Most common 2006 BMW 7 Series problems
Share of the 29 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
BMW 7 Series complaints by model year
Best 7 Series years: 2010, 2003. Years to avoid: 2004, 2006. Compare all years →
2006 BMW 7 Series recalls (2)
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum
BMW is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, 6-series, and model year 2002-2008 7-series vehicles. A check valve of the brake vacuum pump May leak a small amount of lubricating oil. Over time this could result in contamination of the brake booster.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on November 24, 2010. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Suspension › Rear › Shock absorber
On certain passenger vehicles, the lower rubber mount of the rear shock absorbers May not have been manufactured to specifications and May not adhere correctly to its housing within the shock absorber.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear shock absorber free of charge. The recall began on September 13, 2006. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2006 BMW 7 Series:
Vehicle Rollaway
In response to the Office of Defects Investigation's (ODI) Information Request (IR) for PE11-025, BMW provided ODI with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. ODI's analysis of the data provided by BMW identified 14 crashes and 5 alleged injuries.
BMW airbag light illumination
In certain my 2005 through my 2006 BMW vehicles, the occupant classification system (ocs) for the passenger frontal airbag May malfunction and render the passenger airbag inoperative.in June 2006, BMW issued a technical service bulletin (si b 72 02 06) regarding the illumination of the airbag warning light and the passenger airbag status lamp.illumination of these lights warn that an open electrical circuit May be…
Vehicle Rollaway
In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the Comfort Access Option.The Comfort Access option allows the driver to start and stop the engine (by…
BMW airbag light illumination
BMW is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. The specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/ 3-series with sport seats.
What 2006 BMW 7 Series owners say
Transmission & drivetrain
Tl*- the contact owns a 2006 BMW 750. The vehicle has a transmission that should automatically shift the vehicle to the park position when the start/stop button is depressed. The contact depressed the start/stop button and noticed that the vehicle started to roll forward approximately 2 seconds after the engine lost power. He was able to depress the brake and stop the vehicle. The contact stated this also occurred approximately 2 weeks later. The contact parked and exited his vehicle, upon his return the vehicle rolled backwards approximately a hundred feet and crashed into a lamppost. The road conditions were clear on both occurrences and the vehicle was parked on a flat surface. The parking brake was not engaged. The dealer stated they are unable to diagnose the failure. The current mileage was 7,000 miles.
Vehicle slams into first gear upon deceleration and "slips" if you take your foot off the gas pedal and then accelerate immediately, as in traffic conditions. When transmission gets in stop and go traffic it will slam into gear before acceleration occurs. Car was at BMW dealer for seven days with all software upgrades that dealer suggested were performed and still same problem. No call backs to date. Spoke with BMW of north America and they referred me back to dealer. Unwilling to admit there is a problem with the transmission even though they have issued intercompany tech. Bulletins regarding the exact problem.
Engine & cooling
Blows out while/bluish smoke, shifts into park when in drive or reverse, won't go forward. Transmission fault light on. I have to constantly put oil in it. There is no reason why I should be having all these problems, I see that millions of people that have or purchased this same car have the same problems. I truly believe BMW needs to be accountable for these problems. It's terrible that one would pay so many ch for a luxury car for it to have all these problems.
Doors dont always latch and a person was thrown from car, have called dealer ship and they said no recall but my car is doing it and there is a recall for this problem , I need my car added to recall list asap
Air bags
I purchased the car from a dealer in virginia. Maybe a few weeks later the airbag waarning light came n the screen. I have not been able to drive it becasue when I went to take it to get looked at by a BMW repair person told me that there was a recall on that same issue and the dealer should not have sold me the car without telling me that information. He then told me it is the ( seat occupancy detector passenger side and resistence to high firing circuit , belt tensioner passenger side. He said to call BMW so I did and they told me that the recall repair time expire a year before I purchased the car . No one ever shared this information with me and now it is not safe to have my kids or husband in the passenger seat because of this problem.. BMW should have extended that if it was never done when they originally sent out the notice to whom ever had the vehicle before. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW 750li. The contact stated that while braking at any speed, the vehicle would jerk and experience an increased stopping distance. The failure recurred whenever the brakes were applied. The manufacturer was notified, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 10V446000 (service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 107,000. Updated 09/15/11 the consumer stated he is also having problems getting recall 09V384000 air:frontal rectified by BMW. The consumer was informed his VIN was not included in the recall, even though he is experiencing the same problem. Updated 09/19/11
2006 BMW 7 Series engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 23 / 18 |
| 6.0L 12-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 21 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 BMW 7 Series a good car?
Based on 29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 7 Series rates use caution: 2.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the 7 Series at the same age. It is one of the 7 Series years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 BMW 7 Series?
The transmission & drivetrain — 7 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the engine & cooling (7) and air bags (7).
How many recalls does the 2006 BMW 7 Series have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2006 BMW 7 Series, the most recent from October 1, 2010 (vacuum). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the BMW 7 Series?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2010 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2004 and 2006. See the full BMW 7 Series years comparison.
At what mileage do 2006 BMW 7 Series problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 78,000 miles; 22% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.