BMW 740i
Owners filed 130 complaints across 22 model years of the BMW 740i. The 2001 drew the most (15).
Which BMW 740i years should you avoid?
Not enough of the record to single a year out. Fewer than 4 BMW 740i model years have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to judge, so any ranking would be noise. The table below has every year as filed.
Too new to judge: 2025. Complaints take a few years to arrive, so a new model year looks better than it is.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every BMW 740i model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Too new | 0 | 3 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 2024 | 3 | 5 | — | — | Electronic Stability Control (esc) | Routine | |
| 2023 | 12 | 9 | — | — | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2021 | 1 | 2 | — | — | Lane Departure › Assist | Routine | |
| 2020 | 1 | 2 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | Routine | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2016 | 12 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2012 | 4 | 1 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2001 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2000 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1999 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1998 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1997 | 3 | 3 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly | Routine | |
| 1996 | 1 | 3 | — | — | Suspension › Front › Springs › Leaf Spring Assembly | Routine | |
| 1995 | 9 | 5 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1994 | 7 | 2 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1993 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Hoses/Lines/Piping/Fittings | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.