1994 BMW 540I Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1994 BMW 540I, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine436.4%
- Transmission436.4%
- Interior & seats218.2%
- Driver assistance19.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, THERE IS A HESITATION BEFORE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS IN. HESITATION TIME IS INCREASING. ALSO, WHEN STEPPING ON PEDAL FOR AGGRESSIVE ACCELERATION OR PASSING, VEHICLE HESITATES, THEN "CLUNKS" VIOLENTLY INTO GEAR. MECHANICS HAVE STATED THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THEY SEE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND TRANSMISSION. SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE WITH A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION(PARTS COST $5000.00).NOTHING DONE YET TO REMEDY PROBLEM DUE TO INCREDIBLE COST. ALSO, SHIFT LEVER SAFETY BUTTON NO LONGER WORKS, ALLOWING VEHICLE TO BE ACCIDENTALLY SHIFTED OUT OF DRIVING GEAR INTO OTHER GEARS. MECHANIC STATED THAT INTERNAL PIN BROKE AND THE WHOLE SHIFT LEVER HAS TO BE REPLACED WITH A PARTS COST OF $300.00. OTHER PROBLEMS: ; POWER SEAT CONTROLS FAIL CONTINUOUSLY, DASH DISPLAY LIGHTS NOT WORKING, ... *NM
TO WHOM IT MIGHT CONCERN. MY BMW 540I WAS DIAGNOSED FOR COMPRESSION LOSS BY THE LOCAL BMW AUTHORIZED DEALER. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THE CAUSE IS EXTENDED SULFUR CONTENT USED IN THE US GASOLINE. THE SULFUR CAUSES A CHEMICAL REACTION WITH THE USED ENGINE BLOCK ALLOY (NIKASIL) AND ERODES PREMATURELY. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 99'000 MILES. THIS IS FAR BELOW ANY SERVICE LIFE EXPECTANCY STANDARD FOR A QUALITY MAKE/BRAND CAR (ENGINE). BMW WANTS TO HOLD THEIR CUSTOMERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DESIGN FLAW. BMW MISSED TO PROPERLY TEST AND EVALUATE THIS CAR PRIOR TO EXPORTING IT INTO THE US MARKET. BMW CONFESSES TO THE PROBLEM BY EXTENDING THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY FROM 4 TO 6 YEARS. I FEEL THAT BMW SHOULD HAVE DONE A TOTAL RECALL ON THIS ISSUE AND NOT JUST A WARRANTY EXTENSION SINCE THE DEFECT IT IS ENTIRELY CAUSED BY BMW'S FAULTY DESIGN. DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THIS ISSUE? HAS THERE BEEN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST BMW IN THE PAST? ARE THERE SIMILAR ISSUES WITH OTHER CAR BRANDS/MAKES? ANY ADVICE IN DEALING WITH THIS? SINCERELY,
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, THERE IS A HESITATION BEFORE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS IN. HESITATION TIME IS INCREASING. ALSO, WHEN STEPPING ON PEDAL FOR AGGRESSIVE ACCELERATION OR PASSING, VEHICLE HESITATES, THEN "CLUNKS" VIOLENTLY INTO GEAR. MECHANICS HAVE STATED THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THEY SEE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND TRANSMISSION. SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE WITH A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION(PARTS COST $5000.00).NOTHING DONE YET TO REMEDY PROBLEM DUE TO INCREDIBLE COST. ALSO, SHIFT LEVER SAFETY BUTTON NO LONGER WORKS, ALLOWING VEHICLE TO BE ACCIDENTALLY SHIFTED OUT OF DRIVING GEAR INTO OTHER GEARS. MECHANIC STATED THAT INTERNAL PIN BROKE AND THE WHOLE SHIFT LEVER HAS TO BE REPLACED WITH A PARTS COST OF $300.00. OTHER PROBLEMS: ; POWER SEAT CONTROLS FAIL CONTINUOUSLY, DASH DISPLAY LIGHTS NOT WORKING, ... *NM
I BOUGHT A BMW 540I IN 1996 USED AT 45,000 MILES FROM A DEALERSHIP. WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE DELAYED TEMPORARILY BEFORE ENGAGING. NOW I WAS NOT INFORM THE OF THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN AND DUE TO POOR TRANSMISSION FLUID, NOW AT 90,000 MILES THIS CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE , SHIFTER WOULD SLIDE, AND CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. NOW THERE IS A IDENTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH AN OTHER CONSUMER CASE# 889281 WITH THE NHTSA. MY CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR OTHER RECALLS NOW I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THEY FAILED TO DO THERE PART AND IN MAKING SURE THAT THE TRANSMISSON PROBLEM FLUID OR OTHER TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WAS TO BE TAKEN CAR OF BY THE DEALERSHIP BEFORE IT BECAME AN ISSUE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, THERE IS A HESITATION BEFORE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS IN. HESITATION TIME IS INCREASING. ALSO, WHEN STEPPING ON PEDAL FOR AGGRESSIVE ACCELERATION OR PASSING, VEHICLE HESITATES, THEN "CLUNKS" VIOLENTLY INTO GEAR. MECHANICS HAVE STATED THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THEY SEE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND TRANSMISSION. SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE WITH A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION(PARTS COST $5000.00).NOTHING DONE YET TO REMEDY PROBLEM DUE TO INCREDIBLE COST. ALSO, SHIFT LEVER SAFETY BUTTON NO LONGER WORKS, ALLOWING VEHICLE TO BE ACCIDENTALLY SHIFTED OUT OF DRIVING GEAR INTO OTHER GEARS. MECHANIC STATED THAT INTERNAL PIN BROKE AND THE WHOLE SHIFT LEVER HAS TO BE REPLACED WITH A PARTS COST OF $300.00. OTHER PROBLEMS: ; POWER SEAT CONTROLS FAIL CONTINUOUSLY, DASH DISPLAY LIGHTS NOT WORKING, ... *NM
DRIVERS SEAT "ROCKS". IF IN AN ACCIDENT I FEAR THE SEAT WILL DETATCH AND DRIVER WILL DIE. NEW SEAT RAILS WILL FIX BUT BMW WILL NOT PAY.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
SPEED SENSOR FAILED, CAUSING FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION, CANNOT CHANGE GEARS.PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .