FaultScore

Worst years for a BMW 7 Series

Owners have filed 148 complaints about the BMW 7 Series with NHTSA across model years 1995 to 2008. More of them are about the airbags than anything else.

Avoid

2006 BMW 7 Series

42 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.

Cleanest on record

2003 BMW 7 Series

11 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every BMW 7 Series year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2008 C 16 2 1 91,000 Airbags
2007 A 18 0 0 110,000 Airbags
2006 C 42 0 0 77,547 Engine & Cooling
2005 7 1 0 169,472 Engine & Cooling
2004 C 35 0 1 51,550 Brakes
2003 A 11 0 0 99,000 Seats
2002 5 0 0 Other & Unspecified
2001 2 0 0 Engine & Cooling
2000 2 0 0 Brakes
1999 4 1 0 Airbags
1997 2 0 0 Fuel & Propulsion
1996 1 0 0 Brakes
1995 3 0 0 Electrical System

What breaks on a BMW 7 Series

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Airbags 23 15.5%

Worst in 2006

Brakes 18 12.2%

Worst in 2004

Engine & Cooling 15 10.1%

Worst in 2006

Transmission & Drivetrain 15 10.1%

Worst in 2006

Seats 11 7.4%

Worst in 2004

Electrical System 10 6.8%

Worst in 2004

Fuel & Propulsion 9 6.1%

Worst in 2004

Body & Structure 7 4.7%

Worst in 2008

Other & Unspecified 6 4.1%

Worst in 2002

Tires 4 2.7%

Worst in 2003

Seat Belts 4 2.7%

Worst in 2002

Doors, Latches & Locks 4 2.7%

Worst in 1995

Equipment & Accessories 4 2.7%

Worst in 2004

Steering 3 2.0%

Worst in 2004

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every BMW 7 Series, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Feb 1999 peak 5 Jun 2019

Compare the BMW 7 Series

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.