BMW 540i Engine Problems

Engine complaints by model year

Which parts fail

• Cooling system › Radiator assembly
  24
• Cooling system
  9
• Exhaust system › Emission control › Catalytic convertor
  3
• Engine › Gasoline
  3
• Exhaust system
  2
• Engine
  1
• Cooling system › Hoses/lines/piping/fittings
  1
• Exhaust system › Emission control
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  00%
• 25k–50k
  615%
• 50k–75k
  1845%
• 75k–100k
  718%
• 100k–150k
  718%
• 150k+
  25%

What owners report

I contacted the dealership where I purchased my vehicle called Global Imports on December 6 because the car was running hot. I arrived on Saturday morning was informed that the radiator was leaking and a water pump was leaking that they both needed to be replaced and I would be charged around $3000 to replace it. There were no recalls the service bulletins that I mentioned they advised me were only repair notifications. They said there were no other notifications regarding the radiator only to have the check engine light come back on a week later I took it to a different dealership and I was advised that the 15 year warranty on the flaps which the flaps are not functioning properly. I was advised to take it back to Global Imports .

For this item - Please refer to NTHSA RECALL 18V-465 : BMW Crank Sensor Recall 9/12/2018. In particular - this refers to a 2018 BMW 540ix. Specifically, "VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTUTRED WITH A CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, THAT DUE TO SENSOR FIRMWARE, CANNOT ACCURATELY PROCESS THE INPUT FROM THE CRANKSHAFT RELUCTOR RING. BASIS FOR RECALL POPULATION DETERMINATION: SUPPLIER PRODUCTION INFORMATION WAS USED TO IDENTIFY THE START AND END DATE OF THE AFFECTED CRANKSHAFT SENSORS WHICH THEN CORRELATED WITH ENGINE PRODUCTION AND VEHICLE ASSEMBLY INFORMATION TO DETERMINE THE START DATE (5/18/2018) AND THE END DATE (06/08/2018) OF THE AFFECTED VEHCILES." This vehicle was towed to a factory authorized dealership - all aspects of the malfunction mimicked the description in the recall. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 BMW 540i. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, she heard a loud noise as metal shards started to fall from the engine compartment. The contact mentioned that the check engine and the coolant warning lamps were illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that the clutch fan had become separated and coolant was leaking. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the clutch fan was fractured and cutting through the engine compartment. The manufacturer made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 130,000.

Water pump failure.this is a known defect that involves a high percentage of the e39 540i BMW. The failure of the pump is known to happen between 5000-60000 miles and can put the driver in danger and cause unnecessary expensive repairs to be incurred on a car of this caliber. The water pump failure in my case destroyed the main drive belt leaving me with out power steering, brakes, alternator etc. E39 owners who have had this experience should be reimbursed for the repairs and costs associated with the faulty design and problems associated with the water pump and cooling system.

My transmission would not accelerate or move. I had the trans rebuild and 2 years later the same problem. The trans has lost gears 1-3 and reverse, multistate repaired the trans again 2013, ifor the second time, it never worked after repairs. The engine light stays on, BMW says I need new trans and engine. When I looked up recalls for 540i, it states the same trans problem and it should be replaced. When I look up engine there are known engine problems with 540i, not my VIN. I also have electrical issues, which have a recall on 540i, but not my VIN. Also issues with coolant, which is another known issue, but not my VIN. I have tried to get BMW to diagnose, but they only recommend replacing all parts at my expense, even though there is a history of these type of issues with the 540i, 1999 cars. …

My son was driving home in rush hour traffic on connecticut ave. It was raining rather hard and visibility was low. My son all of the sudden smelled smoke coming through the vents and the engine shut down. It would not restart. He had to push it off the road into a service station due to the high volume of traffic. The car was towed that evening to my repair shop where it was diagnosed that the thermostat housing sensor failed which melted the wiring harness and damaged other electrical sensors on the engine.

I was driving down a busy street one evening and as I came to a light, smoke started coming out of my hood. Fortunately it was in the evening and traffic was lighter than usual. I pulled into a parking lot off the side of the road. Having known others that this has happened to, I first checked the radiator and sure enough, there was a large crack down the side of the housing. I had the car towed home and purchased a new radiator from BMW of seattle the following morning. The new radiator was about $200, a few hours of my own labor and a few more hours detailing the engine pay and headlights which had radiator fluid all over them. Also from the experience of others who own e39 BMW 540s, I fully expect this to happen again in the next 50K miles. I also expect the expansion tank to go within the next few months.

2nd catastrophic radiator failure. Not a leak, the neck breaks off causing immediate loss of cooling. 1st radiator at 45K, 2nd at 92K. Based on other's experiences, this is very common for this model (and even longer life than many). Causes loss of vision due to amount of steam released. Less experienced driver May have difficulty controlling vehicle to get to side of road quickly to shut down. No way to predict the failure. Same issue with expansion tank. Both failures are on plastic parts.

Related recalls (5)