2007 BMW 750LI Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2007 750Li report problems that mostly come with age and mileage: doors that fail to latch or open on their own, a passenger-seat air bag sensor that lights the restraint warning, and transmission harshness or unexpected shifts. The complaints we sampled typically fall between roughly 45,000 and 130,000 miles, so many of these cars are showing these faults well past the original warranty.

1. 1
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Doors that fail to latch or open while driving

   • 29 complaints (38%)
   • median 89,000 mi at 8.6 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • filed 2012–2022

   Complaints describe front or rear doors that will not latch shut or that open on their own while the car is moving, sometimes at highway speed. A common story is that the door has to be held closed by hand to keep driving. Several owners mention the Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options, and say they were told their VIN was not covered by the door-latch recalls even though the symptoms matched; others report that the recall software update was applied and the door still opened. Reported from about 45,000 to 130,000 miles, with many clustered between 55,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 17V328000Recall 12V504000

   What to check: Open and close every door several times and look for a door-ajar warning, a door that needs a firm slam, or a handle that feels loose. Ask whether the door-latch recalls 12V504000 and 17V328000 were completed, and whether any door was repaired afterwards.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Door will not close on the front driver and passage side, driving down the street and the door flew open had it not been for my seat-belt I could have fallen out, very frightening to have other cars driving beside me and the door opened like that and it will not lock period no way to secure vehicle. I was told by the dealership they had not resolution, no way to repair it is unknown to me what is causing this problem but there is a recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11006414, filed 2017-07, 89,000 miles

   “Own a 2007 Bmw 750LI. I started having problems with my driver side door several weeks ago. My driver door would not shut. Yesterday, I was at the work, went back to my car, used the remote and the door opened. Got into my car and my door would not shut. I tried to use the automatic lock and it did not work. I used the key on the driver side and waited until I heard it catch, this reengaged my lock so I was able to close the door. Update comp code to latches/locks/linkages. Very dangerous not having the door lock. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10511431, filed 2013-05, 48,750 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Passenger air bag / restraint warning light stays on

   • 14 complaints (18%)
   • median 96,500 mi at 10.2 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • filed 2011–2021

   Owners write about the air bag or passenger restraint warning light coming on, often accompanied by a message about a fault in the passenger restraint system affecting the air bag or belt tensioner. Dealers commonly diagnose a faulty front passenger seat occupant detection mat or seat occupancy detector and quote a replacement. Several owners say they were told their vehicle was outside the occupant-classification recall by build date or VIN, although the symptom matched. Mostly reported between roughly 49,000 and 113,000 miles, often noticed at startup.

   Recall 13V564000

   What to check: Turn the key and confirm the air bag and seat belt lights go out after the bulb check; sit in the passenger seat and see whether the passenger air bag indicator changes state. Ask whether the occupant detection mat has been replaced and whether recall 13V564000 applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At home cranked car to leave and airbag and seat belt warning lights came on. Called dealership and was told it is the front seat occupant protection mat, but no recall for this model. They are well aware of this problem. Afraid to drive a car that cost so much and Bmw wont stand behind their product is ridiculous.”

   NHTSA complaint #10617255, filed 2014-07, 85,821 miles

   “The airbag malfunction dash light is on. The Bmw dealer has determined the malfunction is due to an internal failure to the drivers seat occupancy detector. An active recall (17v-605 ?) includes 2004-2006 Bmw 7 series but excludes my 2007 Bmw 7. Dealer declined to make the repairs under the active recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #11239522, filed 2019-07, 147,611 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission harsh shifting, slipping or dropping into

   • 10 complaints (13%)
   • median 72,316 mi at 9.1 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2010–2020

   Complaints describe hard 1-2 and 2-1 shifts, a delayed response when accelerating followed by a lunge, and occasional slipping. Some owners report the car shifting itself into neutral or into park, sometimes with a transmission fault message, and a few say the problem appeared after a shift-by-wire related recall repair. Software updates and computer replacements are the usual first steps, and one owner was later told the transmission itself needed replacement. Reports range from about 30,000 to 168,000 miles, with several between 55,000 and 80,000 miles.

   Recall 12V5020001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive at low speed and feel for a clunk on the 1-2 and 2-1 shifts, and test that the shifter engages each gear firmly. Ask for transmission fault codes and whether any shift-by-wire software or recall work was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When accelerating the car does not respond at first, and then when it does finally accelerate it switches gears so hard the whole car lunges forward, I took the car into the dealership three times. Each time they said they needed to do software upgrade. This never fixed the problem. The car still continues to do this. The first time I took the car to the dealership the car was at 55,000 miles, my car is currently at 65,000 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10787483, filed 2015-10, 55,000 miles

   “My 2007 Bmw li just started throwing itself into park while driving causing a major abrupt stop jerking the car to a stop. The transmission fault error came on and I turned the car off and waited a minute and turned it back on and was able to continue. It did this one more time before reaching home. Then the following day attempting to drive it as soon as I put it in reverse it jumped back into park. I had it towed to the dealer as I had read that there was a recall for Bmw's with the same symptoms. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11318132, filed 2020-03, 163,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Electrical faults: battery drain, panel and module failures

   • 13 complaints (17%)
   • median 82,003 mi at 8.9 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2008–2022

   Owners describe batteries going flat, check-control messages about battery charge in cold weather, and a screen or instrument panel that goes dead so speed and fuel cannot be read. Some complaints tie water leaking down the door panels into the fuse box or engine control module area to warning lights, surging and the engine shutting off while driving. Others mention the remote lock and liftgate working intermittently. Spread from very low mileage up to about 167,000 miles, with several reports around 75,000 to 107,000 miles.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check for damp carpets or water trails near the door sills and under the dash, and confirm the battery holds charge after sitting. Ask for a battery energy diagnosis and any stored fault codes, since several service bulletins cover charging complaints and fault-code diagnosis.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car screen panel dead. No visuable information on car panel to determine speed, gas level etc. Car picked up from dealership after service and told of water leak in car. Had been told by the service dept that they could not find a leak of water into car. However, apparently, they did not want to repair the panel due to their neligence. The car had been taken to them with this issue several times as a potential recall issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11386685, filed 2021-01, 70,000 miles

   “While driving at 25-30mph, the vehicle stalled losing all power including the power steering and having to coast into the breakdown lane. This is the second time in 3 months. After sitting for 15 minutes and 5-10 no starts , the vehicle finally started and drove normally. The dealership is unable to replicate the event. There is a current power supply recall on several Bmw models demonstrating the same symptoms. Bmw states that the power supply on the 750LI is different from those vehicles under the recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10499421, filed 2013-02, 85,007 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake pedal goes hard and stopping power drops

   • 6 complaints (8%)
   • median 77,000 mi at 8.7 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2013–2021

   Owners report a brake pedal that becomes stiff and requires heavy pressure, with the car slow to stop, particularly at low speed while parking or turning. One complaint describes a technician finding that a check valve on the brake vacuum pump had leaked oil into the brake booster; another was told vacuum lines were replaced but booster and master cylinder work was pending. Some owners mention the brake warning light and an inoperative parking brake. Reported from around 14,000 to 120,000 miles, with most cases between 56,000 and 77,000 miles.

   What to check: With the engine running, press the pedal several times and check that it feels firm but not rock hard, and test the parking brake. Ask whether the vacuum lines, brake booster or master cylinder have been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My emergency brake system has failed. Has there been a recall to fix problem on my 2007 Bmw 750LI. My vehicle is parked in garage cant drive do not have an emergency brake to park it without applying the emergency brake.”

   NHTSA complaint #11218411, filed 2019-06, 77,000 miles

   “It has been happening from 2009 which was not a big concern after I bought the veh.as of now the problem has worsened I happens when I am parking the ( parallel parking ) less then 10 miles per hour brake pedal become stiff when depress on it the car would not stop sometime I would bump the in front of me or behind me. The scary part is when I am effecting a broken u turn in a tight street ,I would step on the beak to avoid hitting in front and back of me . The brake pedal would stiffen even if pushed all the way down to the floor. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11210364, filed 2019-05, 14,000 miles

Buying note. Have a specialist inspect the door latches and air bag occupant sensor first, since those are the most common complaints and the fix is not always covered. Then budget for transmission, brake-vacuum and electrical checks, because repairs on these systems can be costly if they have been deferred.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.