Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 BMW 745I submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE INTERMITTENTLY AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
IN 2009 THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT FROM ANOTHER OWNER. AT THE TIME OF THIS PURCHASE, THIS CAR WAS BOUGHT AS A LEMON LAW BUYBACK BECAUSE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT IS ALWAYS ON. A FEW MONTHS AFTER BUYING THIS CAR, THE CAR STARTED THROWING A BLUE SMOKE OFF HE TAIL PIPE. EVERY TIME I STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR A FULL 2 MINUTES AND LET THE CAR IDLE AND THEN WOULD ACCELERATE ON GREEN, THE CAR WOULD THROW BLUE SMOKE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEMS BUT THEY STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE ENGINE AND THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. I TOOK THE CAR TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC AND WAS CHARGE NEARLY $6000.00 DOLLARS FOR THIS REPAIR. 2) ON 11/09/13, WHILE HAVING REGULAR MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON VEHICLE, THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING, STATING THAT THE OIL PAN AND GASKET WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS AND PROVIDED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS PRIVATELY REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,050 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 149,347. UPDATED 11/19/13 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
MY VEHICLE JUST SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING THIS HAS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF FOUR TIMES WHILE DRIVING AND THREE TIMES TOTAL WHILE IDLE. JUST RECENTLY WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF I ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED. THE VEHICLE ALSO WOULD NOT START AFTER IT HAD SHUT ITSELF OFF. I TRIED TO START IT BUT IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER. THEN A MESSAGE ON THE THE DISPLAY READ "TRANSMISSION DRIVE FAIL SAFE MALFUNCTION ONLY GEARS P,N,R, D3 AND D5 CAN BE ENGAGED WITHOUT PRESSING THE PARKING BRAKE." AND IT ALSO DISPLAYED SOMETHING ABOUT BATTERY DISCHARGED AND WILL BE DISCONNECTED SOON. THEN I WAS PROMPTED TO "RECHARGE BATTERY" AFTER THE MESSAGE. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR ALMOST AN HOUR I STARTED IT. THERE WEREN'T ANY MESSAGES IN THE DISPLAY ABOUT MALFUNCTIONS OF ANY KIND EVERYTHING WAS CLEARED. I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND TURNED IT OFF AND ON ABOUT FIVE TIMES AND IT STARTED FINE. I ALSO NOTICED THAT WHEN I IDLE MY CAR AND I GET OUT OF THE DRIVERS SEAT OR LIFT OUT OF THE SEAT AND SIT BACK DOWN BOTH TIMES I CAN HEAR THE FUEL PUMP BUZZING FOR ABOUT 1-2 SECONDS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING AND EXITING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY IN REVERSE AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 123,000.*TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SKIPPED AND JERKED AND FAILED TO SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED WHO STATED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED WHO STATED THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.
TRANSMISSION GIVES A LOT OF PROBLEMS THE SHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION IS HORRIBLE WHEN YOU COME TO A STOP IT FEELS AS IF YOU HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED WHICH MAKES THE CAR LAUNCH FORWARD WHICH COULD RESULT IN A ACCIDENT IF FOOT IS OFF THE BREAK. *TT
AFTER HAVING MY CAR SERVICED APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND THEN COMPLAINING TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER I PICKED IT UP FROM BEING SERVICED THAT MY CAR WAS IDLING ROUGH, I WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TO CHANGE TO TEXACO GAS. I WAS GOING ON VACATION TO VIRGINIA AND WAS ON I95 DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR, WHEN MY CAR STARTED SHUTTING DOWN IN THE FAST LANE AS CARS WERE TRAVELING BEHIND ME AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER MYSELF OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE BELTWAY BEFORE MY CAR SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY AND WENT INTO DRIVER FAILSAFE MODE, WHICH I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANT. I WAS LATER TOLD BY A BMW DEALERSHIP THAT THE MECHATRONIC UNIT WENT BAD AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION TO THE TUNE OF $9,000 WITH A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION, WHICH I FELT WAS OBSCURED. I HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND THEY HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THAT YEARS MODEL AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS THAT WERE BUILT BY GM. GM RECALLED OTHER 2002 VEHICLES WITH THOSE TRANSMISSIONS IN THEM, BUT BMW WILL NOT OWN UP TO THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINES TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I FEEL THAT AS A CONSUMER WHO HAS INVESTED A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY FOR THIS LUXURY VEHICLE AND WHO HAS ALSO HAVE MAINTAINED THE SERVICE AND UPKEEP, THAT MY LIFE AND POTENTIALLY THE LIVES OF OTHERS SHOULD NOT BE JEOPARDIZED BY THE ARROGANCE OF A COMPANY TO NOT OWN UP TO THIS MAJOR PROBLEM. THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE ENDED IN TRAGEDY AND IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO TAKE THAT TO HOLD A COMPANY ACCOUNTABLE FOR POOR QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP. IF YOU LOOK INTO IT, YOU WILL FIND THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS CHANGED IN 2003 DUE TO THE ISSUES THAT FOUND WITH THE 2002 MODEL. I WANT THEM TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION IN MY CAR AND OTHERS. SO MY ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE SITS COVERED. I TRIED REACHING OUT TO BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, BUT TO NO AVAIL. *TR
WHILE DECELERATING AT A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATES, THROWING PASSENGERS AGAINST THE SEATS AND DASHBOARD, BACK AND FORTH. THIS IS AN UNSAFE SITUATION TO BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS !. *JB
WHEN DECELERATING VEHICLE MAKES A SUDDEN ACCELERATION INTO TRAFFIC THROWING PASSENGERS AGAINST THE SEATS. MR *TS
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .