2008 BMW 7 Series: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 11 owner complaints on record; most reports concern air bags.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2010
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 11 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Getting error "fault in pass.-restraint system affecting airbag, belt tensioner or belt-force limiter. Fasten and continue to wear belts. Please contact the nearest bmw center." it seems to be a common problem fixed on 06 07 bmw 750li by recall what makes 08 different?”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2018
“When driving the vehicle on a upward incline the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate and the transmission fault light would come on. I would stop the vehicle and restart the engine. It would only happen and I started to drive on a upward incline. Now the vehicle transmission default light remains on.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2018
“The very same issue that bmw has recalled their 2006 - 2007 7 series is affecting my 2008 7 series and bmw is refusing the fix the issue. Http://brandilawblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bmw-recall.pdf the front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if and how the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure. Consequence: should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bags would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury. NHTSA campaign number: 13v-564 components: air bags air bags:frontal:sensor/control module. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2014
Show 6 more owner reports
“Door open light comes on while driving after hitting bumps even while locked .door will not close and latch after stopping to fuel or other stops. Have to hold closed by hand to get home. The car was just purchased the day the first incident happened . Since then 3 times it has failed to latch . It does have comfort access and soft close doors . The comfort access has not worked since I got the car. *tr”Owner report · Structure · May 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 bmw 750 (na) equipped with hid conversion kit 8000k. The contact was driving 70 mph when the vehicle caught on fire from the driver side headlight. The contact was able to move the vehicle off the roadway and as he exited, the fire extinguished independently. The headlight assembly was severely damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 06e034000 (exterior lighting) but did not confirm if the vehicle was included in the recall. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 8,000.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Feb 2011
“The doors of the car automatically locked with no prompting after securing my 2 babies in the car with my purse, keys, and everything locked inside. *tr”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Oct 2010
“Just had an accident in my bmw 750li, failing to come to a stop at a red light intersection and hitting rear of a ford explorer in front of me, causing damage to the center of my front bumper. I had my brakes jammed on for over 10 feet, going at a slow rate of speed, but brakes had no effect and car kept going until impact. *tr”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Oct 2010
“Consumer writes regarding consumer fraud *tgw the consumer stated the purchase was a set of chrome wheels which was a mail order which turned out to be defective as they couldn't be balanced. The consumer stated the company instructed him to ship them back via federal express at his expense. That was done on march 19, 2010 and they never returned the wheels or his money.”Owner report · Equipment · Jan 1901
“2008 bmw 750i. Consumer states airbags did not deploy during a collision *tgw the consumer stated he was t-boned at an intersection by a car who ran a red light at over 45 mph. *jb the consumer received a from the special product investigation which stated the impact was a relatively light side-swipe type of collision in the left side of the vehicle. The letter also stated the impact energy was not only too low to warrant deployment of the side impact airbag, it was too low to deploy other supplemental restraint system devices that had a lower threshold. Updated 10/04/10*jb”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 1901
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
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.
Remedy: 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.
How other years compare
Check your exact 7 Series by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 BMW 7 Series reliable?
NHTSA has 11 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2008 BMW 7 Series. The most complained-about area is air bags.
Does the 2008 BMW 7 Series have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.