Total Complaints
11 filings
BMW 740 · model year
1998 BMW 740
11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998BMW740 carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 740 is unknown or other with 2 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module (1) and electrical system:ignition (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 1998 740. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
11
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20050902STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
DT: THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. THE STEERING LOCKED UP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW MINUTES LATER. THE CONSUMER WENT INTO ANOTHER LANE OF TRAFFIC, BUT WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED GOING INTO A COMPLETE CIRCLE. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THEY CHECKED THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM AND DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. THEY HOOKED THE VEHICLE TO DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND IT DIDN'T SHOW ANY CODES. THIS HAPPENED ON AUGUST 25, 2005. ABOUT TWO WEEKS BEFORE THEY REPLACED A PRESSURE HOSE ON THE POWER STEERING. *JB
Mileage: 88,000
20030207EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT
AFTER JACKING THE VEHICLE UP, THE JACK SUDDENLY COLASPED. CONSUMER FOOT WAS ALMOST INJURED AS A RESULT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH
Mileage: 57,000
20021209CrashAIR BAGS
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN HIT AT 40MPH IN THE FRONT CENTER OF THE VEHICLE THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS
19990902ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE DIES INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. DEALERINDICATED THA T COMPUTER SHOWED NO DEFECT, AND COULD NOT EXPLAIN THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
19990730UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CUP HOLDER FAILED. YH
19990730ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILED. YH
19990312VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
RIGHT FRONT POWER WINDOW FAILED.
19990111SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
DRIVER'S SEAT ADJUSTMENT; WHEN TURNING ON THE VEHICLE DRIVER'S SEAT WON'T GO BACK TO ITS PROPER RETURN WHICH MAY CAUSE DIFFICULTY IN DRIVING, AND MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. MANUFACTURER DOES NOT HAVE A REMEDY. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
19980613ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
CONSUMER HAD ACCIDENTALLY LOCKED HERSELF IN HER CAR; CONSUMER WAS GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE WHEN SHE DROPED HER KEY, SHE THOUGH SHE DROP IT INSIDE THE VEHICLE, UNAWARE THE REMOTE KEY FELL BETWEEN THE DOOR AND DOOR FRAME WHEN SHE CLOSED THE DOOR; SOMEHOW THE REMOTE KEY ACTIVATED THE SECURITY MODE: SHUTING DOWN ALL POWER TO THE VEHICLE, AND LEAVING THE CONSUMER LOCKED IN AND NO WAY TO GET OUT. CONSUMER WAS LOCK IN VEHICLE FOR MORE THEN TWO HOURS BEFORE HELP ARRIVED. TWO FACTORS HELPED THE CONSUMER; 1ST. SHE WAS NOT IN A REMOTE AREA AND THE 2ND. BECAUSE THE REMOTE KEY PREVENT THE DOOR FROM CLOSING ALL THE WAY; LEAVING A SMALL CRACK BETWEEN THE DOOR ALLOWING CONSUMER TO YELL FOR HELP. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED,BUT INFORMED THE CONSUMER SHE SHOULD HAVE CARRY A EXTRA KEY. THE MAIN CONCERN WOULD BE WHAT WOULD OR COULD HAPPEN IF THE CONSUMER WAS LOCATED IN A REMOTE AREA?
19980610ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE
CONSUMER WAS GETTING OUT OF THE CAR WHEN SHE DROPPED REMOTE CONTROL KEY. THINKING IT DROPPED WITHIN THE VEHICLE CLOSED THE DOOR, NOT KNOWING IT FELL BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE DOOR FRAME. CLOSED THE DOOR, THINKING THE KEY WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. SOMEHOW THE REMOTE SECURITY SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED, LOCKING AND SHUTTING DOWN THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND LOCKING THE CONSUMER IN THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO GET OUT. BECAUSE THE REMOTE CONTROL WAS BETWEEN DOOR AND DOOR FRAME,IT ALLOWED A SMALL CRACK BETWEEN THE DOORS, ENABLING THE CONSUMER TO CALL FOR HELP. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
19980610UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CONSUMER WAS GETTING OUT OF THE CAR WHEN SHE DROPPED REMOTE CONTROL KEY. THINKING IT DROPPED WITHIN THE VEHICLE CLOSED THE DOOR, NOT KNOWING IT FELL BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE DOOR FRAME. CLOSED THE DOOR, THINKING THE KEY WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. SOMEHOW THE REMOTE SECURITY SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED, LOCKING AND SHUTTING DOWN THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND LOCKING THE CONSUMER IN THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO GET OUT. BECAUSE THE REMOTE CONTROL WAS BETWEEN DOOR AND DOOR FRAME,IT ALLOWED A SMALL CRACK BETWEEN THE DOORS, ENABLING THE CONSUMER TO CALL FOR HELP. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
Compare 1998BMW740 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1998 BMW 740 have?▼
The 1998 BMW 740 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 BMW 740?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 BMW 740 is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION.
Is the 1998 BMW 740 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.