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2005 Bmw 745li Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

41 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 2.54 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious17V328000

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

The door may unexpectedly open due to road or driving conditions or occupant contact with the door.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious12V502000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

If the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may rollaway.

Remedy & full details

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.

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 time interval, the system may shift the transmission to Neutral rather than Park. If using the electronic key (Comfort Access mode), there would be no protection from the ignition interlock that prevents key removal if the vehicle is not in Park.

Serious12V504000

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

The door may unexpectedly open due to road or driving conditions or occupant contact with the door.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

41 this model-year 6 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

12Crashes
0Fires
20Injuries
0Deaths

Across 41 complaints. Severity Index 2.54.

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

Air Bags5 · 12%Electronic Stability Cont…4 · 10%Power Train · Automatic T…3 · 7%Seat Belts3 · 7%Latches/Locks/Linkages · …2 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling…2 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling2 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic2 · 5%
  1. Air Bags — 5 reports
  2. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 4 reports
  3. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 3 reports
  4. Seat Belts — 3 reports
  5. Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch — 2 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System — 2 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling — 2 reports
  8. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 2 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum — 2 reports
  10. Latches/Locks/Linkages — 2 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 (2) · 2004 · 2005

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.