1997 BMW 540I

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.

NHTSA ID

11287171

Incident

Dec 4, 2019

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10488021

Incident

Dec 1, 2010

Mileage

130,000 mi

I EXCHANGED THE LAMBDA SENSOR OF MY CAR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. SUDDENLY MY MILEAGE WENT DOWN AND I STARTED AN ERROR SEARCH. SINCE I WAS DOING A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS ON THE CAR I DIDN'T COME UP WITH THE SENSORS UP FRONT. UPDATED 11/16/10 *BF UPDATED 03/23/11 *BF SO WHEN IT CAME TO THEM I RECOGNIZED THAT THEY WERE GROUNDED THROUGH THE EXHAUST WHAT THEY SHOULDN'T DO AT MY CAR! WHEN I ASKED THE MANUFACTURER THEY DISMISSED EVERYTHING AS IF IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. AND THEY KEEP SELLING THE LAMBDA SENSORS FOR A RANGE OF CARS THAT DEFINITELY DO NOT FIT! MANUFACTURER IS BORGWARNER BERU SYSTEMS GMBH! LAMBDA SENSOR IS OZH 173 HTTP://BERU.COM/ENGLISH/PRODUKTE/PRODUKTIDENT.PHP?S=OZH+173&EANR=0824010207&ACTION=STEP02 THE DANGER RESULTS FROM THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE GROUNDING: THIS LEADS TO A HEATING UP OF THE LAMBDA SENSORS WHICH THEN MIGHT IGNITE UNBURNED FUEL IN THE EXHAUST. THIS FUEL WILL DEFINITELY BE THERE AS THE GROUNDING ALSO DESTROYS THE OUTPUT STAGES OF THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUEL MIXTURE. THE CAR WILL ULTIMATELY FATTEN UP, RESULTING IN UNBURNED FUEL GETTING TO THE EXHAUST AND BEING IGNITED BY THE HEATED UP LAMBDA SENSORS! THIS IS WHAT CAN BURN DOWN THE WHOLE CAR DURING DRIVING AND ALSO WHEN STANDING AFTER A LONGER TRIP! SO THESE LAMBDA SENSORS DESTROYED MY MOTOR CONTROL UNIT, MY CATALYTIC CONVERTERS, ETC. I WOULD BE GLAD IF YOU COULD RESEARCH FURTHER INTO THIS AND NOTIFY ME OF THE STATUS! UPDATED11/23/10. *JB UPDATED 12/01/10. *JB *TR

NHTSA ID

10362195

Incident

Jan 20, 2009

WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES RAPIDLY IN OUT-OF-CONTROL MANNER. SOMETIMES IT ALSO DECELERATES RAPIDLY, AND LURCHES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10297073

Incident

Dec 27, 2009

Mileage

130,000 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10267722

Incident

Aug 15, 2007

Mileage

150,000 mi

1997 BMW 540I FUSE TO THE FUEL INJECTOR BLEW OUT.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** *MR THE 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. *SC THE WIPER BLADES WERE NOT CLEANING THE WINDOWS PROPERLY. *JB

NHTSA ID

10130203

Incident

Feb 9, 2005

Mileage

53,777 mi

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 EXPERIENCED IT 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.*AK

NHTSA ID

10116922

Incident

Apr 10, 2005

Mileage

127,075 mi

(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.*AK

NHTSA ID

10100611

Incident

Nov 27, 2004

Mileage

55,000 mi

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL-RELATED SHORT-TERM ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION AND CONSEQUENTIAL REPAIRS This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B01 31 18 dated October 2018.

TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL-RELATED SHORT-TERM ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION AND CONSEQUENTIAL REPAIRS This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B01 31 18 dated October 2018.

TAKATA CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM. FRONT DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG MODULES.

Radio / Navigation / Head Unit Identification Guide

For the above-referenced vehicles with driver?s side airbag modules, BMW of North America, LLC (?BMW NA?) will provide a Customer Support Program as outlined in the Takata Settlement Customer Support Program Overview attachment. This ?component-specific? customer support program applies only if there is a defect in materials or workmanship of the Takata driver?s side airbag module in a listed vehicle.