We found the following complaints for BMW 540I (1997)
Read complaints for BMW 540I (1997)
Turned on ignition andside airbags deployed.cause is unknown. Please provide any further information.
1997 bmw 540i fuse to the fuel injector blew out.***no answer required*** *mrthe vehicle would all of a sudden die when in motion due to the blown fuse(s) to the injector.the thermostat temperature sensor had an internal short which caused the wire to melt and blew the fuse.the sunroof was inoperative due to the rail lift pieces being broken.*scthe wiper blades were not cleaning the windows properly.
Turned on ignition andside airbags deployed.cause is unknown. Please provide any further information.
While driving on the freeway, the electronic coolant thermostat shorted out and caused engine wiring harness the burn up.this caused the enigine to stop running. Luckily, burning was restricted to wires and no other components were burnt.car is still waiting for a new wiring harness at the bmw dealer ($2000 est for repair).i have heard of similar occurances with this model car and with 740i of about the same year.this seems to be a dangerous situation and should be prevented by a fuse or fusable link.
1997 bmw 540i fuse to the fuel injector blew out.***no answer required*** *mrthe vehicle would all of a sudden die when in motion due to the blown fuse(s) to the injector.the thermostat temperature sensor had an internal short which caused the wire to melt and blew the fuse.the sunroof was inoperative due to the rail lift pieces being broken.*scthe wiper blades were not cleaning the windows properly.
Serious safety issue complete loss of coolant at speed.dt
I own a 1997 bmw 540i.radiator broke at plastic attachment point.coolant leaked all over the windshield and engine.this seems to be a well known defect among owners of this car due to the plastic attachment point at the junction of the hose and the radiator. *nlm
The upper radiator hose unexpectly separated from the radiator.inspection showed that the plastic radiator had broken at the hose fitting.the resulting steam cloud and water deposits on windshield abruptly obscured vision, leading to a very dangerous situation. Non-reinforced plastic is an unsafe material for use in this application.
Radiator failure on bmw 540i with only 51k miles, causing loss of traction and almost a wreck
(1) replaced water pump and accessory belts.on a forum that i read, many suggest replacing the radiator when replacing the water pump, as preventive maintenance due to the radiator's high and frequent failure.replace the radiator as preventive maintenance?!?i would rather not.a radiator is not an oil or air filter.(2) upper neck on the radiator broke and released more than a gallon of coolant, in less than 50 feet, in the form of liquid and steam.the steam obscured vision on the drivers side of the vehicle.luckily i was making a right-hand turn into a parking lot.(3) no repair as of yet.the failure of the radiator occurred at approximately 11:00 am.i made it home at 12:05 p.m.i called the local bmw parts department (one hour and thirty minutes away) to arrange to pay for the radiator by credit card and then have the part left with one of the salespersons, because the parts department closes at 1:00 p.m.but they no longer accept credit card purchases over the phone from in-state customers, even after practically begging.very poor practice unless they want to loose customers.actually immediately after i submit this i will go on-line and try to find an after-market radiator.probably of better quality anyway.sad but true.i encourage the release of the information contained in this questionnaire to the manufacturer of my vehicle.
My 1997 bmw 540i 6-speed had a radiator failure at 77,500 miles.the plastic radiator connection point for the top hose snapped off.this appears to be a well know issue after speaking with bmw service techs and searching bmw internet sites.i believe that the manufacture should take care of this issue.
The radiator neck broke off while driving at highway speed on my 1997 540i. It is a common problem with bmw by all accounts, owners, technicians and even my own previously experiencedit with an 1988 735i. Plastic parts on the radiator is unacceptable, dangerous and costly. This has been a problem for more than 10 years on these expensive luxury vehicles with no resolution by bmw.
The radiator in my 1997 bmw 540i has failed twice since i have owned it.i see this as a safety issue.
My 1997 bmw 540i6 radiator broke on me while driving on a highway on 5/30/03.
1997, bmw, 540i radiator failure @ 77,500 miles (detected by bmw dealer during routine service inspection); radiator replaced at my cost.
Catalytic converters failed.mjs
Incident #1 2010:accelerated the vehicle to 75mph to enter freeway.took foot off gas and vehicle continued to accelerate.engaged clutch to stop acceleration and rpm continued to rise to the limiter point (approx 5500 rpm).pulled over, started car and engine immediately went to the red line.on inspection, a plastic part on an accelerator cable had cracked, causing the accelerator to lock in the fully open position.if the clutch had not been engaged (i.e. If this car had an automatic transmission), this could have resulted in a collision and possible injuries or fatalities.incident #2 12/2/2012.started car and pulled away from curb.at about 3-5 mph the steering wheel locked.stopped car, turned off ignition and started it again.the wheel unlocked but there was an audible clicking sound within the steering column.carefully drove about one mile to house and turned off engine.steering wheel locked again and car could not be started.the wheel locking while the car was being driven was a condition that could have resulted in a collision and possible injuries or fatalities.
Passenger side front seatbelt locks in the side panel and wont extend to allow passengers to get buckled up. It doesn't happen all the time but it happens.
Buckle on the seat belt is in a depressed position, preventing the latchfrom locking. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who said it would cost $400.00 to repair seat belt buckle.the set belt latch would become continuously depressed in which it would not spring back and would not connect into the latch. *sc
The driver seat creates a clicking noise and moves out of place (very minor movement) at numerous times (as in not in locked position) while making turns. Took to dealer and they want a fortune to check it out. The 540i only has 65k miles on it. It can be a dangerous situation, if the chair some how loses it locking.
While driving at 55 mphengine compartment caught on fire. Insurance investigators claimed fire was due to brake fluid being expelled from abs system and iginiting exhaust manifold.
Dealership was unable to perform the front spring strut recall 04v183000 repairswithin a reasonable time. The consumer contacted customer service and received an insufficient reply. *sc
The front strut spring perch failed on my 1997 model bmw 540i. Theperch cut into tire.his happened at low-speed, so no injuries resulted (luckily).mw na has issued a recall, but my vehicle supposedly is not covered, i think it missed by two months.my build date is 08/96. I contacted bmw na on 6/21/04 and spoke to ryan, i was told the vehicle did not qualify for the recall and that bmw na would not reimburse me for the damages.i have digital pictures of the strut that i can email.i also have the struts themselves still in my garage if someone would be interested in seeing them.john.
Delamination/separation of tire tread from caseing-3 of the 4 tires on the car, severe .( dot number: lmt8axbu tire size: 225/55r/16 )
Driver uses remote key to lock auto from distance away sealing passenger in car: outside temp. 114 degrees. Car design has no escape device from inside inside
No summary.dt
Whenever my cruise control is set, vehicle consistently overcompensates in speed fluctuations.it is almost as if the accelerator peddle gets stuck all the way down.this causes the vehicle to go from hwy speeds to extremely dangerous 80+mph speeds in a matter of a few seconds.cruise control must then be disengaged.i have owned this particular car for over a year and it has always done this.cruise control is not safe to use at any time.several times, it has nearly made me have a rear end collision because it will take off with no warning.
When cruise control is activated, the vehicle accelerates rapidly in out-of-control manner.sometimes it also decelerates rapidly, and lurches.
1997 bmw 540i fuse to the fuel injector blew out.***no answer required*** *mrthe vehicle would all of a sudden die when in motion due to the blown fuse(s) to the injector.the thermostat temperature sensor had an internal short which caused the wire to melt and blew the fuse.the sunroof was inoperative due to the rail lift pieces being broken.*scthe wiper blades were not cleaning the windows properly.
1997 bmw 540i fuse to the fuel injector blew out.***no answer required*** *mrthe vehicle would all of a sudden die when in motion due to the blown fuse(s) to the injector.the thermostat temperature sensor had an internal short which caused the wire to melt and blew the fuse.the sunroof was inoperative due to the rail lift pieces being broken.*scthe wiper blades were not cleaning the windows properly.
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