RoadVitals

1988 BMW 735 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
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Latest Dec 4, 2012
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1988 BMW 735, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Airbags225.0%
  • Driver assistance225.0%
  • Electrical112.5%
  • Engine112.5%
  • Steering112.5%
  • Tires & wheels112.5%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

CONSUMER WAS REAR ENDED WHICH CAUSED VEHICLE TO HIT ANOTHER ANOTHER VEHICLE. IN WHICH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID 837287 · filed Apr 30, 1999

WHILE DRIVING THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT REASON. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED MANUFACTURER. *AK

NHTSA ID 823723 · filed May 28, 1998

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

AFTER STARTING VEHICLE ENGINE TOOK OFF, AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK WHEN APPLIED. CAR WENT THROUGH A GATE AND A BACKYARD. OWNER HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN. *AK

NHTSA ID 844736 · filed Aug 10, 1999

CONSUMER'S WIFE ATTEMPTED TO START VEHICLE WHEN IT ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE, INJURING CONSUMER'S WIFE. CONSUMER STATED THAT IT SEEMED AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS STUCK. *AK VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. *SLC

NHTSA ID 826031 · filed Jul 29, 1998

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1988 BMW 735 I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL OF THE DOOR LOCKS WOULD LOCK AUTOMATICALLY, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO BECOME TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOORS MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE ANTI- THEFT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 202,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 202,300. ## VIN PASSED ## BMW 735I 1988 ##

NHTSA ID 10487355 · filed Dec 4, 2012

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

DEFECTIVE COOLING SYSTEM CAUSED RADIATOR TO MELT AND WATER PUMP TO FAIL. YH

NHTSA ID 550177 · filed Jan 3, 2000

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

STEERING WHEN COMING AROUND CORNERS LOSS OF STEERING BINDING LOSS OF POWER. TT

NHTSA ID 970705 · filed Aug 18, 1995

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

REAR PIRELLI TIRE BLEW BLEWOUT WHILE GOING 65MPH. THERE WERE NO INJURIES & DAMAGES. TIRES WERE AFTERMARKET & HAD ONLY 1,000 MILES. TIRE SIZE P245/45WR17. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED AT CONSUMER'S COST. DOT XTCBXKAW259. *SLC

NHTSA ID 871334 · filed Sep 23, 2000

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .