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What 16 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 BMW 750i

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 (16)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (8)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Electrical system (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)Fuel system (1)Suspension (1)

6 of 16 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Jan 1, 2021Transmission & drivetrain

WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A DEAD STOP I HEARD A LOUD BANG AND CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE , TOOK A LOOK UNDERNEATH AND IT SEEMS AT THE VERY LEAST THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE DRIVESHAFT AND THE DIFF EXPLODED. I'M HOPING THERE ISN'T ANY DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION ITSELF , I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE ON 1, 3 AND SOME 740 MODELS I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY NOT MINE ...

NHTSA ODI 11385994

Sep 6, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 750I. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND THE DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND CALLED NHTSA. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

NHTSA ODI 11253692

Apr 2, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

ON 2 SEPERATE OCCASIONS, ONCE ON A BUSY STREET AND ONCE ON THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN DURING DRIVING WITH AND ABRUPT SPEED CHANGE AS IT SLAMS INTO PARK OR LOCKS ALL WHEELS UP WITH NO CONTROL OF THE STEERING OR ANY PART OF THE VEHICLE. ALL ELECTRONICS WERE NOT WORKING AND AIRBAG LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AS THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AND SHUT OFF ON THE FREEWAY WITH AN 88 YEAR OLD WOMAN THE BMW DEALERSHIP SOLD THIS DANGEROUS LEMON OF A CAR TO. THE 1ST TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE VEHICLE NEEDED REPAIRS THAT TOTALED OVER $21,000 , MORE THAN THE VALUE OF THE CAR. BMW IS AWARE THIS VEHICLE HAS RECALLS & PROBLEMS. THESE VEHICLES SHOULD NOT BE REPAIRED AND PUT BACK ON THE ROAD. BOTH INCIDENTS OF THE CAR SHUTTING DOWN WHILE DRIVING COULD HAVE EASILY KILLED SOMEBODY. THE DEALERSHIP HAS RECORD OF INCIDENTS.

NHTSA ODI 11193475

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

Apr 12, 2016Transmission & drivetrainEngine

I PURCHASED VEHICLE IN SEP 2015. THE VERY 1ST WEEK DRIVING THE VEHICLE, I RECEIVED A TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION CODE ALMOST EVERY TIME I'M DRIVING AND PICKING UP SPEED WHICH ORIGINATED WHEN 1ST PURCHASED @ 57K MILES. I ADDRESSED IT TO 3RD PARTY MAJOR DEALER, AUTONATION OF TOYOTA IRVINE, CA, AND ALL THEY MANAGED TO PERFORM ON VEHICLE WAS A SOFTWARE UPDATE. FAULTY CODE CONTINUED TO POP UP AND DRIVING CAPABILITIES CONTINUED TO BE DELAYED. I FINALLY GAVE UP AND WENT TO ACQUIRE MY OWN DIAGNOSTICS AND FAULT CODE "400361 RATIO MONITORING/GEARSHIFT 6-5 IMPLAUSIBLE" WHICH HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ENTIRE REPLACEMENT (COST REPAIRS OVER $10K). I COMMUNICATED THIS TO THE CEO OF TOYOTA IRVINE NAMED [XXX] AND HE REQUESTED THAT I FORWARD DIAGNOSTIC PROOF AND HE'D AGREE TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE. NOW APRIL 2016 STILL HAVE HAD NO RESPOND BACK FROM ANYONE @ TOYOTA AND THEY HAVE JUST BLOWN ME AWAY. FINALLY AS WE SPEAK MY VEHICLE IS NOW @ BMW MONROVIA, CA AWAITING TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT (HAD TO SAVE UP ENOUGH $) AND CURRENTLY HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF OTHER RECALLS AND SERVICED FOR SUCH AS TURBO BOOSTER & ENGINE FUEL CRANKCASE LINE HOSES ETC(BULLETIN B001314) AND MAY OR MAY NOT INCLUDE POWER TRAIN BUT INCLUDE TIMING CHAIN, BATTERY, CYLINDER HEAD COVER VENTILATION LINES, FUEL PRESSURE SENSORS AND MASS AIR FLOWS ). VEHICLE NOW @ 70K MILES AND I'VE BEEN MADE AWARE ALSO OF 2 COLLAPSED ENGINE MOUNTS AS WELL. I'VE MADE ALL THIS AWARE TO BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND AS I CAN AGREE WITH THEM IT'S DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT FAULT DUE TO 3RD PARTY SALE OF VEHICLE. YET, THEY CLAIMED THEY WOULD GET BACK ME WITHIN 24HRS TO VIEW SERVICE HISTORY ETC. ALSO, DEALER CLAIMED THAT THEY COULD PROBABLY GET AWAY WITH CHANGING ONLY TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY BUT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA RECOMMENDED ENTIRE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AND A $5K DIFFERENCE IN COST. THANK YOU KINDLY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10855184

May 10, 2013Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 750I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE FUEL PUMP WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER A THIRD TIME. THE CONTACT WAS NOT AWARE OF THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10511412

Working with the data? Download all 16 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 750i verdict →