Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 BMW 7 Series, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Fuel system, gasoline1
- Tires1
- Unknown or other1
- Seats1
- Engine1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Seat belts1
- Air bags1
- Equipment1
- Wheels1
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
Engines
The most common engines in 2003 BMW 7 Series cars on Dutch roads are the 6.0 petrol (327 kW, 439 hp), 4.4 petrol (245 kW, 329 hp) and 3.6 petrol (200 kW, 268 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 petrol | 327 kW 439 hp | 55 |
| 4.4 petrol | 245 kW 329 hp | 47 |
| 3.6 petrol | 200 kW 268 hp | 38 |
| 3.0 diesel | 160 kW 215 hp | 21 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
182 first registered in 2003 are on Dutch roads; 52% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €121,164.
Most common APK defects
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen113
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde76
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect68
- Band onvoldoende profiel26
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm26
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm22
- Fusee(kogel) te veel speling22
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld17
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
179 cars built in 2003 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 371 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, 331 of these cars first registered in 2003 took their annual MOT test. 70% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2003 the figure was 57%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2003 |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 0.3% | 13.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.3% | 7.4% |
| Suspension | 0.3% | 16.4% |
| Tyres | 0.3% | 6.3% |
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
43 of these cars first registered in 2003 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 313,000 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
63 2003 cars are on the New Zealand register; 62% 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
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2003 BMW 7 Series.
| 2010328 1 Oct 2010 | Brakes On certain vehicles, a check valve in the brake vacuum pump may leak a small amount of lubricating oil. Over time, this could result in contamination of the br… |
| 2004424 3 Dec 2004 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles equipped with heated seats, excessive contact with the seat backrest side bolster upon entering and exiting the vehicle may damage the heati… |
| 2003202 27 Aug 2003 | Engine On certain 745I, 745LI and 760LI vehicles, insufficient torque may have been applied to the engine oil filter drain plug which could lead to a loosening of the … |
| 2003168 8 Jul 2003 | Other On certain 745I and 745LI vehicles, due to a software error in the digital engine management control unit, a desynchronization of the valvetronic motors for eng… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 5-SERIES, 6-SERIES, AND MODEL YEAR 2002-2008 7-SERIES VEHICLES. A CHECK VALVE OF THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP MAY LEAK A SMALL AMOUNT OF LUBRICATING OIL. OVER TIME THIS COULD RESULT IN CONTAMINATION OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FRONT SEAT HEATING SYSTEMS, UPON ENTERING AND EXITING THE VEHICLE, EXCESSIVE CONTACT WITH THE SIDE BOLSTER THAT IS CONTAINED IN THE SEAT'S BACKREST MAY DAMAGE THE HEATING MAT LOCATED IN THIS AREA. IF SUCH DAMAGE WERE TO OCCUR, WITH THE SYSTEM TURNED ON, THE VEHICLE OCCUPANT MAY FEEL EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THIS AREA.
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 2003 BMW 7 Series: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10247567 | Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low CDA594 - Message (- 0x33E) missing, receiver DME, transmitter TFE |
| 10245422 | Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicles equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additionally, the red anti-theft alarm LED in the interior mirror does not briefly flash every 2 seconds, indicating the alarm is armed. |
| 10244242 | Various functions of the camera-based driver assistance systems (ADCAM system) can lead to customer complaints. |
| 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 |
| 10043689 | BMW: AFTER A FEW MILES OR SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES, CHECK CONTROL MESSAGE, HYBRID MALFUNCTION, MAY APPEAR AFTER PROGRAMMING OF SOFTWARE FOR VEHICLE. *PE |
| 10040046 | BMW: WHEN OUTSIDE TEMP IS BELOW FREEZING THE OUTSIDE DOORS WILL NOT CLOSE OR ARE DIFFICULT TO OPEN. A DOOR CABLE HAS MOISTURE INTRUSION AND FREEZES. *RM |
| 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 |
| 10037025 | BMW: PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING AND REPLACING INCANDESCENT AND HALOGEN LIGHT BULBS UNDER WARRANTY. *RM |
| 10036979 | BMW: A NEW TECHNICAL PROCESS HAS BEEN CREATED FOR BMW TO IDENTIFY CAUSES OF STEERING COMPLAINTS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF MODELS. *RM |
| 10035246 | BMW VEHICLES: REPLACED SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT WILL NOT ENABLE. AFTER REPLACING A CIS (CAPACITIVE SENSING PASSENGER OCCUPANCY MAT), THE NEW MAT WILL NOT ENABLE WHEN USING ISTA/P. HOWEVER, ISTA/P SHOWS THAT THE ACSM (ACTIVE CRASH SAFETY MODULE) WAS CODED CORRECTLY. THE FOLLOWING FAULTS ARE STORED IN THE ACSM CONTROL MODULE:9309ED, 9309F4 AND 930A23. ADSM CODING *PE |
| 10035244 | BMW VEHICLE: ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS. A CHECK CONTROL (CC) MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED FOR THE ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS. THE HEADLAMPS NO LONGER TURN WITH STEERING WHEEL MOVEMENT. FAULT CODE 800FC6 IS ENTERED IN THE FOOTWELL MODULE (FRM3). A SECOND TURN SIGNAL REQUEST IS MADE AT THE EXACT MOMENT WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS AUTOMATICALLY CANCELLING FROM A PREVIOUS TURN SIGNAL REQUEST. F07 (5 SERIES), F01, F02, F07 (7 SERIES). *PE |
| 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 |
| 10033130 | BMW VEHICLES: FUEL LEVEL SENSOR REPAIRS. WHERE IT IS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT SIDE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR DUE TO A FAILURE, THE ENTIRE PUMP AND HOUSING OR DELIVERY UNIT (SUCTION JET ASSEMBLY) DO NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. IN SOME CASES, EPC DOES NOT SHOW THAT THE REPAIR KIT IS AVAILABLE SEPARATELY IN THE ILLUSTRATION, BUT IT IS AVAILABLE IN THE PARTS DESCRIPTION. ALL MODELS. 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 |
| 10025983 | BMW: HEADLAMP MOISTURE: FAULT DIAGNOSTICS. WATER OR CONDENSATION IN ONE OR BOTH HEADLAMPS. MODELS 5 SERIES, 6 SERIES, 7 SERIES, X5, X6, 1 SERIES, AND 3 SERIES. MODEL YEARS 2000-20008. *PE |
| 10012788 | LOSS OF POWER WHILE DECELERATING AND TURNING OR COMING TO A STOP. *EH BMW 5 SERIES, 6 SERIES, 7 SERIES PRODUCED BETWEEN 09/03 TO 8/04. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Vehicle Rollaway
Vehicle Rollaway
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation