2003 BMW 745i

Defect. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ENGINE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG MAY BE INSUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED. THIS COULD LEAD TO LOOSENING OF THE PLUG CAUSING AN INITIAL OIL SPRAY AND A SUBSEQUENT OIL LEAK.

Risk. IF A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL LOSS OCCURS, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY RESULT. DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE OF THE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG AND, IF NECESSARY, RETIGHTEN THE DRAIN PLUG WITH THE CORRECTLY SPECIFIED TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Defect. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.

Risk. IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF ENGINE ROUGHNESS, OR STALLING, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THE DRIVER'S REACTIONS, THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

The contact owns a 2003 BMW 745i. The contact stated while pulling into the garage and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up loudly. The contact stated that upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, crashed into a refrigerator and pushed the refrigerator into the wall. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred the following day. The contact stated that the ABS warning light and the brake warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V446000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

THE CAR SMOKES FROM EXHAUST SYSTEM WHEN YOU PULL OFF FROM RED LIGHT, DRIVEWAYS, OR WHENEVER YOU EXCEL IN THE CAR. I WAS TOLD ITS A ENGINE VALVE PROBLEM THAT BMW IS AWARE OF IN THE 7 SERIES. THIS CAR COST TO MUCH FOR ISSUES LIKE YOU ARE A VAPOR FROM BEYOND WHEN DRIVING. ALSO WHY IS IT A PROBLEM WITH SENSOR ON PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. I ONLY CARRY A 10 LB. PURSE THE LIGHT STAYS ON CONSIST.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE FAN BELT FRACTURED AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, WHICH MEANT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A WEEK LATER, THE HOOD WAS OPENED AND SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE COMPUTER PANEL AS A FIRE STARTED. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH A WATER HOSE AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE STOPPED SMOKING ONCE THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, THE "ENGINE FAIL SAFE TRANSMISSION" MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT SWITCH OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE "FAILED TRANSMISSION DRIVE MODERATE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED AND THE SPEED WOULD SUDDENLY REDUCE. THE VEHICLE ALSO JERKED AND ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATE ON OCCASION DURING GEAR CHANGES. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

FOLLOWING ERROR WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE: "FAULT IN PASS-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. FASTEN AND CONTINUE TO WEAR SEATBELTS. PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST BMW CENTER" IN THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM WHEN STARTING THE CAR. " 2003 BMW 745I. THIS MODEL/YEAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN PRIOR RECALL. *TR

THERE IS A FAULT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT CODE ALSO THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT WON'T GO OFF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V502000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000. UPDATED 02/09/15*LJ THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 10/7/2015 *JS

THIS VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, BMW IS AWARE OF THIS BUT IS BANKING ON NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. WHEN THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP IT PUSHES CAR TO FRONT AS IF BEING REAR ENDED, BUT ITS THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION GUIBO JOINT OR AND A SOFTWARE ISSUE THAT BMW HAD INSTALLED IN THOUSANDS OF BMW VEHICLES AT THE TIME. THERE ARE MANY FRUSTRATED OWNERS THAT HAVE PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THIS CAR. IT IS UNSAFE CAUSE IT PUSHES CAR TO FRONT CAUSING A POSSIBLE HIT TO FRONT CAR IN A TRAFFIC SITUATION. HERE IS MORE ABOUT THIS SERVICE BULLETIN, I FEEL BMW SHOULD FIX THIS AT NO CHARGE SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. READ A/T - HARSH 3-2/2-1 DOWNSHIFTS/CLUNK NOISE , SI B 24 17 07 ,AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DECEMBER 2007, TECHNICAL SERVICE THIS SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN SUPERSEDES SI B24 17 07 DATED JULY 2007. DESIGNATES CHANGES TO THIS REVISION WARRANTY INFORMATION COVERED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE BMW NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST KSD FOR ALL APPLICABLE LABOR OPERATIONS AND ALLOWANCES. IF THE APPROPRIATE LABOR OPERATION IS NOT CONTAINED IN KSD, THEN A WORK TIME LABOR OPERATION SHOULD BE USED. DEFECT CODE 24 00 39 61 00. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. AFTER THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM, SEAT BELT, AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INDICATORS WERE RESET BY SELECTING THE HARD DRIVE BUTTON LOCATED ON THE GPS PANEL; HOWEVER, THE INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSISTENTLY THEREAFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745LI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS STUCK IN THE LATCH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY REPAIRED FOR THE SEAT BELT PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,060.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO ACCESS THE TRUNK LID WHEN USING THE REMOTE OR WHEN MANUALLY ATTEMPTING TO OPEN. IN ADDITION, THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE SECURELY WITHOUT EXERTING FORCE. ALSO, THE HEADLAMP LENSES ILLUMINATED DIMLY WHENEVER ACTIVATED AT NIGHT, DISTORTING THE CONTACT'S VISION OF THE ROADWAY. THE HEADLAMP LENSES WERE REPAIRED BY A DEALER BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE DEFECTS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000. UPDATED 7/10/13 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE DOOR WAS REPLACED BY BMW. HOWEVER, THE HEADLIGHT STILL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

WAS DRIVING CAR AT NORMAL SPEED MAYBE 35 OR 45 MPH TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND CAR SEEMED TO KEEP GOING DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY DOWN CAR SLOWED FINALLY AND STOPPED WAS CONCERNED SO CALLED THE BMW SERVICER ( AUTHORIZED REPAIRER) NOT DEALERSHIP THEY CHECKED AND INFORMED ME OF RECALL ON BRAKE SYSTEM AND FELT THAT WAS THE PROBLEM CAUSE THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED IT BEFORE SAYING IT WAS THE BRAKE BOOSTER OR VACUUM. THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE SO WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP FOR RECALL WENT TO PICK UP VEHICLE THEY SAID CAR WAS FINE THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH CAR ASKED IF THEY HAD CHECKED THURALLY THEY SAID YES AND FOUND NO LEAKS OR PROBLEMS ASKED IF THEY TEST DROVE IT THEY SAID NO ASKED WHAT DID THEY CHECK THEY SAID BRAKE LINES AND LOOKED FOR LEAKS AROUND BOOSTER LINES AND VACUUM PUMP BUT ONLY A VISUAL INSPECTION AND WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE CAR HOME THE CAR WAS HAVING SAME PROBLEM WHEN I CALLED BACK THEY SAID I HAD TO PAY FOR A BRAKE SERVICE CHECK TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM AND I ASKED DIDN'T YALL DO THAT WHEN YALL HAD IT BECAUSE I FELT IT WAS A DANGER TO ME AND EVERYONE ON HIGHWAY ME DRIVING A CAR WITH NO BRAKES BUT THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL TO TEST VEHICLE JUST CHECK FOR LEAKS, AND THAT THEY WOULD ONLY REPLACE THE PARTS IF THEY SAW LEAKS AND REFUSED TO REPLACE ANYTHING (SO WHY WASTE TIME TO BRING VEHICLE IN IF THEY NOT GONNA FIX ANYTHING MAKES NO SINCE )SEEMED LIKE THEY DIDN'T CARE AND SAID WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM IS ISN'T UNDER THE RECALL BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD IT WAS EITHER BOOSTER OR VACU

CAR WAS RECALLED FOR BRAKE ISSUES. A HOSE WAS REPLACED. BRAKES BEGIN TO FAIL SHORTLY THEREAFTER AND GOT A POINT THAT THE CAR WOULD BARELY STOP. DEALER AND BMW SAY ITS MY PROBLEM AND INSIST I PAY ABOUT $2500 FOR A REPAIR THAT IS UNDER THIS RECALL. *TR

THE CAR DISPLAYED AN ERROR MESSAGE STATING "PARKING BRAKE MALFUNCTION". WHEN I APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE IT DID NOT WORK. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. I PAID A TOTAL OF 1300 DOLLARS TO HAVE THE PARKING BRAKE REPLACED. I LATER RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON LINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH MANY MODELS OF BMW'S. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT DISPENSED COOLANT INTO THE RESERVOIR AND THEN AFTER DRIVING 50 MILES THE MALFUNCTION RECURRED. IN 2012, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE AN ENGINE OVERHAUL WAS PERFORMED. THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 300 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THERE WAS RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V324000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER THE VIN WAS INELIGIBLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 745I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO PARK, THE VEHICLE WOULD INDEPENDENTLY SHIFT INTO DRIVE. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL AWAY AND CRASH INTO A PORCH. THE FRONT BUMPER WAS DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED TO THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,000. UPDATED 05/11/12*LJ

I HAVE NOTICED THAT WHEN DECELERATING INTO A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT, THE TRANSMISSION AT TIMES WILL VIOLENTLY KICK THE CAR FORWARD AS IF I WAS JUST REAR ENDED. IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE GETTING RUN INTO FROM BEHIND. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO THE BMW DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT RE-CREATE THE EVENT DURING THEIR TEST DRIVE. I HAVE ALSO TAKEN THE CAR TO A THIRD PARTY AUTHORIZED BMW AUTO REPAIR SHOP WHERE I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR THE 7 SERIES MODEL THAT I HAVE BUT BMW HAS OFFERED NO SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY TIME I DRIVE BUT IT HAPPENS AT THE MOST RANDOM OF TIMES. WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT WHEN SLOWING THE CAR WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, IS THAT I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS WHERE BECAUSE OF THE EXTRA KICK FROM WHAT I BELIEVE IS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE, I HAVE COME CLOSE TO REAR- ENDING OTHER VEHICLES AND ENDANGERING MYSELF AND MY OWN PASSENGERS. I HAVE TRIED TO RESEARCH THIS ON THE INTERNET ONLY TO FIND THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS STATING VERY SIMILAR INCIDENTS.

TRANSMISSION OVERHEATS AND STALLS. WHILE COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR JERKS BEFORE THE STOP FEELS LIKE A SOMEONE RAN INTO MY BUMPER WITH THERE CAR. TRANSMISSION OVERHEATS PER DASH WARNING. *TR

I JUST BOUGHT A 2003 BMW 745I WITH 63K ON THE DASH. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR FOR TWO MONTHS AND THE TRANSMISSION IS GONE. I HAVE JUST PURCHASED A EW. BUT WHAT CAN I DO BECAUSE THIS IS NOT RIGHT AND I BOUGHT IT FROM A BMW DEALER. THEY SAID THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED A GOOD TO GO. BAD BUSINESS AND THIS IS A RIP OF FOR ABOUT 7K FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR

MY BMW 745I 2003 HAS EXPERIENCE SEVERAL AREA OF OIL LEAKAGE. WHEN BROUGHT IN TO THE DEALER, I'M TOLD THAT IT'S DUE TO THE ENGINE COOLING ERROR. I FOUND THIS WEBSITE WITH THE RECALL OF THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR BMW FOR THIS VERY REASON BUT I AM TOLD BY MY DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURING COMPANY THAT MY VIN # IS NOT ON THE LIST OF RECALLS. HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE WHEN THE RECALL IS FOR THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL. *LN