2005 Bmw 745li problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Seat Belts (3) · Power Train:automatic Transmission (3) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw 745li model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
22 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2017-05-18 · campaign 17V328000 · 45,484 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2005-2008 745i, 745Li, 750i, 750Li, 760i, 760Li, and B7 Alpina vehicles equipped with both the Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options. In these vehicles, the doors may appear to be closed and latched, but, in fact, may inadvertently open.
Risk: The door may unexpectedly open due to road or driving conditions or occupant contact with the door. The sudden opening may result in occupant ejection or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the door latch system, free of charge. The recall began February 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
Electrical System:ignition:switch 2012-10-17 · campaign 12V502000 · 45,500 vehicles
Defect: BMW is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 7-Series vehicles, equipped with the Comfort Access option, and manufactured August 23, 2004, through July 24, 2008. The affected vehicles have an electronic key and an electronic connection between the gear shifter and the transmission (shift-by-wire) that automatically shifts the transmission to Park when the driver presses the Start/Stop button to shutdown the engine. If the driver presses the engine Start/Stop button 2 or 3 times within a short
Risk: If the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may rollaway. Unattended rollaway incidents often result in a crash or cause injury to pedestrians attempting to stop or enter the vehicle or to other bystanders in the path of the vehicle.
Fix: BMW will notify owners beginning in November 2012. The remedy became available in March 2013. Owners may call BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2012-10-17 · campaign 12V504000 · 7,485 vehicles
Defect: BMW is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 7-Series vehicles, equipped with both Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options, and manufactured August 23, 2004, through September 3, 2007. Due to a software problem, the doors may appear to be closed and latched, but, in fact, may inadvertently open.
Risk: The door may unexpectedly open due to road or driving conditions or occupant contact with the door. The sudden opening may result in occupant ejection or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners and dealers will update software. The recall began on December 12, 2012. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
Service bulletins (27)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2023-12-20 · B160623 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
engine will crank but not start. there is no communication with the integrated fuel module (tfe) whendiagnosing with ista. the following two fault codes will be stored in the dme: 032b43 - low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low cda594 - message (- 0x33e) missing, rec
Equipment 2023-11-22 · B653423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers may state that the alarm system (dwa) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. depending on the vehicleã¢ââs equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. additionally, the red anti-theft alarm led in
Equipment:electrical 2022-09-01 · B662419 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2020-10-01 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
discharged battery energy diagnosis must be performed: the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to
Showing the 6 most recent of 27 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2018-09-13 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch · 58,423 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 745li. the contact took the vehicle to bmw of riverside (3060 adams st, riverside, ca 92504, 1 (951) 373-5000) to be repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 17v328000 (latches/locks/linkages). shortly after the recall repair, the contact noticed that the rear driver and passenger side door latches failed to lock and were…”
2017-09-12 · Air Bags · 125,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 745li. upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning indicator illuminated and remained lit while driving. the vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing and repairs. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not mention any recalls for the air bag failure. the app…”
2017-04-07 · Electrical System:ignition:anti-Theft:control Module · 72,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 745li. after inserting the key into the ignition switch, the transmission would immediately switch to the park or neutral position. as a result, the engine would not start. the dealer diagnosed that the cas module was faulty and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was repa…”
2016-09-30 · Structure:body:door · 122,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 745li. the contact stated that the front driver and passenger side doors opened independently. the door ajar warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it diagnosed that the lock motion kit and lock safety kit needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was noti…”
2015-01-23 · Power Train · 145,000 mi“tl*the contact owns a 2005 bmw 745li. the contact stated when attempting to place the vehicle in park, the transmission shift back to neutral without warning. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician was unable to diagnose the problem. the manufacturer was not aware of the failu…”
2015-01-09 · Engine · 141,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2005 bmw 745li. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine failsafe mode warning light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator housing failed. the vehicle was repaired. on another occasion, while driving 35 mph, the steering wheel veered to…”
2014-09-26 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 126,119 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2005 bmw 745li. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle veered to the left and crashed into a guardrail. in addition, the vehicle slid to the right and flipped over onto the passenger side. the air bags failed to deploy. the driver sustained a neck injury and medical attention was required. a police report was not filed. the vehic…”
2014-08-15 · Power Train · 130,000 mi“my vehicle stalls in traffic and once it cuts off there is no way to put it in neutral. a police tried to help me out and told me that is a safety hazard. i keep having this problem especially when i'm driving on highways once it cuts off there's no way for me to steer off of the road. it's frightening. *tr…”
2013-04-26 · Structure:body · 100,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 745li. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph and attempting a turn, the front driver's side door opened independently. the instrument panel displayed that the doors were closed. the soft close automatic option failed and the contact had to slam the door in order for it to properly close. the vehicle was not ta…”
2012-12-19 · Structure:body:hood · 78,000 mi“i took my 745li to the only bmw service center in davenport, ia for service and they could not open the hood by using the latch inside the car nor could they open it by any other means. there was nothing that led up to this issue, it just happened. they failed once again to open the hood the next time i brought the car in for a service so i asked t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.