RecallRadar

Home → Bmw → 745i → 2003

2003 Bmw 745i Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

47 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.68 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious03V324000

Engine And Engine Cooling

IF A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL LOSS OCCURS, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE OF THE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG AND, IF NECESSARY, RETIGHTEN THE DRAIN PLUG WITH THE CORRECTLY SPECIFIED TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ENGINE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG MAY BE INSUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED. THIS COULD LEAD TO LOOSENING OF THE PLUG CAUSING AN INITIAL OIL SPRAY AND A SUBSEQUENT OIL LEAK.

Serious03V240000

Engine And Engine Cooling

IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

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.

Complaint volume

47 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

11Crashes
2Fires
1Injuries
0Deaths

Across 47 complaints. Severity Index 0.68.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Power Train · Automatic T…5 · 11%Power Train4 · 9%Engine4 · 9%Air Bags4 · 9%Service Brakes3 · 6%Seat Belts3 · 6%Service Brakes, Hydraulic2 · 4%Unknown Or Other2 · 4%
  1. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 5 reports
  2. Power Train — 4 reports
  3. Engine — 4 reports
  4. Air Bags — 4 reports
  5. Service Brakes — 3 reports
  6. Seat Belts — 3 reports
  7. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 2 reports
  8. Unknown Or Other — 2 reports
  9. Electrical System — 2 reports
  10. Interior Lighting — 1 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2002 (2) · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 (3) · 2007 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

From the same data desk

Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.

TireFit
Is that tyre actually right for your car?
2,808 fitment guides
FuelFacts
What that trip really costs in fuel
Live consumption data
CostCompare
What things cost, city by city
2,123 comparisons