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2016 BMW 740i

Solid pick. The public record on this car is clean for its age. Inspect it, then negotiate with confidence.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

12 owner complaints · 0 recalls · data verified July 26, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Buywillitcar.com

Why buy?

Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.

Zero recalls, rare for a car this age.

Complaint reports have faded. Early issues appear resolved or aged out.

Score breakdown, by factor

Full methodology →

#1 of 609Among the 2016 models with a matured record, the 2016 BMW 740i ranks #1, scoring higher than 100% of them. See the 2016 ranking →

Complaint volume100
Severity100
Recall load100
Trend100

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20172024

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

NHTSA hasn’t published a crash-test rating for this model year. That’s common for lower-volume or older models. It doesn’t mean the car is unsafe, just that this program hasn’t tested it.

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2016 BMW 740i, plotted where owners report it happening.

Electrical system

25%

3 complaints

Blind spot warning randomly works. Passenger seatbelt phantom seatbelt warning while driving alone!

Read the electrical system complaints →

Seat belts

17%

2 complaints

Blind spot warning randomly works. Passenger seatbelt phantom seatbelt warning while driving alone!

Read the seat belts complaints →

Engine

17%

2 complaints

Active Air Flap fault, Upper and Lower Actuator is not working and that is why engine is overheating. BMW has extended this warranty to 10 years/120K miles for 750 and…

Read the engine complaints →

Speed control

17%

2 complaints

THE PROBLEM IS CENTERED AROUND ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM OF BMW 740I 2016. BMW 740I CAN'T DETECT VEHICLES FROM THE RIGHT CORNER OR LEFT CORNER WHEN TWO LANES MERG…

Read the speed control complaints →

Check it against this car’s mileage

Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.

miles

Too few owners named a mileage on this model to place issues against an odometer yet.

Read all 12 owner complaints in their own words →

Recalls (0)

No recall campaigns on file for this model year.

Questions to ask the seller

Questions worth asking any seller before you hand over money:

  1. Has this car been in any accident, and can you share a title history and any service records you have?
  2. How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
  3. Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?

Before you hand over money

Check the VIN for open recalls

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2016 BMW 740I beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2016? See how every 740i model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2016 BMW 740i against another car →

What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

See what owners are saying about other cars →

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2016 BMW 740i as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.