We found the following complaints for BMW 540I (2001)
Read complaints for BMW 540I (2001)
Takata recall: both the manufacturer (bmw north america) and the local dealer (united bmw of roswell, ga) are refusing to perform the inspection of the air bag inflator on the referenced vehicle, per nhtsa recall campaign no. 17v-047. Dealer claims that no inspection is required since manufacture's service records for this vin show that the "airbag control unit" was replaced 6/22/04. However, the open nhtsa recall campaign on this vehicle notes that the inflator may have been replaced previously but that the inflator that was replaced still needs to be inspected at this time as it may be faulty.
Possible takata inflator:at first the passenger airbag light came on occasionally and now the passenger airbag light is on all at the time.
Consumer was traveling 60mphoninterstate and side/ top airbags exploded.after they exploded, warning lights came onand vehicle lostpower. Dealer gave consumer a loaner car .consumer'svehiclewas being inspected.
Electrical short in faulty thermostat caused all wiring to melt and lead to a damage of main computer.
3rd (high) tail light bulb and socket overheats and melts, rendering the light inoperable and possibly causing a fire hazard.
Bmw 540i electrical problems / damage to internal heating and electrical equipment. They pose a hazard due to extreme temperature change in the car interior. The hot / and cold sensation leaves the driver feeling sick / nauseous.
Vehicle fails to start. Towed to dealer.unable to locate source of problem. Please provide further details.
Bmw 540i electrical problems / damage to internal heating and electrical equipment. They pose a hazard due to extreme temperature change in the car interior. The hot / and cold sensation leaves the driver feeling sick / nauseous.
M62 v-8 engines used in the e-39 540 and e-38 740 are notorious for faulty timing chain guides. At around 125,000 the plastic can disintegrate causing the chain to skip a tooth. Once a tooth is skipped the valves are crushed and the engine is destroyed.the cost to replace the guides is extremely expensive.i was lucky in that i replaced mine at 140,000 miles
3rd (high) tail light bulb and socket overheats and melts, rendering the light inoperable and possibly causing a fire hazard.
2001 bmw 540i reverse gear failure on zf 5hp24 (a5s 440z) transmission.my bmw will no longer engage reverse, car feels like it is still in neutral.
I own a 2001 bmw 540i. I will put the car in drive, the car will move really slow, as i give it a little gas to go, the car will only rev up then jump into gear. This will cause a very strong jerk to the car. The car only has 70,000 miles, i feel that it is much too soon for a $65,000 car transmission to go bad. I took the car to bmw to find out that i need to replace the transmission. (cost $5600) i have not fix the car in hope that i will find a solution for bmw to fix it.
On my 2001 bmw 540i with 84000 miles when the car is put into reverse it will not reverse just fills like it is in neutral.
The bracket that holds the power steering pump on my 2001 bmw 540i snapped on the top and bottom pieces of the bracket resulting in my belts and pulleys to be thrown and destroyed. The repair is very expensive and time consuming. This is becoming a more and more common problem on the e39 style 1997-2003 bmw 540i's.
Power steering brackets on these cars break. Happened to me and threw a belt during a turn. This is an extreme safety hazard as you have no power steering when the bracket breaks and the belt is thrown. This is a known issue if you search on bmw forums and should be addressed by bmw! this is happening to my vehicle for the second time. Other owners report multiple instances as well.
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