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What 12 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (12)Electrical system (3)Engine (2)Seat belts (2)Speed control (2)Body & structure (1)Lane Departure (1)Suspension (1)

3 of 12 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters

Jun 28, 2024Electrical systemSeat beltsLane Departure

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

NHTSA ODI 11597560

Mar 8, 2017Electrical system

AUDIO CONTROL SYSTEM FREEZES ON THE BMW 740I. IT HAPPENS THAT AUDIO IS GONE COMPLETELY, SYSTEM DOES NOT RESPOND TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TO RAISE VOLUME: 1. GESTURE COMMANDS TO RAISE VOLUME (THE SYSTEM DOES NOT EVEN SHOW GESTURE IS INVOLVED ON THE DASH DISPLAY) 2. FROM THE POWER BUTTON BY MANUALLY ADJUSTING HIGHER, THERE IS NO RESPONSE FROM SYSTEM AT ALL AND DASH SCREEN DOES NOT SHOW VOLUME INCREASE IS BEING ATTEMPTED. 3. FROM THE VOLUME UP BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL, AGAIN NO SIGN ON DASH SCREEN THAT VOLUME INCREASE IS BEING ATTEMPTED.

NHTSA ODI 10959574

Jan 27, 2017Electrical system

2016 BMW 740I IS EQUIPMENT WITH AUTOMATIC PARK DISTANCE CONTROL SYSTEM (PDC) THAT AUTOMATICALLY ACTIVATES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS CLOSE TO AN OBSTACLE WHEN DRIVING AT VERY LOW SPEED. THE SYSTEM IS VERY FLAKY IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE, SOMETIMES IT ACTIVATES WHEN IT IS 2 FT AWAY FROM OBJECT AND MANY TIMES IT ACTIVATES WHEN IT IS ONLY 2 INCHES AWAY. IN SOME INSTANCE IT FAILS TO ACTIVATE COMPLETELY SO MANUAL INTERVENTION IS REQUIRED TO ACTIVATE SENSORS. DEALER TRIED REPAIRING TWICE INCLUDING NEW SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD AND CALIBRATION OF SENSORS BUT THE PROBLEMS PERSISTS AND THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10948062

Working with the data? Download all 12 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 2016 BMW 740i verdict →