RoadVitals

1997 BMW 740I 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.
3
Latest Mar 5, 2004
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.
0
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 30, 2003

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1997 BMW 740I. 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 1–3 of 3

Engine
Filed Mar 5, 2004

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A COOLING SYSTEM PROBLEM. THE HOSE THAT WAS CONNECTED TO THE RADIATOR MELTED FROM THE HEAT THAT CAME FROM THE ENGINE.*AK

NHTSA ID
10061544
Mileage
55,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Oct 28, 2003

THERE SEEMS TO BE A COMMON DEFECT IN THE '1995-'01 BMW 740 SERIES GAS TANK. THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT OCCURS THAT CREATES A VACCUM IN THE TANK WHICH THEN MAKES THE TANK IMPLODE. IT JUST CRUSH IN UPON ITSELF UNTIL IT POPS OR A SEAM BREAKS SOMEWHERE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME YESTERDAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND HAD 17 GALLONS OF GAS SPEWING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. I DIDN'T NOTICE IT UNTIL I WAS IN MY PARKING GARAGE WHICH IS IN A 49 STORY BUILDING. THE JERSEY CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME THEN BROUGHT IN THEIR HAZMAT TEAM. THEY RECOVERED/CLEANED UP MAYBE 7 GALLONS WHILE IN THE GARAGE SO ABOUT 10 GALLONS SPILLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF BMW HAD RECALLED THE CAR ON THIS ITEM. IT HAS HAPPENED TO AT LEAST 6 OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS MESSAGE BOARD THAT I'M A PART OF: HTTP://BIMMER.ROADFLY.ORG/BMW/FORUMS/E38/ I'M JUST GLAD THAT NO ONE GOT HURT AND THAT MY 3 AND 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTERS WERE NOT IN THE CAR. BUT IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE SOON SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT.*AK

NHTSA ID
10043746
Incident
Oct 28, 2003
Mileage
79,375 mi
Engine
Filed May 30, 2003

UPPER NIPPLE WITH HOSE CONNECTOR ON RADIATOR IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND BREAKS OFF WITH FRAGMENTS LEFT IN THE HOSE. THIS REALLY SHOULD NOT BE MADE OF PLASTIC AS INTENSELY HOT WATER PASSES THROUGH IT ALL THE TIME. THIS AMOUNTS TO AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR.*AK

NHTSA ID
10020749
Incident
May 29, 2003

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 .