2009 BMW 7 Series

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2009 BMW 7 Series arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2009 vehicle, but with only 46 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine (16 complaints), typically at 9.8 yr or about 72,000 miles.

Covers 2 variants: 750LI (15), 750I (14)

Complaints: 46
Median age at failure: 9.3 yr
Median mileage: 72,000 n=31
Crash / fire / tow: 8.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

18V248000 2018-04-18

Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The elect

If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.

In owners’ own words

Engine 60,000 mi 7.9 yr in service

09 BMW 750LI SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER A DSC MALFUNCTION/ TRANSMITION MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE JUST RECEIVED THE N63 RECALL SERVICE. THIS IS VARY DANGEROUS. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AROUND 70 MILES PER HOUR BEFORE IT STARTED SHAKING AND SLOWING DOWN IN FAST MOVING TRAFFIC.

Engine 97,200 mi 10.5 yr in service

I WAS DRIVING UP I-5 , IN THE THIRD LANE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I GOT A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION MESSAGE ON MY SCREEN I NOTICED THAT ALL ACCELERATION WAS LOST AND KNEW I MUST PULL OUT OF THE ROAD FOR AT THE SPEED ALLOWED I WAS BOUND TO GET REAR ENDED ON A BUSY HIGHWAY LIKE THIS CAR IN BACK OF ME BEGAN TO HONK AS I SIGNALED TO BE ALLOWED MOVE OUT THE ROAD CARS PROCEEDED TO JUST GO FAST AND ALMOST GOT HIT A COUPLE TIMES .

Engine mileage not reported 7.9 yr in service

EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION. VEHICLE USING 2 QUARTS OF OIL A WEEK. VEHICLE HAS 83,342 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. DOES NOT TAKE LONG FOR ENGINE OIL LIGHT TO COME ON WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.ISSUE HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS NORMAL.

Other 7 Series model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2009 BMW 7 Series

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other 7 Series model years

How to read this