The Used Car Index

2004 BMW 7 Series problems

NHTSA lists 28 complaints for the 2004 BMW 7 Series, 0 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as BMW 7 SERIES.

At a glance

Complaints
28
With crash
0
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
2
Injuries
2
Deaths
0
Recalls
4
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
198,352
Investigations
3
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
36

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN414.3%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC414.3%
AIR BAGS310.7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM310.7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING310.7%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE310.7%
SEATS310.7%
STEERING310.7%
SERVICE BRAKES27.1%
VISIBILITY27.1%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
AIR BAGSFRONTAL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMHORN1
EQUIPMENTELECTRICAL1
EXTERIOR LIGHTINGHEADLIGHTS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEDELIVERY1
POWER TRAINTRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULICPOWER ASSIST1
STEERINGHYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM1
STRUCTUREBODY1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

4 recalls.

10V446000

Date: 2010-10-01. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, 6-SERIES, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2008 7-SERIES VEHICLES. A CHECK VALVE OF THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP MAY LEAK A SMALL AMOUNT OF LUBRICATING OIL. OVER TIME THIS COULD RESULT IN CONTAMINATION OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER.

Consequence: POWER ASSIST BRAKING PERFORMANCE COULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED. IN EXTREME CASES THERE COULD BE A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ASSIST BRAKING. AN UNEXPECTED REDUCTION OR LOSS IN POWER BRAKING ASSIST MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 24, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

04V575000

Date: 2004-12-06. Systems: SEATS.

Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FRONT SEAT HEATING SYSTEMS, UPON ENTERING AND EXITING THE VEHICLE, EXCESSIVE CONTACT WITH THE SIDE BOLSTER THAT IS CONTAINED IN THE SEAT'S BACKREST MAY DAMAGE THE HEATING MAT LOCATED IN THIS AREA. IF SUCH DAMAGE WERE TO OCCUR, WITH THE SYSTEM TURNED ON, THE VEHICLE OCCUPANT MAY FEEL EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THIS AREA.

Consequence: IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HEATING MAT IN THE BACKREST'S SIDE BOLSTER COULD OVERHEAT AND DAMAGE, OR MELT A SMALL HOLE IN, THIS AREA OF THE SEAT COVER. IF THIS HAPPENED, IT COULD LEAD TO AN OCCUPANT BEING BURNED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SEAT HEATING CIRCUIT. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

04V379000

Date: 2004-08-09. Systems: SEATS.

Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RELIABLY DETERMINE IF THE DRIVER'S SEAT IS OCCUPIED.

Consequence: IN CERTAIN CRASH CONDITIONS, THE DRIVER'S FRONT AIR BAG, HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, SAFETY BELT PRETENSIONER, AND KNEE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO A SEAT OCCUPANT.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SOFTWARE FOR THE DRIVER'S SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 13, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

04V344000

Date: 2004-07-14. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8 AND 12 CYLINDER ENGINES, THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL (EMC) UNITS WERE NOT PRODUCED ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS.

Consequence: AS A RESULT, ENGINE STALLING WILL OCCUR AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF OPERATION. THE VEHICLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART. ALSO, A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND, AFTER REPEATED ACTUATION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, A LOSS OF BRAKE POWER ASSIST WILL OCCUR. THESE CONDITIONS COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

3 investigations; 0 open.

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 Comfort Access Option.The Comfort Access option allows the driver to start and st

Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.

Linked campaign numbers: 12V502000.

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 analysis of the data provided by BMW identified 14 crashes and 5 alleged injuries

Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

EA08001

Opened: 2008-01-04. Closed: 2008-12-31.

BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION

BMW IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN ON APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MY04 THROUGH MY06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05 TO CORRECT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AREMY04- 06/ 5-SERIES WITH STANDARD AND SPORT SEATS, MY04-06/ X3-SERIES AND MY06/ 3-SERIES WITH SPORT SEATS. IN ADDITION, BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE O

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: 08V384000.

Manufacturer communications

36 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10
EQUIPMENT5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE3
AIR BAGS2
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY2
STEERING2

10249437

Date: 2024-01-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY.

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

10249027

Date: 2024-01-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle A A?A A A A discharged batteryA A?A A A A compl

10247567

Date: 2023-12-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low CDA594 - Message (- 0x33E) missing, rec

10245422

Date: 2023-11-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT.

Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicleA A?A A A A s equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additionally, the red anti-theft alarm L

10244242

Date: 2023-10-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE, LANE DEPARTURE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.

Various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (ADCAM system) can lead to customer complaints.

10182619

Date: 2020-10-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT, EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY.

Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to

10145306

Date: 2018-06-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

NAVIGATION SYSTEM: REPORTING MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance:

10143564

Date: 2018-05-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

NAVIGATION SYSTEM: REPORTING MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance:

10052012

Date: 2013-03-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

BMW: BATTERY HAS AN INCREASED DEMAND DUE TO DEVELOPEMENTAL PROCESS OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THIS IS CAUSING THE BATTER TO NEED TO UNDERGO AN ENERGY DIAGNOSIS. *KB

10051519

Date: 2012-12-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

BMW: THE HIGH-VOLTAGE (HV) BATTERY CELLS COULD BE DAMAGED IF THE VEHICLE IS PREVENTED FROM ENTERING SLEEP MODE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. UPDATED 03/11/2013 *JS

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
7 SERIES28

Same model, other years

All model years | All BMW models

Other BMW models, 2004

Sources

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