The BMW 745Li has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2002–2005. On average a defect was admitted 3.86 years after the car was built, the slowest took 12 years. The most recalled system is Latches/locks/linkages (2 campaigns).
What was recalled on the BMW 745Li
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Latches/locks/linkages 2 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2005-2008 745i, 745Li, 750i, 750Li, 760i, 760Li, and B7 Alpina vehicles equipped with both the Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options. In these vehicles, the doors may appear to be closed and latched, but, in fact, may inadvertently open
Risk. The door may unexpectedly open due to road or driving conditions or occupant contact with the door. The sudden opening may result in occupant ejection or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the door latch system, free of charge. The recall began February 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at [email protected]
What's wrong. BMW is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 7-Series vehicles, equipped with both Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options, and manufactured August 23, 2004, through September 3, 2007. Due to a software problem, the doors may appear to be closed and latched, but, in fact, may inadvertently open
Risk. The door may unexpectedly open due to road or driving conditions or occupant contact with the door. The sudden opening may result in occupant ejection or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners and dealers will update software. The recall began on December 12, 2012. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at [email protected]
Engine And Engine Cooling 2 Read
What's wrong. On certain passenger vehicles, the engine oil filter drain plug may be insufficiently tightened. This could lead to loosening of the plug causing an initial oil spray and a subsequent oil leak
Risk. If a large amount of oil loss occurs, engine damage may result. Depending on the extent of the damage, a crash could occur
Fix. Dealers will inspect the torque of the oil filter drain plug and, if necessary, retighten the drain plug with the correctly specified torque. Owner notification began on september 12, 2003. Owners should contact bmw at 1-800-831-1117
What's wrong. On certain passenger vehicles, due to a software error, a desynchronization of the valvetronic motors for engine banks I and ii may occur. If this occurs, the engine could stall
Risk. In those cases, the driver may not be able to restart the engine. Depending on the level of engine roughness, or stalling, as well as traffic conditions and the driver's reactions, this could lead to a crash
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the digital engine management control unit. Owner notification began july 8, 2003. Owners should contact bmw at 1-800-831-1117
What's wrong. On certain passenger vehicles, due to a software error, a desynchronization of the valvetronic motors for engine banks I and ii may occur. If this occurs, the engine could stall
Risk. In those cases, the driver may not be able to restart the engine. Depending on the level of engine roughness, or stalling, as well as traffic conditions and the driver's reactions, this could lead to a crash
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the digital engine management control unit. Owner notification began july 8, 2003. Owners should contact bmw at 1-800-831-1117
Power Train 1 Read
What's wrong. BMW is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 7-Series vehicles, equipped with the Comfort Access option, and manufactured August 23, 2004, through July 24, 2008. The affected vehicles have an electronic key and an electronic connection between the gear shifter and the transmission (shift-by-wire) that automatically shifts the transmission to Park when the driver presses the Start/Stop button to shutdown the engine. If the driver presses the engine Start/Stop button 2 or 3 times within a short time interval, the system may shift the transmission to Neutral rather than Park. If using the electronic key (Comfort Access mode), there would be no protection from the ignition interlock that…
Risk. If the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may rollaway. Unattended rollaway incidents often result in a crash or cause injury to pedestrians attempting to stop or enter the vehicle or to other bystanders in the path of the vehicle
Fix. BMW will notify owners beginning in November 2012. The remedy became available in March 2013. Owners may call BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at [email protected]
Fuel System, Gasoline 1 Read
What's wrong. On certain passenger vehicles, the electric fuel pump runs at a rotational speed that could result in reduced lubrication of its internal components. Over an extended period of time, wear-induced internal damage to the fuel pump could result in insufficient fuel supply to the engine when the fuel tank contains one-third or less of its maximum fuel capacity
Risk. If this were to occur, the engine could stall and not be restarted until more fuel was added to the fuel tank. This could occur even though the fuel gauge indicated that fuel still remained in the tank
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the fuel pump control system. Owner notification began june 28, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact bmw at 1-800-332-4269
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 3.86 years |
| Slowest campaign | 12 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 42.9% |
| Campaigns on record | 6 |
Which 745Li years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Power Train | |
| 2003 | Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2002 | Fuel System, Gasoline |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the BMW 745Li have?
6 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2002–2005. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my 745Li still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 3.86 years, and the slowest campaign came 12 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.