Home · 2012 BMW 740li · Complaints

What 7 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 BMW 740li

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)Crash / fire / injury (1)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Engine (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)Firerelated (1)Fuel system (1)Seat belts (1)Suspension (1)Wheels (1)

3 of 7 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Oct 26, 2020SuspensionTransmission & drivetrain

WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 55 MPH, A WARNING SOUNDS (DINGS) AS MY CAR READS DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION AND IT REDUCES SPEED. IT ALSO SAYS (READS) DRIVING COMFORT RESTRICTED AND IT STOPS AUTOMATICALLY AS I'M DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI 11366525

Mar 20, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW 740LI. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND THEN LUNGED FORWARD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED OFTEN. DURING THE FAILURE, THE "POWER TRAIN MALFUNCTIONING" MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.

NHTSA ODI 11190258

Feb 7, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel system

DRIVETRAIN SIGNAL CAME ON LIGHT IN CAR STARTED TO TURN ON AND OFF GEARSHIFT BECAME REAL COLD STARTED TO SLOW DOWN ONLY ALLOW TO GO 50 MPH

NHTSA ODI 11175098

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 2012 BMW 740li verdict →