RoadVitals

2005 BMW 7 Series Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest Oct 31, 2014
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since May 25, 2011

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 BMW 7 Series. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

AirbagsDriver assistance
Filed Oct 31, 2014

TOOK THE BMW 745LI IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SLOW TO START CRANKING AND SECOND OPINION. ALSO WANTED THE DEALERSHIP TO REVIEW AIRBAG LIGHT AND DSC. UPON REVIEW BY THE DEALERSHIP, ALL FOUR DOOR TAGS AND SZL (COMFORT ACCESS) IS CAUSING BATTERY DRAIN AND MUST BE REPLACED. ALSO WAS QUOTED THAT THE CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND A FUEL LINE LEAK IS PRESENT. AFTER SPEAKING WITH A MANAGER, IT WAS DECIDED THAT THEY WERE NOT SURE IF THE DOOR TAGS AND SZL WOULD ASSIST WITH CLEARING THE SLOW CRANK. I OPTED THE SERVICE FROM THAT DEALER AND DECIDED TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 5 MILES, I REALIZED THAT THE CAR REEKED OF GAS. THIS WAS NOT AN APPARENT ISSUE WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP HAS CAUSED MORE HARDSHIP THAN ASSISTANCE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10651740
Incident
Oct 27, 2014
Mileage
172,169 mi
Driver assistanceFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Oct 31, 2014

I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SLOW TO CRANK. I HAD THE BATTERY TESTED AND IT WAS FINE. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED I NEEDED A FUEL PUMP. IT WAS REPAIRED. TWO DAYS LATER, I AM DRIVING THE 745LI BMW UP AN INCLINED HIGHWAY MERGING ONTO A BRIDGE WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED JERKING, LOOSING POWER, CUTTING BACK AND DECELERATING UNTIL IT SHUT COMPLETELY OFF. I WAS UNABLE TO CRANK IT OR EVEN MOVE OFF THE HIGHWAY TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE CAR TOTALLY STALLED ON THE BRIDGE. WHEN THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY CLAIMED THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. HOWEVER A FEW DAYS LATER THE CAR STALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AGAIN. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO CLAIMS IT WAS OUT OF GAS. THE DEALER PUTS GAS IN IT. THE NEXT DAY, THE CAR STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY AGAIN. THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THE FUEL GUAGE WAS NOT READING PROPERLY AND REPLACED THE SENSORS. THE CAR IS STILL SLOW TO CRANK, WHICH IS THE INTIAL PROBLEM FROM DAY ONE. STILL NOT REPAIRED, $3,000.00 LATER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10651737
Incident
Aug 6, 2014
Mileage
169,472 mi
Engine
Filed Jan 10, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 7 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO PASS EMISSIONS BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE INTAKE VALVES ON THE AUXILIARY PUMP LEAKED OIL INTO THE MANIFOLD AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RELEASE SMOKE AND EMISSIONS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,100.

NHTSA ID
10492154
Incident
Oct 8, 2012
Mileage
99,500 mi
Brakes
Filed May 25, 2011
Crash reported

BMW NA SUBMITTED TO NHTSA A NOTICE THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THERE MAY BE A POWER BRAKING LOSS DUE TO A LEAKING VACUUM PUMP. BMW NA HAS NOT INSTITUTED A CONSISTENT RECALL POLICY ACROSS ITS DEALERSHIPS RELATED TO THIS RECALL. DEALERSHIPS ARE LEFT TO THEIR DEVICES IN COVERING THE RECALL WORK WITH SOME DEALERSHIPS REPLACING VACUUM PUMPS, AND OTHERS CHARGING OWNERS FOR THE REPLACEMENT. OUR 745 EXPERIENCED THE BARE MINIMUM OF RECALL WORK IN DECEMBER 2010, BUT THE LEAKING VACUUM PUMP WAS NOT REPLACED, NOR WERE WE NOTIFIED THAT IT WAS LEAKING BY THE DEALERSHIP. 5 MONTHS LATER VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN INTO A COMMERCIAL STRIP MALL AND AS THE VEHICLE WAS BEING PARKED, IT DID NOT STOP. VEHICLE JUMPED PEDESTRIAN WALK WAY AND DAMAGED THE ENTRANCE OF A RESTAURANT. I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH RESEARCH THAT BMW NA IS ALL OVER THE BOARD REGARDING THIS RECALL. THOUGH EXTREMELY SHAKEN, NO PEDESTRIANS WERE INJURED, BUT BMW THROUGH NHTSA COMPLAINTS AND OWNER INPUT KNOWS THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10402745
Incident
Apr 5, 2011
Mileage
107,800 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .