2004 BMW 7 Series: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2004 BMW 7 Series. The newest campaign is 10V446000. NHTSA received the report on 1 Oct 2010. The NHTSA record gives the component Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum. NHTSA has 28 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 10V446000, in the NHTSA record

Bmw will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on november 24, 2010. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 224,299 units in total.

10V4460001 Oct 2010Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum
04V5750006 Dec 2004Seats / Front Assembly / Seat Heater/Cooler
04V3790009 Aug 2004Seats
04V34400014 Jul 2004Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)

10V446000Received 1 Oct 2010. 198,352 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Power assist braking performance could be adversely affected. In extreme cases there could be a complete loss of power assist braking. An unexpected reduction or loss in power braking assist may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Bmw will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on november 24, 2010. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Report filed by BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Nov 2010.
04V575000Received 6 Dec 2004. 17,905 units.
Seats / Front Assembly / Seat Heater/Cooler
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
It is possible that the heating mat in the backrest's side bolster could overheat and damage, or melt a small hole in, this area of the seat cover. If this happened, it could lead to an occupant being burned.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will modify the seat heating circuit. The recall is expected to begin during december 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Dec 2004.
04V379000Received 9 Aug 2004. 3,940 units.
Seats
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, the software programming of the driver's seat occupant detection system (ods) may not be able to reliably determine if the driver's seat is occupied.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In certain crash conditions, the driver's front air bag, head protection system, safety belt pretensioner, and knee air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury to a seat occupant.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will reprogram the software for the driver's seat occupant detection system. The recall began october 13, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 Oct 2004.
04V344000Received 14 Jul 2004. 4,102 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 8 and 12 cylinder engines, the digital engine management control (emc) units were not produced according to specifications.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
As a result, engine stalling will occur after a short period of operation. The vehicle may not be able to restart. Also, a loss of power steering and, after repeated actuation of the brake pedal, a loss of brake power assist will occur. These conditions could result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a new digital engine management control unit. The recall began on july 16, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 16 Jul 2004.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

28 complaints, 35 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

2004 BMW 7 Series: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Power Train		4
Service Brakes, Hydraulic		4
Engine and Engine Cooling		3
Electrical System		3
Steering		3
Seats		3
Air Bags		3
Fuel System, Gasoline		3
Visibility		2
Equipment		2

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 14.

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 1
Injuries in the complaints: 2
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 2 May 2016

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2004 BMW 7 Series, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2011, with 6 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2004 BMW 7 Series
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA12002	Engineering analysis	Vehicle Rollaway	Electrical System	10 Apr 2012	24 Jan 2013	12V502000
PE11025	Preliminary evaluation	Vehicle Rollaway	Electrical System	5 Aug 2011	23 Apr 2012
EA08001	Engineering analysis	BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION	Air Bags	4 Jan 2008	31 Dec 2008	08V384000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

19950
19960
19970
19990
20000
20010
20021
20032
20044
20051
20062
20071
20081
20092
20102
20111
20121

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2004 BMW 7 SeriesThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2004 BMW 7 Series: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/bmw/7-series/2004/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2004 BMW 7 Series?: 224,299 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the BMW 7 Series have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the BMW 7 Series, model years 1995 to 2012. 4 of them name the 2004 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2004 BMW 7 Series name most often?: Power Train: 4 of 35 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2004 BMW 7 Series open?: No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.