2002–2003 BMW 745I, 2002–2003 BMW 745LI Recall: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A…
NHTSA campaign 03V240000 · Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 1, 2003 · verified Jul 30, 2026
The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.
The risk
IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF ENGINE ROUGHNESS, OR STALLING, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THE DRIVER'S REACTIONS, THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →The fix — what to do
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Affected vehicles
Related recalls
More BMW 745I recalls
- 2005–2008 BMW 745I and 6 other models — In these vehicles, the doors may appear to be closed and…
- 2005 BMW 745I and 5 other models — Affected vehicles have an electronic key and an electronic…
- 2005 BMW 745I and 5 other models — Due to a software problem, the doors may appear to be…
- 2003 BMW 745I and 2 other models — ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ENGINE OIL FILTER DRAIN…
- 2002 BMW 745I and 1 other model — ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP RUNS…
Other campaigns involving BMW vehicles
Source: NHTSA recall database, campaign 03V240000. Data last verified Jul 30, 2026.