RoadVitals

1998 BMW 740

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
9
Latest Sep 2, 2005
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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

Overview

Our database contains 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 BMW 740, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and airbags categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical333.3%
  • Engine111.1%
  • Airbags111.1%
  • Other / unspecified111.1%
  • Steering111.1%
  • Visibility111.1%
  • Interior & seats111.1%

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

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 9
Steering
Filed Sep 2, 2005

DT: THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. THE STEERING LOCKED UP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW MINUTES LATER. THE CONSUMER WENT INTO ANOTHER LANE OF TRAFFIC, BUT WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED GOING INTO A COMPLETE CIRCLE. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THEY CHECKED THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM AND DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. THEY HOOKED THE VEHICLE TO DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND IT DIDN'T SHOW ANY CODES. THIS HAPPENED ON AUGUST 25, 2005. ABOUT TWO WEEKS BEFORE THEY REPLACED A PRESSURE HOSE ON THE POWER STEERING. *JB

NHTSA ID
10135163
Incident
Aug 25, 2005
Mileage
88,000 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed Feb 7, 2003

AFTER JACKING THE VEHICLE UP, THE JACK SUDDENLY COLASPED. CONSUMER FOOT WAS ALMOST INJURED AS A RESULT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH

NHTSA ID
10006783
Incident
Feb 3, 2003
Mileage
57,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Dec 9, 2002
Crash reported

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN HIT AT 40MPH IN THE FRONT CENTER OF THE VEHICLE THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

NHTSA ID
8023915
Incident
Nov 26, 2002
Engine
Filed Sep 2, 1999

ENGINE DIES INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. DEALERINDICATED THA T COMPUTER SHOWED NO DEFECT, AND COULD NOT EXPLAIN THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
846451
Visibility
Filed Mar 12, 1999

RIGHT FRONT POWER WINDOW FAILED.

NHTSA ID
607622
Electrical
Filed Feb 1, 1999

CUP HOLDER FAILED. YH

NHTSA ID
606344
Incident
Dec 3, 1998
Interior & seats
Filed Jan 11, 1999

DRIVER'S SEAT ADJUSTMENT; WHEN TURNING ON THE VEHICLE DRIVER'S SEAT WON'T GO BACK TO ITS PROPER RETURN WHICH MAY CAUSE DIFFICULTY IN DRIVING, AND MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. MANUFACTURER DOES NOT HAVE A REMEDY. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID
833287
Incident
Jan 11, 1998
Electrical
Filed Jun 13, 1998

CONSUMER HAD ACCIDENTALLY LOCKED HERSELF IN HER CAR; CONSUMER WAS GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE WHEN SHE DROPED HER KEY, SHE THOUGH SHE DROP IT INSIDE THE VEHICLE, UNAWARE THE REMOTE KEY FELL BETWEEN THE DOOR AND DOOR FRAME WHEN SHE CLOSED THE DOOR; SOMEHOW THE REMOTE KEY ACTIVATED THE SECURITY MODE: SHUTING DOWN ALL POWER TO THE VEHICLE, AND LEAVING THE CONSUMER LOCKED IN AND NO WAY TO GET OUT. CONSUMER WAS LOCK IN VEHICLE FOR MORE THEN TWO HOURS BEFORE HELP ARRIVED. TWO FACTORS HELPED THE CONSUMER; 1ST. SHE WAS NOT IN A REMOTE AREA AND THE 2ND. BECAUSE THE REMOTE KEY PREVENT THE DOOR FROM CLOSING ALL THE WAY; LEAVING A SMALL CRACK BETWEEN THE DOOR ALLOWING CONSUMER TO YELL FOR HELP. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED,BUT INFORMED THE CONSUMER SHE SHOULD HAVE CARRY A EXTRA KEY. THE MAIN CONCERN WOULD BE WHAT WOULD OR COULD HAPPEN IF THE CONSUMER WAS LOCATED IN A REMOTE AREA?

NHTSA ID
824270
Incident
May 29, 1998

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

B510819

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW 740 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2001200—
1998Viewing900—
1997800—
1996100—
1995700—
1994300—
1993710—
1991100—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.