2002 BMW 745I Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 745I years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 54 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 BMW 745I. That is the most of any 745I model year in the database (8 years). The most reported problem area is power train (17 complaints, 31%), typically at around 102,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 1 fire. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 54owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 BMW 745I problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 17 | 31% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 11 | 20% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 10 | 19% | 92,350 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 15% | 66,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 9% | 13,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 6% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 6% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 6% | 144,300 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 4% | 16,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 4% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 4% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 2% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 2% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 2% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 2% | 16,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 2% | 134,005 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 BMW 745I recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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:delivery
Problem: 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 one-third or less of its maximum fuel capacity.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Vehicle Rollaway (EA12002) — opened Apr 10, 2012, closed Jan 24, 2013, led to recall 12V502000.
- Vehicle Rollaway (PE11025) — opened Aug 5, 2011, closed Apr 23, 2012.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I bought the car from someone in cash. It has smoke coming out of the tail pipes. When its sitting and idling for a while it smokes terribly.
Air bag light on seat driver want adjust proper
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. While driving approximately 55 mph, the air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who checked all connections to the air bags, scanned the computer, and the light dimmed. The failure recurred after two weeks and the light remained…
Vehicle has a recall for brake vacuum pump 10v-446. Vehicle was brought into a local mechanic and he said the brake master cylinder was not working properly. He did research and said that it was a bmw recall. Finally took vehicle into bmw (tucson) and the said they saw no oil leak, therefore master…
All of a sudden, i got into my 745i 2002,"fault in passenger restraint system affecting airbag belt tensioner or belt force limiter. Continue to wear safety belt despite fault." this is an obvious defective materials from bmw manufacturing plant.
Other BMW 745I years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 745I | 0 | 1 |
| 2007 745I | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 745I | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 745I | 16 | 3 |
| 2004 745I | 24 | 0 |
| 2003 745I | 32 | 2 |
| 2002 | 54 | 2 |
| 2001 745I | 1 | 0 |
See all BMW 745I problems by year, every BMW model, or the BMW VIN decoder.
Similar BMW models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 BMW 745I?
Owners most often report power train, air bags, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 17 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 BMW 745I?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 BMW 745I a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 745I model years, the 2002 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.