The Lemon Index
BMW's 6.6 L and 6.75 L twin-turbo 60° V12 in the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Phantom and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, model years 2010–2025. YouTube likes the 2010 best.
Middle of the pack: YouTube owner tone 51/100, #69 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the middle third); 3 engine-related recalls on record.
Reliability by year
Not enough complaints to chart. Owners filed 1 complaint with the government that we can tie to this engine's cars, 2010–2025, about any part of the car. Supercars sell in small numbers, so we show YouTube, recalls and the automaker's repair notes instead.
YouTube videos are most positive about the 2010 (58) and least about the 2012 (40); neighboring years share many of the same videos, so small gaps mean little.
How we count: owner complaints only where the car's name and year leave no doubt; YouTube tone from videos that name this engine or its cars. How we count
Owner complaints (NHTSA) are filed by model and year, not engine. We count one for this engine only when the model name and year had no other engine (e.g. "488 GTB", "GT-R"), or when the owner's own words name a version that had only this engine that year (Z06, ZR1, Hellcat, GT500 ...). They cover the whole car (wheels, air bags, electrics ...), not only the engine, and none of them is a failure rate. We chart them only for engines with 30 or more, over 3 or more years. YouTube tone = how positive the videos are, 0–100, from titles and transcripts (praise vs trouble words, the title counts 3 times), weighted by views; a year needs at least 3 videos' worth. A video counts for this engine when its title names the engine or a car that only had this engine in the years it names; a video whose title names no model year counts toward every year of that car, so neighboring years share most of their videos.
All the numbers, year by year
| Year | Cars | Owner complaints | YouTube says | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 58 (56 videos) | 3 |
| 2011 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 1 | 42 (58 videos) | 2 |
| 2012 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 40 (57 videos) | 2 |
| 2013 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 47 (54 videos) | 0 |
| 2014 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 53 (56 videos) | 0 |
| 2015 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 48 (56 videos) | 1 |
| 2016 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 50 (55 videos) | 0 |
| 2017 | Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 53 (55 videos) | 1 |
| 2018 | Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 54 (62 videos) | 2 |
| 2019 | Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Cullinan | 0 | 50 (96 videos) | 3 |
| 2020 | Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Cullinan | 0 | 56 (101 videos) | 2 |
| 2021 | Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 51 (98 videos) | 4 |
| 2022 | Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 54 (101 videos) | 3 |
| 2023 | Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Cullinan | 0 | 52 (99 videos) | 3 |
| 2024 | Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Cullinan | 0 | 51 (98 videos) | 1 |
| 2025 | Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Ghost | 0 | 52 (100 videos) | 1 |
Recalls on cars with this engine 14
3 of them are about the engine, fuel, cooling or powertrain. They come first.
18V248000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2010–12
12V166000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2010–11
ROLLS-ROYCE IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 GHOST VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH TURBOCHARGED ENGINES BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CAN OVERHEAT.
11V522000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2010
ROLLS-ROYCE IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 GHOST VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 2009 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2010, EQUIPPED WITH TURBOCHARGED ENGINES, BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP…
26V143000 Seat Belts · Rolls-Royce Cullinan 2020–25
The fixing bolts may not have been properly tightened.
23V645000 Electrical System · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2021–23
The single-layer tempered glass protecting the instrument cluster may break in a crash.
Show all 14
22V721000 Exterior Lighting · Rolls-Royce Phantom 2023
The headlights may not have received a metal coating application, which can result in the low beams not adequately illuminating road signs.
21V554000 Seat Belts · Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Phantom 2021
21V855000 Back Over Prevention · Rolls-Royce Phantom 2019–22
The Central Information Display may not raise to the correct position, resulting in a rearview camera image that is partially blocked from view.
19V612000 Exterior Lighting · Rolls-Royce Cullinan 2019
The brake lights may not be bright enough.
19V684000 Back Over Prevention · Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rolls-Royce Phantom 2018–19
18V097000 Air Bags · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2018
The head air bags in these vehicles may have been damaged during vehicle assembly, possibly causing the head air bags to not fully inflate upon deployment.
16V747000 Seat Belts · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2017
The vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism of the s.
15V695000 Air Bags · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2015
12V368000 Equipment · Rolls-Royce Ghost 2012
Certain model year 2012 Ghost passenger vehicles manufactured from March 27, 2012, through July 13, 2012 were equipped with 20-inch tires, but the tire information label states that the vehicles were equipped with 19-inc…
NHTSA recalls by model and year. A recall counts here when every confirmed version of that model-year had this engine, or the recall names it. Check a car's VIN for its own open recalls.
Engine problems BMW told dealers about
BMW sent dealers 17 repair notes about the engine on these cars, including:
- Engine MIL light is illuminated and fault 12BF08 Lambda probe, from meager to fat slow reaction
- Information and instructions on carrying out a Cylinder Leakage Test on an N74 engine
- When opening and closing the fuel filler flap there is a loud noise
NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins), matched by model name and year like the complaints, engine-related ones only. A repair note is not a recall: ask a seller whether it was done.
Every US version with this engine
| Car and versions | Years |
|---|---|
| Rolls-Royce Ghost Ghost, Ghost Black Badge, Ghost EWB, Ghost Extended | 2010–25 |
| Rolls-Royce Phantom Phantom, Phantom EWB, Phantom Extended | 2018–25 |
| Rolls-Royce Cullinan Cullinan, Cullinan Black Badge | 2019–25 |
Engine codes: N74B66 (Ghost to 2020), N74B68 (Phantom VIII, Cullinan, Ghost 2021+). Power: 563–624 hp, factory figures. Versions and years: EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Sources: BMW N74.
Quick answers
What cars have the BMW N74 V12 engine?
In the US: the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, model years 2010–2025. See the version table for each one.
Is the BMW N74 V12 reliable?
Mostly, with known issues to check. YouTube owner tone 51/100, #69 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the middle third); 3 engine-related recalls on record. Not enough owner complaints to judge it per car: supercars sell in small numbers. Its cars had 14 recalls (3 about the engine, fuel or powertrain). Have any used car inspected.
How much horsepower does the BMW N74 V12 make?
563–624 hp in factory figures, depending on the car.