How many miles will a 2004 BMW 745LI last?
Half of the 30 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI that list mileage came after 94,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 159,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 33 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 30 complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI that list mileage, the middle half came between 73,000 and 130,000 miles; 12 (40%) came after 100,000 miles, 4 (13%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2004 BMW 745LI last?
The 30 mileages owners gave run from 28,000 to 198,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 73,245 miles, half at or under 95,000, three quarters at or under 129,860 and nine in ten at or under 160,000; 12 (40%) came after 100,000 miles, 4 (13%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2004 BMW 745LI wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 28,000 miles |
| 25th percentile | 73,245 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 95,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 129,860 miles |
| 90th percentile | 160,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 198,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 12 (40%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 4 (13%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Common problems with the 2004 BMW 745LI
NHTSA's file holds 33 owner complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI. Owners named the powertrain most often: 11 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 93,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 11 | 10 | 94,000 |
| Air Bags | 9 | 8 | 90,000 |
| Engine | 6 | 6 | 95,000 |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Seats | 3 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 33 complaints, 1 reports a crash, 1 reports a fire and none reports an injury. These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 BMW 745LI a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad BMW 745LI: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 33 complaints, the 2004 ranks 3rd of the 4 BMW 745LI model years from 2002 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2003 (50). The fewest: the 2005 (25).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 BMW 745LI | 36 | 26 | 96,000 |
| 2003 BMW 745LI | 50 | 37 | 100,000 |
| 2004 (this page) | 33 | 30 | 95,000 |
| 2005 BMW 745LI | 25 | 22 | 78,000 |
2004 BMW 745LI recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list no campaign for the 2004 model year under the name 745LI. Recalls can be filed under another name (a trim, a body or a series name), so a recall may still exist for the 2004 BMW 745LI: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2004 BMW 745LI lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2004 BMW 745LI.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 3 of the 33 complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: 745LI. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: 745LI.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2004 BMW 745LI questions
How many miles will a 2004 BMW 745LI last?
Half of the 30 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI that list mileage came after 94,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 159,000 miles. Of the 30 complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI that list mileage, the middle half came between 73,000 and 130,000 miles; 12 (40%) came after 100,000 miles, 4 (13%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2004 BMW 745LI that never had one.
What are the most common 2004 BMW 745LI problems?
NHTSA's file holds 33 owner complaints on the 2004 BMW 745LI. Owners named the powertrain most often: 11 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 93,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 33 complaints, 1 reports a crash, 1 reports a fire and none reports an injury. These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 BMW 745LI a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad BMW 745LI: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 33 complaints, the 2004 ranks 3rd of the 4 BMW 745LI model years from 2002 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2003 (50). The fewest: the 2005 (25).
How many recalls does the 2004 BMW 745LI have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list no campaign for the 2004 model year under the name 745LI. Recalls can be filed under another name (a trim, a body or a series name), so a recall may still exist for the 2004 BMW 745LI: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2004 BMW 745LI before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2004 BMW 745LI.