BMW 740Il
Owners filed 132 complaints across 9 model years of the BMW 740Il. The 2001 drew the most (26); the 1994 the fewest (3).
Model years9
Complaints132
Recalls16
Fires4
Deaths0
Every BMW 740Il model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2000 | 20 | 2 | 1 | — | Tires | Routine | |
| 1999 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery › Cables | Routine | |
| 1998 | 26 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1997 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Suspension | Routine | |
| 1996 | 11 | 2 | — | 1 | Latches/Locks/Linkages › Hood › Latch | Routine | |
| 1995 | 12 | 4 | 1 | — | Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls | Routine | |
| 1994 | 3 | 1 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1993 | 9 | 1 | — | 2 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine |
Which BMW 740Il years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2001 is the weakest year on record, with 26 complaints concentrated in the air bags. It carries 2 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.