1999 BMW 740i Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1999 BMW 740i. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Bmw e38 have a high tendency for the guides for the camshaft chain (s) to fracture and come apart. This leads to plastic pieces to cause catastrophic failure, plastic and metal shavings to be observed in the lower oil pan as well as jump in timing for the owner who has to either pay$$$ or junk the…”
“I was driving home from work approximately 3am in the morning and I was getting close to my turn and I was slowing down and I hit a pot hole.. And all of a sudden my driver side airbags deploy almost cause me to wreck my car... *tr”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1999 bmw 740i. While driving approximately 35 mph slight pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the brakes momentarily locked. The air bag light then began to illuminate on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where he was informed that the…”
“Kuhmo tires - zrated 235/50/18 tires on 1999 bmw 740i - tires one month old. Low usage - sidewall blow out with no external damage to sidewall. Defect in tire.*ak”
“Dt: the contact states there is a nhtsa recall campaign 99v005000 concerning automatic transmission. This vehicle is experiencing the same problems as indicated in the recall, but it is not included in the recall due to vin. The contact will repair the vehicle at his own expense. Also, he…”
“Traction control, brake and abs light are all indicating failure. Dealer is unable to determine cause. Brakes appear to work ok but warning lights cause concern. *nlm”
“Traction control, brake and abs light are all indicating failure. Dealer is unable to determine cause. Brakes appear to work ok but warning lights cause concern. *nlm”
“Consumer hit a tree, and the airbags failed to deploy.*jb”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 BMW 740i as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.