2011 BMW 7 Series: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
60 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 60 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 4.0
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 740LI. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into park (P) and inadvertently shifted into neutral (N). The contact applied the parking brake while the transmission was shifted to neutral (N) to turn off the vehicle. The Transmission Malfunction message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM need…
Vehicle is equipped with soft closing doors. Passenger door actuator malfunctioned which prevented the passenger door from locking. That malfunction short circuited the entire vehicle locking system. It created a unsafe driving condition which locked the driver side door from the inside and outside of the vehicle. Basically locking the driver inside the car. The only way for the driver to exit the vehicle was to clim…
Electric water pump failed. While driving, engine overheated and warning light illuminated. I immediately pulled over and my car was towed in for repairs. Why wasn't the N54 engine not included in the recall campaign#11V-521? Also, my fuel line was found to be leaking when this car was towed in for the electric water pump repairs. I did smell fuel on days prior to this incident, but I mistakenly ignored the smells.…
Recalls: 1 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 18V248000 | 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,… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a large premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 20 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine24 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train20 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System10 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System8 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Unknown Or Other4 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Suspension3 complaints · typical job: Struts, springs and control-arm bushings, one axle (4.0 h labour + parts)$780–$1,580
Other BMW 7 Series years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2011 BMW 7 Series?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (24 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2011 BMW 7 Series a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 77/100, computed from 60 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2011 BMW 7 Series's most common problem?
24 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 BMW 7 Series sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2011 BMW 7 Series cost to run per year?
About $6,366 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $31,830 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2011 BMW 7 Series have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2011 BMW 7 Series, 0 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 18/04/2018. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury larges of about the same age.
What will a 2011 BMW 7 Series really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 60 complaints, 1 recalls on record
- 60 NHTSA complaints on record (4.0/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (2.5/yr)
- 1 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems