2019 BMW 540I Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2019 BMW 540i. The contact stated that while slowly driving into the driveway the vehicle erroneously accelerated forward at a high rate of speed and crashed into the garage door. The contact indicated that during the incident the brake pedal was being pressed but the vehicle did not immediately stop. During the incident the front end of the vehicle was damaged but no air bags deployed. No injuries were reported but the contact experienced emotional stress from the incident. The contact also indicated that the failure had once occurred while the husband was driving the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,000.

NHTSA ID

11737812

Incident

May 1, 2026

Mileage

30,600 mi

I own a 2019 BMW 540 with B58 engine and I have begun noticing abnormal rattling noise from the engine area, which may indicate early stage failure of the oil pump assembly. There are widespread reports from other owners of failure of the oil pump rotor housing/adjusting ring due to heat-related degradation of plastic components. Failure of this component can lead to sudden loss of oil pressure, drivetrain malfunction warnings, and ultimately engine seizure while driving. Sudden engine failure at speed presents a significant safety hazard due to loss of propulsion and potential inability to maneuver out of traffic. BMW has reportedly updated the oil pump design to an all-metal version around mid-2020, suggesting awareness of a design failure. I am submitting this report as a potential early indicator before catastrophic failure occurs.

NHTSA ID

11726908

Incident

Mar 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 BMW 540i Sedan. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the peripheral rear-view mirror detached and collided with the passenger's window. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

NHTSA ID

11632656

Incident

Dec 23, 2024

Mileage

23,000 mi

Radiator Grill does not open when running. It remains in the close position. It started with the engine symbol that appeared on the dash.

NHTSA ID

11493211

Incident

Nov 8, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 BMW 540I. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact pressed the button on the gear shifter and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into NEUTRAL. The contact then shifted back into DRIVE. The contact continued driving with no further issues. However, the contact concern was that there should be no reason for the gear shifter to change gear with little to no pressure on the gear shifter from an inadvertent touch of the button on the gear shifter. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be inspected however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,500.

NHTSA ID

11433724

Incident

Aug 15, 2021

Mileage

43,500 mi

The contact owns a 2019 BMW 540i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the failure recurred. The contact continuously depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle lunged forward and collided with a barrier and crashed into his neighbor's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact. The contact was not treated for any injuries. A police report was not filed. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who discovered that the lower section of the accelerator pedal was fractured. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to pay for a portion of the repair. The contact received a letter that stated that the manufacturer agreed to pay for the accelerator pedal replacement however, by accepting the payment, the manufacturer would absolve themselves of any responsibility for any damages caused by the defective accelerator pedal. The contact had not agreed to the terms of the agreement of the letter. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The failure mileage was 18,000.

NHTSA ID

11421080

Incident

Apr 26, 2021

Mileage

18,000 mi

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT 50 MPH, CLEAR DRY WEATHER, NO TRAFFIC IN FRONT OR IN REAR AND COLLISION AVOIDANCE BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATED WITHOUT CAUSE

NHTSA ID

11415742

Incident

May 6, 2021

Mileage

16,600 mi

ON FRIDAY, 11/20/20, DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 60-65 MILES SPEED, SUDDENLY WITHIN FEW SECONDS, THE SPEED DROPPED DOWN TO 35-40 MILES WITHOUT ANY BRAKING ACTION BY ME. IT SCARED THE HACK OUT OF ME. I BARELY MANAGED TO GET OFF THE DRIVING LANE. WHILE IN MY CAR, BWW SOS ON-CALL ( DON'T KNOW EXACT NAME) CALLED, AND ASKED ME IF I WAS OK. THEN, THE OPERATOR GOT ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE OR THEIR MECHANIC ONLINE; HE TRIED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. HE SAID IT WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED IN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE OPERATOR ARRANGED FOR THE TOWING TRUCK; THE CAR WAS TOWED IN TO 'GLOBAL IMPORTS BMW' DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE MAN TESTED THE CAR THE NEXT DAY, AND MENTIONED THAT HIS TEST DID NOT REVEAL ANYTHING BUT THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AN UNIQUE SITUATION THAT REQUIRED BMW'S ENGINEER'S ASSESSMENT. THEN THE DEALERSHIP WANTED/ KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT, DROVE, AND TESTED IT THE NEXT DAY. THAT'S WHEN THEY FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE BODY ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY. THEY REPLACED. I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, ON A SMALLER SCALE, EARLY THIS YEAR. I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP BACK THEN. THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING UNUSUAL AT THAT TIME. THE SERVICE ADVISOR MENTIONED THAT VERY LIKELY THAT PROBLEM IN EARLY 2020 MAY ALSO BE DUE TO FAULTY THROTTLE BODY ACTUATOR.

NHTSA ID

11377490

Incident

Nov 20, 2020

Mileage

15,496 mi

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR CHASSIS STABILIZATION AND DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THEY REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP ALLEGES A RODENT GNAWED ON A ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. FROM WHAT I GATHER FROM THE DEALERSHIP THIS OCCURS FREQUENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT HAS FAILED TO MAKE NECESSARY DESIGN CHANGES TO MAKE THESE WIRING HARNESSES INACCESSIBLE TO RODENTS. MY CASE IS NOT THE WORSE CASE SCENARIO BUT A FIRE COULD HAVE STARTED, MY VEHICLE COULD HAVE BECOME INOPERABLE AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST FMVSS BE UPDATED TO ADDRESS THESE PRODUCT DESIGN DEFECTS. A WIRING HARNESS THAT CAN POTENTIAL DISABLE REGULAR FUNCTIONS OF THE VEHICLE COULD RESULT IN DEATH SHOULD NOT BE EASILY DISABLED BY A RODENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

11324466

Incident

May 8, 2020

Mileage

8,323 mi

I PURCHASED FOUR (4) MICHELIN PILOT ALPIN PA4 TIRES IN 245/35/20 FOR THE FRONT AND 275/30/20 FOR THE REAR. I SUBSEQUENTLY HIT A POTHOLE AND HAD THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLOW OUT. I THEN HAD THE TIRE REPLACED. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER, I HIT A POTHOLE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE, WHICH AGAIN CAUSED THE TIRE TO BLOW, BUT THIS TIME DAMAGED THE WHEEL BEYOND REPAIR. THE PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS ALSO FOUND TO HAVE TWO BUBBLES IN THE SIDEWALL EVEN WITHOUT HAVING BEEN STRUCK BY A POTHOLE. I HAVE HIT POTHOLES WITH THE SAME CAR WITH DIFFERENT TIRES AND HAVE NEVER HAD A BLOWOUT OR WHEEL DAMAGE. CONSIDERING THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE, I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND UNSAFE. I HAVE ATTACHED PHOTOS OF THE SECOND BLOWOUT. I HAVE ALSO ATTACHED THE INVOICES FROM THE TWO INCIDENTS. THE TOTALS DO NOT INCLUDE THE TOTAL DAMAGE AS INDICATED IN THE ITEMIZED BREAKDOWN, AS I DID NOT YET REPLACE THE CRACKED CONTROL ARMS AT $1,005.76. *TR

NHTSA ID

11323551

Incident

Apr 4, 2020

Mileage

11,192 mi

THIS CAR IS CURRENTLY SUBJECT TO A NTSB ORDERED RECALL RELATED TO THE BACK UP CAMERA AND THE LIGHTING LEVEL (NIGHT VISION) OF THE REAR SAFETY CAMERA. AFTER MY BMW DEALER "FIXED" IT LAST WEEK, IT IS NOTICEABLY DARKER THAN WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW AND HENCE LESS SAFE UNDER NIGHTTIME DRIVING CONDITIONS. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR BACK AND THE SERVICE MANAGER HAS INDICATED THIS IS THE DICTATED FIX; I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS (A) SAFE OR (B) SAGER THAN WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW IN OCTOBER 2018, BUT IS LESS SAFE. I SUGGEST A NTSB INVESTIGATION AND ADDITIONAL FIX. THIS OCCURS AT NIGHT, IN A DARK AREA AND WHILE THE CAR IS BOTH STATIONARY AND SLOWLY BACKING UP. THE DATE BELOW IS THE MOST RECENT DATE TAKEN TO THE BMW DEALER IN BALA CYNWYD, PA 19004 - BMW OF THE MAIN LINE.

NHTSA ID

11291063

Incident

Dec 24, 2019

Mileage

9,000 mi