RecallRepo

2002 BMW 745li Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2002 BMW 745li has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 13,882 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 03V240000 2003-07-01 5,470 affected
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.

Consequence

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.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 02V150000 2002-06-03 8,412 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

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.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
1crashes
AIR BAGS
9
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
1crashes
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
3
SEAT BELTS
3
ENGINE
2
1crashes
POWER TRAIN
2
AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY
1
Total complaints57

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745li. The contact stated when she attempted to start the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that the sbsr module needed to be replaced. The module was…”

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE · reported 2020-04-14

“Car stalled and all the lights are flashing on the dash... Will not start back up... Almost had a serious wreck at 75mph car just went off...had no steering and barley made it to the side of the road... Damaged the front end after hitting the curb trying to get off the highway to safety... Had it…”

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) · reported 2018-07-20

“Car stalled and all the lights are flashing on the dash... Will not start back up... Almost had a serious wreck at 75mph car just went off...had no steering and barley made it to the side of the road... Damaged the front end after hitting the curb trying to get off the highway to safety... Had it…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2018-07-20

“Car stalled and all the lights are flashing on the dash... Will not start back up... Almost had a serious wreck at 75mph car just went off...had no steering and barley made it to the side of the road... Damaged the front end after hitting the curb trying to get off the highway to safety... Had it…”

ENGINE · reported 2018-07-20

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745li. The contact stated that the fuel pump did not circulate coolant to the motor. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 02v150000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the contact's vehicle was never included in the recall. The contact also stated that the…”

ENGINE · reported 2018-07-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745li. The contact stated that the fuel pump did not circulate coolant to the motor. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 02v150000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the contact's vehicle was never included in the recall. The contact also stated that the…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2018-07-01

“I contacted bmw of north america just recently regarding the airbag sensor problem since we keep spending money on this car since the first day we got it nothing but problems. I would like them to purchased this car back from me since all I had is money losses and aggravation with this vehicle.”

AIR BAGS · reported 2018-05-01

“I contacted bmw of north america just recently regarding the airbag sensor problem since we keep spending money on this car since the first day we got it nothing but problems. I would like them to purchased this car back from me since all I had is money losses and aggravation with this vehicle.”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2018-05-01

Defect investigations

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation EA12002 Opened 2012-04-10 · closed 2013-01-24

Vehicle Rollaway

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the…

Investigation PE11025 Opened 2011-08-05 · closed 2012-04-23

Vehicle Rollaway

In response to the Office of Defects Investigation's (ODI) Information Request (IR) for PE11-025, BMW provided ODI with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. ODI's…

Investigation PE11025 Opened 2011-08-05 · closed 2012-04-23

Vehicle Rollaway

In response to the Office of Defects Investigation's (ODI) Information Request (IR) for PE11-025, BMW provided ODI with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. ODI's…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 BMW 745li as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.