My car stumbled less than a mile from my house. A few hundred feet later it stalled completely. At first the garage thought it was a failed fuel pump. After replacing the pump, the car stumbled again and the ecu (engine computer) caught fire. After towing the car to a second garage they found a bad ground on the harness coming off of the thermostat that caused the fuel pump to fail as well as the ecu fire. They also found that the egs (transmission computer) had been destroyed by this bad ground also. Total repair bill for this failure, ~$4500.
The worst 1998 BMW 740ILA problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical1
- Fuel system1
- Transmission1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical1
- Fuel system1
- Transmission1
Recalls 1
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The differential pinion shaft within the differential case assembly was produced without the appropriate surface hardening. This can result in the shaft experiencing premature wear.
- Risk
- This condition will cause a noise from the differential and, ultimately, failure of the shaft and loss of drive.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the entire differential assembly.
Recall number 98V142000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 BMW 740ILA 3
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 1998 BMW 740ILA owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Transmission problems - 1998 740il. I bought a cpo bmw 740il with 35,000 miles. Now I have 65,600 miles on the car and I too am having issues with the transmission. While the car was under cpo warranty, I had taken the car to the dealership when I was getting a check trans message, which I have service records for. The dealership refused to acknowledge the error, saying that they could not read the code on the computer. Well now the transmission won\'t go in park or reverse and needs to be replaced and the car is out of cp warranty. Damage resulting = looks like I have to pay $7,000 for a transmission that should have been fixed while still under warranty, as the warranty on the car has expired. The car is not worth more than $12,000 now.
While driving vehicle shuts down and everything lock ups - steering included.
Compare the 1998 BMW 740ILA
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Questions about the 1998 BMW 740ILA
Is the 1998 BMW 740ILA reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 1998 BMW 740ILA, 3.0 times a typical 740ILA model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 BMW 740ILA?
Electrical system, with 1 complaint. Next is fuel system (1).
How many recalls does the 1998 BMW 740ILA have?
1 recall, covering power train.
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