2004 BMW 7 Series Seats Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 11%of 28 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 51,200miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the seats of the 2004 BMW 7 Series, 11% of the 28 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 51,200 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Driver's seat occupant detection sensor malfunction. There were no untoward incidents except that I had to drive abt. 65 miles, miss my office hours, unable to use the car fearlessly, and put myself in danger.the recall in your report did not include my chassis number(ds54945), which I purchased 23 nov 2004.”
NHTSA complaint #10128954, filed 2005-07, 5,674 miles“I started my Bmw 745i to warm it up along with the heated seats. Came out of my house three minutes later to leave and smelled something burning on the inside of the car. I looked around but didn't see anything outright obvious. I started to drive away when I felt burning sensation to my left side. I turned to look and saw that seat heater was burning through the leather on the left side of the back of the seat. I made left a message with a service rep at new country Bmw of hartford,ct with no return call within 24 hours as there answering service promises. …”
NHTSA complaint #10369561, filed 2010-12, 88,750 miles“The contact owns a 2004 Bmw 745li. The contact received a warning from the computer to engage his seat belt. The seat belts were already engaged, however, he continued to receive the message. The dealer stated that there was a glitch in the program and they would need to service the computer. Approximately three weeks later, the front passenger seat caught fire. The dealer did not provide an explanation as to the cause of the fire. The dealer replaced the leather and wiring in the front seat. The contact was injured. The current mileage was 52,000 and failure mileage was 51,200.”
NHTSA complaint #10197541, filed 2007-07, 51,200 milesRelated recalls
- 04V575000Dec 6, 2004On certain passenger vehicles equipped with front seat heating systems, upon entering and exiting the vehicle, excessive contact with the side bolster that is…Covers: BMW 7 Series 2003–2004, 5 Series 2004
- 04V379000Aug 9, 2004On certain passenger vehicles, the software programming of the driver's seat occupant detection system (ods) may not be able to reliably determine if the…Covers: BMW 7 Series 2004
Related service bulletins
- 10035246Oct 1, 2010Bmw 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…
Seats: other model years
Other parts of the 2004 BMW 7 Series
5 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsElectrical system
3 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsTires
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 BMW 7 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology