Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 BMW 7 Series, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
In the Netherlands
151 first registered in 1996 are on Dutch roads; 44% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen69
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde55
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect54
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm21
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld19
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm17
- Band onvoldoende profiel17
- Stofhoes fuseekogel beschadigd en dicht niet af14
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
106 cars built in 1996 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 360 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 186 of these cars first registered in 1996 took their annual MOT test. 72% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1996 the figure was 65%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 0.5% | 11.5% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0.5% | 3.0% |
| Steering | 0.5% | 3.9% |
| Suspension | 0.5% | 11.5% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
19 of these cars first registered in 1996 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 315,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
66 1996 cars are on the New Zealand register; 64% arrived as used imports, 29% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 1996 BMW 7 Series.
| 1997173 9 Oct 1997 | Engine On certain 318IC, 318IS, 318TI, 325I, 325IC, 325IS, 525I, 525IT, 530I, 530IT, 540I, 740I, 740IL, 840CI and M3, the cruise control and throttle cable are attache… |
| 1997174 9 Oct 1997 | Suspension On certain 740I, 740IL and 750IL vehicles, road grit and gravel associated with winter road conditions can penetrate the rubber of the lower front spring mounts… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 1996 BMW 7 Series.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 1996 BMW 7 Series: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 601210 | SUBJECT REGARDING THE ABS/ASC WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DURING DYNAMOMETER TEST. *YC *JN |
| 52228 | ONE IOR BOTH REAR POWER WINDOWS INOPERATIVE. *TW |
| 52218 | FAULTY IGNITION/STARTER SWITCH. *TW |
| 52202 | CONDENSER ON AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY DEVELOP A LEAK DUE TO CONTACT CORROSION (PITTING) BETWEEN THE PLATE AND THE FLAT TUBES. *TW |
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10244242 | Various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (ADCAM system) can lead to customer complaints. |
| 10135028 | SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAM DME: The incorrect dataset could be programmed into DME 5.2.1 control module. |
| 10051519 | BMW: THE HIGH-VOLTAGE (HV) BATTERY CELLS COULD BE DAMAGED IF THE VEHICLE IS PREVENTED FROM ENTERING SLEEP MODE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. UPDATED 03/11/2013 *JS |
| 10044024 | BMW: WIPERS LIGHTS AND FRONT POWER WINDOWS ARE INOPERATIVE. THIS SITUATION MAY START AND LEAD TO A PERMANENT FAULT. ALSO INCLUDED MODEL F07 (5 SERIES GRAN TURISMO) MODEL YEARS UP TO MARCH 2012. *JS |
| 10037700 | BMW: THERE MAY BE EXCESSIVE CRANKING BEFORE THE VEHICLE STARTS. THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT MAY ALSO BE ON WITH A LACK OF ENGINE POWER. *RM |
| 10033132 | BMW VEHICLES: N63 TURBOCHARGER AUXILIARY WATER PUMP FAULTS. THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LAMP IS ILLUMINATED WITH THE FOLLOWING FAULT CODES STORED IN THE DME CONTROL MODULE. TURBOCHARGER COOLANT PUMP, CONTROL LINE, ELECTRIC, 0X1016-LINE INTERRUPTION. AN INTERNAL COMPONENT FAULT OF THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP WILL CAUSE IT TO NOT POWER UP INTERMITTENTLY. IMPROVED PUMPS WENT INTO PRODUCTION ON 6/3/09. MODELS E70, E71, E72, F01, F02, F04, F07, F10. *PE UPDATED 2/7/11. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10032990 | BMW: DIAGNOSIS OF DME ME 9.2 MAP THERMOSTAT FAULT 2EF4/279B. THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE DOES NOT OVERHEAT AND THE MAP THERMOSTAT OPERATES PROPERLY. POSSIBLE CAUSES ARE DETERIORATION OF COOLANT QUALITY; INCREASED CONTACT RESISTANCE BETWEEN THE THERMOSTAT TEMPERATURE SENSOR, THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND THE DME CONNECTOR; INTERNAL DEFECT OF A MAP COOLING THERMOSTAT. *PE UPDATED 11/17/10. *PE |
| 10029964 | BMW: THE SAFETY BELTS FOR THE FRONT SEATS HAVE AN ELECTRIC MOTOR-DRIVEN REEL (EMA) WHICH WILL RETRACT/PRETENSION THE SEAT BELT A SPECIFIED AMOUNT WHEN CERTAIN HAZARDOUS DRIVING SITUATIONS ARE PRESENT. *PE |
| 10029684 | BMW: SERVICE ENGINE SOON LAMP OR THE CHECK GAS CAP WARNINGS ARE ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. WHEN DIAGNOSED, THE DME HAS STORED FAULTS FOR SMALL LEAK, MICRO LEAK, SUPER FINE LEAK, OR LARGE LEAK IN RELATION TO THE TANK VENTILATION OR EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM *PE UPDATED 10/27/09. *PE |
| 10029605 | BMW SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP (AWL) IS ILLUMINATED, TOGETHER WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS LAMP (POL). THE PROBLEM MAY BE INTERMITTENT. MICROCRACKS IN THE OC3 SEAT MAT. *PE UPDATED 9/30/11. *PE |
| 10029604 | BMW: VEHICLE MAY INTERMITTENTLY EXHIBIT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: HARD TO START OR MAY NOT START; ENGINE RUNS ROUGH AND LACKS OR LOSES POWER; ENGINE POWER REDUCED. VAPOR LOCK IN THE FUEL SYSTEM COULD OCCUR UNDER CERTAIN ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS, WHICH THEN WOULD CAUSE A DROP IN THE LOW SIDE FUEL PRESSURE. *PE UPDATED 7/22/09. MODELS F01 AND F02. *PE |
| 10029348 | BMW: SPORADICALLY, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR-WIPERS ARE RUNNING ON A DRY WINDOW; SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER ARE INOPERATIVE; CHECK CONTROL MESSAGE EMF DROPPED OUT (DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEM EMERGENCY MODE). *PE |
| 10029264 | BMW: LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS ARE SWITCHED ON, OR AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, ONE OF THE XENON LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS FLASHES SERVERAL TIMES, AND THEN INTERMITTENLY SWITCHES OFF. *PE |
| 10029025 | BMW: SMALL NUMBER OF VEHICLES EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS RANGING FROM LEAKING OIL FILLER CAPS, LEAKING OR BROKEN VALVE COVERS, TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE IN EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATE CONDITIONS. MOISTURE ACCUMULATING IN ENGINE CRANKCASE VENTILATION VALVE OR HOSES CAN FREEZE DUE TO LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)