Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2009 BMW 7 Series, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train3
- Engine3
- Structure2
- Fuel/propulsion system2
- Exterior lighting1
- Unknown or other1
- Electronic stability control (esc)1
- Service brakes1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Electrical system1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Engines
The most common engines in 2009 BMW 7 Series cars on Dutch roads are the 4.4 petrol (300 kW, 402 hp), 3.0 petrol (240 kW, 322 hp) and 3.0 diesel (180 kW, 241 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 4.4 petrol | 300 kW 402 hp | 99 |
| 3.0 petrol | 240 kW 322 hp | 77 |
| 3.0 diesel | 180 kW 241 hp | 33 |
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
241 first registered in 2009 are on Dutch roads; 77% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €142,192.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde107
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen88
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm67
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld57
- Band onvoldoende profiel44
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm42
- Veer gebroken of gescheurd41
- Fusee(kogel) te veel speling26
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
372 cars built in 2009 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 181 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, 562 of these cars first registered in 2009 took their annual MOT test. 78% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2009 the figure was 59%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 0.7% | 16.4% |
| Tyres | 0.7% | 7.5% |
| Brakes | 0.5% | 10.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 0.5% | 18.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.5% | 5.4% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0.2% | 1.4% |
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
119 of these cars first registered in 2009 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 273,000 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
86 2009 cars are on the New Zealand register; 60% arrived as used imports, 34% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2009 BMW 7 Series.
| 2024544 15 Aug 2024 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "N… |
| 2018195 19 Apr 2018 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the auxiliary water pump (which cools the turbocharger after the engine is turned OFF) can overheat and fail. This could result in a vehicl… |
| 2016566 15 Nov 2016 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, a Sensor Cluster Unit (SCU) having incorrect programming may have been installed in error by dealers during servicing. As the SCU helps det… |
| 2011376 21 Oct 2011 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the auxiliary water pump (which cools the turbocharger after the engine is turned OFF) can overheat and fail. This could result in a vehic… |
| 2010031 3 Feb 2010 | Label Certain vehicles are equipped with a tire information label that does not conform to the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. It is indicating that the vehicl… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 5-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 5-SERIES GRAN TURISMO, MODEL YEAR 2009-2011 7-SERIES, MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 X5 SAV, AND MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 X6 SAV VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8- OR 12-CYLINDER, TURBOCHARGED, ENGINES BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CAN OVERHEAT.
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 7-SERIES AND MODEL YEAR 2010 550i GRAND TURISMO VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110 "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLE'S ARE EQUIPPED WITH A TIRE PRESSURE LABEL INDICATING THAT THE VEHICLE'S SEATING CAPACITY IS FIVE (5) PASSENGERS. THE ACTUAL SEATING CAPACITY IS FOUR (4) PASSENGERS. THE TIRE SIZE, TIRE PRESSURE, AND VEHICLE CAPACITY WEIGHT ON THE LABEL ARE CORRECT.
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 2009 BMW 7 Series: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 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. |
| 10182619 | Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle "discharged battery" complaints. In order to properly repair the vehicle the first time in the workshop, it is very important that the diagnostic test plans are performed to completion, with all results taken into consideration. Without performing the energy diagnosis test plan, the root caus |
| 10058483 | BMW: PROCEDURAL INFORMATION ON THE INSTALLATION OF FUEL SYSTEM LOW PRESSURE SENSOR AND NOT CORRECTLY INSTALLED WILL LEAD TO FAILURE OF LOW PRESSURE SENSOR AND METAL SUPPLY LINE. MODEL 2008-14. *PE |
| 10057568 | BMW: ON SOME VEHICLES, WHEN STARTING, LOW BEAM, WITH 0552 OPTION, WOULD BRIEFLY FLASHES, DUE TO A FAULTY LED MAIN LIGHT MODULE THAT NEEDS REPLACING. MODEL 2008-14 F01, F02, F06, F07, F10, F12, F13, F25. *PE |
| 10057527 | BMW: SELECTIVE CATALYST REDUCTION MODULE (SCR) HAS A STORED FAULT, PRESSURE BUILD UP IS LOW, CAUSING SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. * |
| 10057338 | BMW: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, ENGINE TIMING CHAIN SHOULD BE CHECKED FOR EARLY STAGES OF WEAR, AND A REPAIR SOLUTION SHOULD BE PROVIDED. *PE UPDATED 9/25/15. *PE UPDATED 10/6/15. *PE |
| 10056099 | BMW: WHEN USING IPHONE, VARIOUS CONNECTIVITY FAILURES OCCUR, SUCH AS DISCONNECTION OF CALL, LIST OF CONTACTS INCOMPLETE, DUE TO THE VARIANTS AND SOFTWARE USED. MODEL 2008-2014. |
| 10052365 | BMW: WARNING LAMPS ARE ILLUMINATED FOR THE DSC, ABS AND BRAKE AND A POSSIBLE WARNING IN CONTROL DISPLAY FOR CHASSIS CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE. MODELS 2012 F25, 30, 01, 02, 07, 10, 12, 13, E70, 71, 84. *PE |
| 10052359 | BMW: ON SOME VEHICLES, THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTOR, CAN LEAD TO AN INTERNAL FAILURE DUE TO INCORRECT OPERATION AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPAIRED AND/OR REPLACED. MODELS F01, 02, 04, 07, 10, 12, 13, E70, 71. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10052012 | BMW: BATTERY HAS AN INCREASED DEMAND DUE TO DEVELOPEMENTAL PROCESS OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THIS IS CAUSING THE BATTER TO NEED TO UNDERGO AN ENERGY DIAGNOSIS. *KB |
| 10051970 | BMW: HIGH BATTERY DISCHARGE WARNING: BATTERY NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THE "HIGH BATTERY DISCHARGE WARNING" WILL ILLUMINATE ON THE CENTRAL INFORMATION DISPLAY (CID). *KB UPDATED 05/13/2013 *JS UPDATED 11/1/13. *PE |
| 10046859 | BMW: DUE TO DAMAGED SEAL RING, DURING ASSEMBLY, ENGINE OIL IS LEAKING FROM ENGINE OIL PUMP VOLUME CONTROL VALVE GASKET SEAL RING. MODELS E70, E71, F01, F02, F04, F07, F10, F12, F13. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10045300 | BMW: CRUISE CONTROL IS OPERATING AT 40 MILES PER HOUR, WHEN HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY DISCHARGES, DUE TO POSSIBLY INSTALLED INCORRECT OR NON APPROVED SIZE TIRES AND WHEELS ON VEHICLE. *PE |
| 10045282 | BMW: WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, AT TIMES WOULD BE ROUGH RUNNING; WHITE OR BLUE SMOKE SEEN EXITING EXHAUST SYSTEM AND THE ENGINE OIL IS CONSUMED ABOVE SPECIFICATIONS. *PE UPDATED 1/11/13. *PE |
| 10044281 | BMW: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. ON CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 VEHICLES, A DEFECT INVOLVING THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CAN OVER HEAT OR FAIL TO COOL ENGINE AND FIRE MAY OCCUR IN VEHICLE OR ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *PE |
| 10043862 | BMW: ELECTRONIC MALFUNCTION AND VARIOUS CHECK CONTROL MESSAGES ARE DISPLAYED IN CID (CENTRAL INFORMATION DISPLAY) AND INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *PE MODELS 2009-2012 E70, E71, E72, E82, E88, E90, E91, E92, E93, F01, F02, F04, F07, F10, F12, F13, F25. UPDATED 11/2/12. *PE |
| 10043689 | BMW: AFTER A FEW MILES OR SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES, CHECK CONTROL MESSAGE, HYBRID MALFUNCTION, MAY APPEAR AFTER PROGRAMMING OF SOFTWARE FOR VEHICLE. *PE |
| 10042470 | BMW: WHEN DRIVING OFF OR DURING A LOAD REVERSAL, A CLICKING NOISE IS HEARD FROM THE REAR AXLE. *PE |
| 10040368 | BMW SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL PUMP WHICH COULD NOT MEET EMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS. THERE MAY BE A LONG CRANK AND A SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT. *RM |
| 10040174 | BMW: THE CABLE FOR THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE ON BOTH FRONT DOORS MAY NOT BE WATERTIGHT. WATER AND/OR DIRT MAY ENTER THE CABLE AND MAKE THE HANDLE DIFFICULT TO MOVE. *RM |
| 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 |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)