehicle suddenly took off. Went out of control and hit a parked vehicle on…
"takata recall" my car brake lights just started to stay eliminated when I am driving. The steering wheel also adjusts on its on up and down while driving. The is when the vechile is in motion on any highway
The contact owns a 2000 bmw 740il. The contact was braking from approximately 45 mph when the brakes locked. The contact was able to release the brakes and proceed. Several days later, the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic advised that without the brake warning light illuminated, he as…
740iL years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Child Seat | — | 1 | |
| 1999 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1998 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 1996 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 1995 | Electrical System,vehicle Speed Control | — | 1 | |
| 1994 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1993 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 65 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.7 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 8.4 years |
A model average of 1.7 hides a worst series at 7. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 740iL?
By complaint volume, 1998, 2001, 1997 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 740iL years are the cleanest?
1994, 1999, 1993 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the BMW 740iL have?
112 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1993–2001. Of those, 5 describe a crash and 4 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.