2002 BMW 745I problems
The 2002 BMW 745I has 74 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (20%) concerns brakes. Next are air bags (15%) and drivetrain & axles (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 74 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 4 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 58 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 18 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 11 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 58 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 90,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 92,000 miles (12 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 4 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire.
It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Consumer parked the vehicle in the garage and about three hours later smoke was coming from the garage. Vehicle caught on fire, and damaged another vehicle and the garage. Fire department extinguished the fire ,and determined that fire came from the back of the engine. Consumer experienced other failures with the vehicle including: failure to start, 3 recalls pertaining to fuel system and computer, computer crashed and accessories didn't operate, and head rest moved on it's own.
The parking brake assembly located in the trunk of the 2002 BMW 745I, is faulty. The gears inside the assembly are made of plastic and nylon. When the nylon gear breaks, and it will, you will no longer be able to use your parking brake. I brought my car to BMW of honolulu today and was told that the part was about $1100.00. The service advisor even told me that he had seen 4 of the 7 series with the same problem in the past month. I have to drive around with this yellow parking light on my dash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 BMW 745I. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated there was a leak in the brake vacuum pump. NHTSA recall campaign number: 10v446000 (service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum) may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired.