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What 7 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 BMW 740i

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (7)Engine (2)Fuel system (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Body & structure (1)

Newest first · 7 complaints

Mar 4, 2020Body & structure

DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR ACTUATORS AND LATCHES ARE NOT WORKING. THESE ARE THE SOFT-CLOSE DOORS AND ONCE YOU ARE INSIDE AND THE DOOR LOCKS, YOU CANNOT UNLOCK IT TO GET OUT. YOU CAN PRESS THE LOCK BUTTON AND IT DOES NOT UNLOCK. ALSO, IF YOU LOCK THE CAR FROM THE OUTSIDE, YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO UNLOCK THE CAR TO GET BACK IN WITH THE REMOTE OR THE ACTUAL KEY. BMW IS CHARGING FOR A LOCKSMITH TO UNLOCK THE CAR AND THEY ARE CHARGING OVER $2500 TO REPAIR. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD IF YOU ARE DRIVING AND WAS THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY THAT WOULD HAVE TO EXIT THE CAR THIS WOULD BE LIFE-THREATENING.

NHTSA ODI 11316088

Jan 22, 2018Fuel system

LEAKING FUEL CODE P1449 DMTL DIAGNOSTIC MODULE TANK LEAK. WOKE UP WITH FUEL SPOTS ON BOTH SIDES OF VEHICLE NEAR FUEL TANK. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY!!!! LUCKY FOR ME ! IT WAS NOT IN THE GARAGE.

NHTSA ODI 11064079

Oct 19, 2017Engine

BMW 750 I XDRIVE 2011 --EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION AND OR BURNING. THE DESIGN OF THE VALVE STEM SEALS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM DUE TO EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE SAFETY CONCERNS ARE THE FOLLOWING: 1) FIRE HAZARD. 2) PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PERSONAL INJURY 3) POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH EXCESSIVE SMOKE 4) ADDITIONAL COST BURDEN FOR CONSUMERS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND AT THE POINT OF ACCELERATION, THE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SMOKE THAT IS COMING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE. THE OIL MEASURE TURN TO LOW AFTER JUST 2 WEEKS OF ADDING OIL TO THE ENGINE. FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS, BMW SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND BE FORCED TO REPAIR THE ENGINEERING DESIGN FLAWS IN THEIR ENGINE THAT BURN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. CONSUMER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CARRY THE COST BURDEN OF REPAIRING THIS DESIGN FLAWS. AS AN OWNER, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN BMW

NHTSA ODI 11034531

Jun 29, 2017Transmission & drivetrain

ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP FAILURE ON MY 2011 BMW 750LI XDRIVE. SHOULD BE COVERED IN RECALL (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 11V521000). HOWEVER, BMW REFUSED TO HONOR RECALL. TOOK IN TO RAY CATENA BMW OF WESTCHESTER (543 TARRYTOWN RD., WHITE PLAINS, NY 10607, 914-761-5555) ON 6/27/2017. SHOWED THEM PRINTOUT OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 11V521000. SERVICE MANAGER SAID EVEN THOUGH THE RECALL INCLUDED THE 2011 BMW 750LI XDRIVE, MY SPECIFIC CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. I HAD TO COME OUT OF POCKET $949.31 TO HAVE THE PART REPLACED. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11002425

Jun 1, 2015Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 740I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC FLOOR SHIFTER INDEPENDENTLY MOVED FROM PARKING TO NEUTRAL AND THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC FLOOR SHIFTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 10722643

Apr 8, 2015Fuel system

SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 2012, AFTER WARRANTY THE CAR HAS CONSTANT BREAKDOWNS, I HAVE SPENT >3500 DOLLARS IN LAST YEAR, AGAIN GOT A MESSAGE "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" ABOUT A WEEK AGO, TOOK TO DEALER ROADSHOW BMW IN MEMPHIS, THEY SAID HIGH FUEL PUMP AND PLUGS NEED TO BE REPLACED IN ABOUT $1000, I AGREED AND LEFT CAR, TWO DAYS LATER THEY CALLED THAT THERE IS ANOTHER 'PLATE LEAKING OIL' AND NEEDS ANOTHER $1000 REPAIR. THIS WAS NOT THERE WHEN I LEFT THE CARE. I CALLED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE FIRST TIME, ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO, WITH OUT HELP, AND AGAIN YESTERDAY. MY CAR IS IN SHOP AT DEALER.I CAME TO KNOW THAT THIS FUEL PUMP PROBLEM IS VERY COMMONLY REPORTED IN BMW BUT SURPRISINGLY COMPANY HAS NOT RECALLED IT OR ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD RESULT IN FATAL ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. BMW SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS AND RECALLS AND FIXING THESE PROBLEMS BEFORE FATAL INJURIES OCCUR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10704446

Jan 8, 2014Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 740I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,600.

NHTSA ODI 10559050

Working with the data? Download all 7 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 BMW 740i verdict →