Your vehicle report
2002 BMW 745I
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 54
- Received May 2002 to Feb 2020
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Unintended acceleration despite braking6 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips5 complaints · 9.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbag warning light stays on4 complaints · 7.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #03V240000On 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.
- Recall #02V150000On certain passenger vehicles, the electric fuel pump runs at a rotational speed that could result in reduced lubrication of its internal components. Over an extended period of time, wear-induced internal damage to the fuel pump could result in insufficient fuel supply to the engine when the fuel tank contains one-third or less of its maximum fuel capacity.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 3 crashes, 1 fire, 0 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 7 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 8 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 9 |
| 2012 | 10 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 54 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 11% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 5 | 9.3% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 4 | 7.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 7.4% | – | NHTSA recall #03V240000 |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 3 | 5.6% | – | |
| Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedal | 3 | 5.6% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 3 | 5.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #03V240000July 1, 20035,470 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #02V150000June 3, 20028,412 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery
On certain passenger vehicles, the electric fuel pump runs at a rotational speed that could result in reduced lubrication of its internal components. Over an extended period of time, wear-induced internal damage to the fuel pump could result in insufficient fuel supply to the engine when the fuel tank contains one-third or less of its maximum fuel capacity.
If this were to occur, the engine could stall and not be restarted until more fuel was added to the fuel tank. This could occur even though the fuel gauge indicated that fuel still remained in the tank.
Remedy
Dealers will reprogram the fuel pump control system. Owner notification began june 28, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Bmw at 1-800-332-4269.
Other model years
- 2002
- 2003 32
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 BMW 745I.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN