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2016 BMW 7 Series

Gas

Large Cars
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 24

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 24 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 BMW 7 Series is sold in the U.S. as a gas large sedan with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 740i, is EPA-rated at 24 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 24 complaints, most often about the engine.

BMW 7 Series — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — BMW 7 Series · Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
740i	Gas	RWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	21	29	24	$3,400
750i	Gas	RWD	4.4L 8-cyl turbo	17	25	20	$4,100
750i xDrive	Gas	AWD	4.4L 8-cyl turbo	16	24	19	$4,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36903, 37165, 36904.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
740i	6 / 10	LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—
750i, 750i xDrive	5–6 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sedan/Saloon
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	6
Displacement	3 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

320 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Transmission

Drivetrain

AWD/All-Wheel Drive

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: 7-series, xDrive). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	200.8–206.3 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	74.8 in
Height	57.9–58.3 in
Wheelbase	120.9–126.4 in
Track, front	63.8 in
Track, rear	65.0 in
Curb weight	4,500–4,610 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	54/46

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 750I xDrive 4-door Sedan SWB, 750LI xDrive 4-door Sedan LWB. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Air Bags

6,110 vehicles 97% reported repaired built Jul 1, 2015 – Dec 11, 2015

Problem BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 740Li, 750Li, and 750Lxi vehicles manufactured July 1, 2015, to December 11, 2015. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may randomly reset due to an electrical short circuit as a result of residual metallic particles from the manufacturing process. Risk In the event of a crash while the air bag module is resetting, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury. Fix BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on July 11, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 16V173000 reported Mar 25, 2016 BMW of North America, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific 7 Series

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. BMW publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →BMW’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 BMW 7 Series, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

24complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 1

Most-cited components

Engine 4

Seat Belts 4

Electrical System 4

Unspecified 4

Air Bags 3

Vehicle Speed Control 2

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 750i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Active Protection Restricted" was displayed. Additionally, a message advising to drive the vehicle slowly and carefully was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated.

Seat Belts at 104,000 miles Aug 6, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11606726

Recall campaign no. 16v-173: air bag electronic control unit received the attached from Bmw stating they are ready to perform the repair per this recall. I contacted the dealership and was told they would have to order this part.% months later still no word of replacement part.

Air Bags Oct 18, 2016 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10917165

There are two grill shutter actuators. One for the upper and one for the lower. Different part numbers. NHTSA issued a TSB for N63R in 2019: MC-10160279-9999 (G12 (N63R)/G30 (B58M) RADIATOR GRILL UPPER AND LOWER ACTIVE AIR FLAPS: LIMITED WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 10 YEARS/120,000 MILES).

Engine Jul 24, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11533976

Instrument cluster goes blank which you can not see how much gas is in the car, how fast you are going or anything. Which is a huge safety hazard

Electrical System Apr 13, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11407857

Not really sure if this would be considered a safety complaint, but it could lead to problems if not corrected. The upper radiator shuttle will not function properly. This can cause restricted climate control in the vehicle interior, reduction of engine performance and possibly engine overheating.

Structure at 75,100 miles Nov 8, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11373643

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 740I. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front air suspension failed to perform as designed, causing the front end of the vehicle to remain lowered, making the front driver’s and passenger’s side tires touching the inner wheel well.

Suspension at 52,000 miles Nov 9, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11492944

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by BMW itself: 7 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 killed, 7 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every 7 Series model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 22k

miles, typically

Half the 14 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 2,000 and 34,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

Too few readings for a curve — the 14 on file: 5 under 10k, 1 10k–20k, 4 20k–30k, 1 30k–40k, 1 50k–60k, 1 70k–80k, 1 100k–150k.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 5 filings by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

8 years or 80,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 3711900100The front and rear AIR suspension strut assemblies limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 8 years /80,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date.
Term not in NHTSA’s summary · BMW warranty extension 6577900600A situation may occur where the front passenger seat is not occupied.
Term not in NHTSA’s summary · BMW warranty extension B010224Evap system purge (vent) valve EXT LTD WTY (ELW) 15/150
15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW bulletin B011423Pressure control valve (PCV) extended LTD WTY 15 YEARS/150,000 miles
15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW bulletin B011219FRONT GRILLE UPPER/LOWER ACTIVE AIR FLAPS: LTD WTY EXT TO 15 YEARS/150,000 MILES: Component-Specific Limited Warranty Extension This component-specific limited warranty extension applies to defects…

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every BMW warranty extension (46) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 1,071

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-03-27

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 1062 service bulletins, 9 warranty extensions

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility, Visibility/Wiper.

B010522 Warranty extension
2026-03-27 · Suspension
THE FRONT AND REAR AIR SUSPENSION STRUT ASSEMBLIES LIMITED WARRANTY FOR DEFECTS IN MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 8 YEARS /80,000 MILES AS DETERMINED FROM THE ORIGINAL IN-SERVICE DATE.
B720125 Warranty extension
2026-02-11 · Electrical System
A situation may occur where the front passenger seat is not occupied; however, a “fasten seat belt” warning and a front passenger seat air bag deactivation message appears. If the situation is currently present, sit in the seat and move the seat to a slightly different position. The POL (Passenger Occupancy Light) light should now function correctly. In some cases, the Air bag Warning Light was il
B720125 Warranty extension
2025-04-18 · Air Bags
The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Front Passenger’s Seat Occupancy Capacitive Interior Sensor (CIS) Mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original in-service / first delivery date.
B010224 Warranty extension
2024-05-02 · Engine
EVAP SYSTEM PURGE (VENT) VALVE EXT LTD WTY (ELW) 15/150
B630418 Service bulletin
2024-03-14 · Exterior Lighting
One or more of the LED daytime running lights are dim or discolored.
B510819 Service bulletin
2024-01-16 · Visibility — Power Window Devices And Controls
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
B611305 Service bulletin
2024-01-11 · Electrical System
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.
B610524 Service bulletin
2024-01-05 · Electrical System
The Central Information Display goes black intermittently due to resets of the Head Unit (HU-H3). FaultB7F8F9 – “HU-H: Reset” will be stored in the HU-H3.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P05AE	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	2 owner reports

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 11.6%

failed emissions

207 initial inspections of 195 vehicles.

Measure	The 2016 7 Series	Every 2016 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	11.6%	4.2%	207
Failed the safety inspection	0.97%	2.2%	207
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.97%	0.27%	207
Miles driven a year	8,618	10,028	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	88,526	103,109	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

7 Series by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A^* 0 0 26 mpg 2026 A 1 0 28 mpg 2025 D 5 2 28 mpg 2024 F 8 8 28 mpg 2023 F 11 23 27 mpg 2022 C 2 4 25 mpg 2021 F 9 5 25 mpg 2020 F 9 5 24 mpg 2019 C 3 5 27 mpg 2018 B 1 8 27 mpg 2017 A 0 12 27 mpg 2016 this page A 1 24 24 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 7 Series

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2016 BMW 7 Series have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2016 BMW 7 Series. The most serious on file is 16V173000, covering Air Bags. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 BMW 7 Series?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2016 BMW 7 Series yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (92/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 BMW 7 Series?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 BMW 7 Series, the best EPA combined figure is 24 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2016 BMW 7 Series?

Transport Canada measured it at 200.8–206.3 in long, 74.8 in wide (body, without mirrors), 57.9–58.3 in tall, on a 120.9–126.4 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 4,500–4,610 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 BMW 7 Series?

Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 BMW 7 Series, most often about engine, seat belts, electrical system. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 BMW 7 Series?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 BMW 7 Series runs 5 to 6 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125, LEV-II ULEV, LEV-III ULEV125 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 BMW 7 Series?

The manufacturer has filed 1071 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW 7 Series, most often covering electrical system, equipment, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-03-27. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2016 BMW 7 Series do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 BMW 7 Series failed the emissions check on 11.6% of first inspections — higher than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0.97% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	24	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	1071	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	8 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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