2004 BMW 545I Problems

MY CAR HAS THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM WARNING EVERYTIME I START MY CAR. THE AIR BAG RECALL IS BY TAKATA IS FOR THE 2003 545I MODEL. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN SEP OF 2003 WITH THOSE TAKADA AIRBAGS.

IN 10/17 I BOUGHT THE ABOVE VEHICLE FROM PRIVATE OWNER. FROM THE TIME I STARTED DRIVING IT TO CURRENTLY, THE CONTROL DISPLAY HAS BEEN SHOWING A PASSENGER AIRBAG AND/ORSEATBEIT WARNING. THE CURRENT WARNING READS: "PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM. FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRIANT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER." THE DISPLAY BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER SHOWS A RED AIRBAG SYMBOL AND A RED FASTEN SEATBELT SYMBOL, WHICH DO NOT GO OFF WITH OPERATION OF VEHICLE. THESE 2004/2005 BMW 545I HAD A NHTSA SAFETY RECALL (08V384000) BUT CERTAIN VINS, INCLUDING MINE WERE NOT INCLUDED. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY, BECAUSE CLEARLY NOT KNOWING WHETHER YOUR AIRBAG & BELT TENSIONER & BELT FORCE LIMITER ARE WORKING PROPERLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS CONCERN, PLEASE SEE AT LEAST 10 OTHER PEOPLE LISTING THIS PROBLEM WITH "WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM" UNDER BMW 545 I SEATBELT PROBLEMS. MY MECHANIC HAS TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO RESET THESE WARNINGS, BUT THEY ALWAYS COME BACK. NHTSA'S JOB IS TO PROTECT CAR OWNERS RE REAL SAFETY CONCERNS; I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO THIS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT AND NOT KNOW IF AIRBAGS AND SEATBELTS WILL OPERATE PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH?20 THANK YOU. *JS *JS

ELECTRICAL WIRING IN HEADLIGHTS ARE DISINTEGRATING. THE SHIELDING IS DRY ROTTING AND FLAKING OFF NEARLY EVERY WIRE IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS CAUSING THEM TO MALFUNCTION DURING DRIVING. LIGHTS WILL CUT OFF RANDOMLY. I'D IMAGINE THE WIRES ARE SHORTING OUT.

BARE WIRES INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING, THESE ARE HID LIGHTS MADE BY HELLA FOR BMW THEY ARE OEM. WHEN CONTACTING BMWNA THEY SAY THAT'S NOT HOW THEY MAKE THERE LIGHTS AND BLAME HEAT AND THE CAR NOT BEING MAINTAINED AT A BMW DEALERSHIP, WELL THE REST OF THE WIRING ON THE CAR IS JUST FINE EVEN THE WIRES THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH A HIGH HEAT PRODUCING ENGINE... IT'S THE SAME EXACT ISSUE MERCEDES BENZ HAD ON THE W202 CHASSIS, WIRES THAT WOULD DEGRADE AT AN EXTREMELY FAST RATE. BUT FOR HEADLIGHTS THAT COST WELL OVER $1000 EACH. BUT MY QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FAMILY IS OUT AT NIGHT AND THERE HEADLIGHTS MALFUNCTION BECAUSE OF SOMETHING BMW KNOWS ABOUT BUT REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND SAID FAMILY HAS A WRECK AND KILLS MULTIPLE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF A KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS IS MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT GETTING SOMETHING DONE THE FIRST WAS CONTACTING BMWNA WHICH EQUALED TO INSULTING SOMEONE'S KNOWLEDGE OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. ALSO THE HEADLIGHTS NO LONGER ADJUST, THE ANGEL EYES NO LONGER WORK BULBS BLOW AS SOON AS THEY ARE REPLACED AND CONSTANT WARNINGS THAT PARKING LIGHTS HAVE A MALFUNCTION. TELLING SOMEONE HEAT IS THE CAUSE MAKES AN AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY KINDA LOOK IGNORANT ESPECIALLY WHEN WIRES TOUCHING AN ENGINE ARE NOT EFFECTED BY HEAT AT ALL AND ARE STILL 100% FLEXIBLE AND HAVE NOT LOST ANY OF THE INSULATION. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE WIRES HAVE LIQUID ELECTRICAL TAPE USED, SHOULD ANY VEHICLE WITH 119XXX MILES HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE?

VALVE COVER GASKET LEAK, TIMING CHAIN COVER GASKET LEAK, VALVE STEM LEAK.

I CAME BACK FROM MY SUMMER HOLIDAY, AND RESTARTED MY CAR. A LOT OF WARNINGS APPEARS ON THE ODOMETER. ABOUT ENGINE, AIRBAGS, STEERING, TIRE PRESSURE, AND SEAT BELT. (I HAVE CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE, IT IS NORMAL. AND I ALWAYS LOCK THE SEAT BELT BEFORE DRIVING). IN ADDITION, THE NAVIGATION SCREEN AND RADIO DIED. FURTHERMORE, THE CAR LOSE ELECTRICITY AFTER IT SHUTS DOWN. AFTER MORE THAN 3 HOURS OF SHUT DOWN, IT WON'T HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO RE-IGNITE. I CHECK ON NHTSA WEBSITE THAT THERE ARE THREE RECALL ISSUES THAT MY CAR WAS INCLUDED, AND RELATED TO THE ISSUES I AM REPORTING RIGHT NOW. ABOUT AIR BAGS (08V384000), ENGINE (12E029000), AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (12V126000). BUT I CANNOT FIND OUT ANY INFORMATION BY MY VIN NUMBER ON NHTSA. IT IS A USED CAR, I AM NOT SURE WHETHER THE FORMER USER RESPONDED THE RECALL BEFORE. EVEN IF THIS CAR WAS RECALLED BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS FIXED PROPERLY, AND THE SIMILAR ISSUES WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

THIS TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AGGRESSIVELY. IT HAPPENS ON UP-SHIFT 1-2 AND DOWNSHIFT 2-1. IT HAPPENS LIKE 4 TO 5 TIMES IN A WEEK. ALSO SOMETIMES I GET A BIG SLAM ON BOTH UP-SHIFT AND DOWNSHIFT... WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION ERROR MESSAGE POPS UP AND REDUCES MY MOVEMENT TO SAFE-MODE, UNLESS I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART THE ENGINE. IF YOU TAKE TIME TO GO ON BMW FORUMS AND BLOGS, EVERYONE COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH THIS 5 SERIES... PLEASE DO SOMETHING.. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG RESTRAINT ERROR POPS UP EVEN WHEN SOMEONE IS NOT SEATING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE.. THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO.. ALMOST EVERY BMW OWNER HAS THIS PASSENGER ISSUE...

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE THINKING THAT IT WOULD BE A SAFE CAR FOR MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO BE SLIPPING AND AN EXCESSIVELY HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT OCCURS WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP. ALSO, TRANSMISSION "BANGS" INTO GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL OR A "ROLLING" STOP. THIS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES ON A DAILY BASIS. ONE TIME IN SPECIFIC I WAS DRIVING WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD NIECE AND IT CAUSED HER TO BECOME ALARMED AS WELL AS INJURE HER NECK. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE, THE DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THAT THEY WILL CHARGE ME AN RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE FOR THE TRANSMISSION. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE A "NO CHARGE" REPAIR OR FIX SEEING THAT NO CAR SHOULD BEHAVE IN THIS MANNER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE, AS I AM NO LONGER DRIVING THE CAR AND TAKING THE BUS IN FEAR OF CAUSING ANY INJURY TO MY LOVED ONES. *TR

MY CAR HAS THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM WARNING EVERYTIME I START MY CAR. THE AIR BAG RECALL IS BY TAKATA IS FOR THE 2003 545I MODEL. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN SEP OF 2003 WITH THOSE TAKADA AIRBAGS.

IN 10/17 I BOUGHT THE ABOVE VEHICLE FROM PRIVATE OWNER. FROM THE TIME I STARTED DRIVING IT TO CURRENTLY, THE CONTROL DISPLAY HAS BEEN SHOWING A PASSENGER AIRBAG AND/ORSEATBEIT WARNING. THE CURRENT WARNING READS: "PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM. FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRIANT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER." THE DISPLAY BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER SHOWS A RED AIRBAG SYMBOL AND A RED FASTEN SEATBELT SYMBOL, WHICH DO NOT GO OFF WITH OPERATION OF VEHICLE. THESE 2004/2005 BMW 545I HAD A NHTSA SAFETY RECALL (08V384000) BUT CERTAIN VINS, INCLUDING MINE WERE NOT INCLUDED. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY, BECAUSE CLEARLY NOT KNOWING WHETHER YOUR AIRBAG & BELT TENSIONER & BELT FORCE LIMITER ARE WORKING PROPERLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS CONCERN, PLEASE SEE AT LEAST 10 OTHER PEOPLE LISTING THIS PROBLEM WITH "WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM" UNDER BMW 545 I SEATBELT PROBLEMS. MY MECHANIC HAS TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO RESET THESE WARNINGS, BUT THEY ALWAYS COME BACK. NHTSA'S JOB IS TO PROTECT CAR OWNERS RE REAL SAFETY CONCERNS; I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO THIS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT AND NOT KNOW IF AIRBAGS AND SEATBELTS WILL OPERATE PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH?20 THANK YOU. *JS *JS

DYNAMIC STEERING MALFUNCTION CAUSING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS

TAKADA RECALL. MY CAR'S MAKE CRACKING NOISE OR GROANED NOISES AS SOME OTHER E60 OWNERS DESCRIBED. THE NOISES SOUNDED AS THE CAR START ROLLING AT LOW SPEED WHETHER GO STRAIGHT OR TURN A LITTLE TO LEFT OR RIGHT. IT'S HAPPENED EVERY TIME. THE AIRBAG LIGHT COME ON DURING DRIVE AND IT IS OFF WHEN I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. THE NEXT TIME I START THE CAR IS STILL REMAIN STAYED ON, AND IT'S GOES OFF DURING DRIVE. THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMS NOT FIRM UNLIKE E39 IS MORE FIRM. I FOUND A FORUM WHERE THE E60 OWNERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM AND THE DEALER SOLVED THE PROBLEMS I MENTIONED ABOVE BY JUST REPLACE THE TAKATA AIRBAG AND MAYBE AN UPDATE OF SOFTWARE INVOLVED. IN CONCLUSION TO MY COMPLAINT REGARDING TAKADA AIRBAG THE BMW SHOULD OPEN A RECALL FOR MY CAR OR ADD MY CAR TO THE RECALL LIST AS IT'S NOT SAFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. PLEASE HELP, THANK YOU.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL ON THE BRAKE BOOSTER THAT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN BRAKING DISTANCE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE PUMP, BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP SEAL, AND THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 122,000. UPDATED 11/20/14*LJ

DYNAMIC STEERING MALFUNCTION CAUSING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS

TAKADA RECALL. MY CAR'S MAKE CRACKING NOISE OR GROANED NOISES AS SOME OTHER E60 OWNERS DESCRIBED. THE NOISES SOUNDED AS THE CAR START ROLLING AT LOW SPEED WHETHER GO STRAIGHT OR TURN A LITTLE TO LEFT OR RIGHT. IT'S HAPPENED EVERY TIME. THE AIRBAG LIGHT COME ON DURING DRIVE AND IT IS OFF WHEN I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. THE NEXT TIME I START THE CAR IS STILL REMAIN STAYED ON, AND IT'S GOES OFF DURING DRIVE. THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMS NOT FIRM UNLIKE E39 IS MORE FIRM. I FOUND A FORUM WHERE THE E60 OWNERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM AND THE DEALER SOLVED THE PROBLEMS I MENTIONED ABOVE BY JUST REPLACE THE TAKATA AIRBAG AND MAYBE AN UPDATE OF SOFTWARE INVOLVED. IN CONCLUSION TO MY COMPLAINT REGARDING TAKADA AIRBAG THE BMW SHOULD OPEN A RECALL FOR MY CAR OR ADD MY CAR TO THE RECALL LIST AS IT'S NOT SAFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. PLEASE HELP, THANK YOU.

ELECTRICAL WIRING IN HEADLIGHTS ARE DISINTEGRATING. THE SHIELDING IS DRY ROTTING AND FLAKING OFF NEARLY EVERY WIRE IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS CAUSING THEM TO MALFUNCTION DURING DRIVING. LIGHTS WILL CUT OFF RANDOMLY. I'D IMAGINE THE WIRES ARE SHORTING OUT.

BARE WIRES INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING, THESE ARE HID LIGHTS MADE BY HELLA FOR BMW THEY ARE OEM. WHEN CONTACTING BMWNA THEY SAY THAT'S NOT HOW THEY MAKE THERE LIGHTS AND BLAME HEAT AND THE CAR NOT BEING MAINTAINED AT A BMW DEALERSHIP, WELL THE REST OF THE WIRING ON THE CAR IS JUST FINE EVEN THE WIRES THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH A HIGH HEAT PRODUCING ENGINE... IT'S THE SAME EXACT ISSUE MERCEDES BENZ HAD ON THE W202 CHASSIS, WIRES THAT WOULD DEGRADE AT AN EXTREMELY FAST RATE. BUT FOR HEADLIGHTS THAT COST WELL OVER $1000 EACH. BUT MY QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FAMILY IS OUT AT NIGHT AND THERE HEADLIGHTS MALFUNCTION BECAUSE OF SOMETHING BMW KNOWS ABOUT BUT REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND SAID FAMILY HAS A WRECK AND KILLS MULTIPLE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF A KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS IS MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT GETTING SOMETHING DONE THE FIRST WAS CONTACTING BMWNA WHICH EQUALED TO INSULTING SOMEONE'S KNOWLEDGE OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. ALSO THE HEADLIGHTS NO LONGER ADJUST, THE ANGEL EYES NO LONGER WORK BULBS BLOW AS SOON AS THEY ARE REPLACED AND CONSTANT WARNINGS THAT PARKING LIGHTS HAVE A MALFUNCTION. TELLING SOMEONE HEAT IS THE CAUSE MAKES AN AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY KINDA LOOK IGNORANT ESPECIALLY WHEN WIRES TOUCHING AN ENGINE ARE NOT EFFECTED BY HEAT AT ALL AND ARE STILL 100% FLEXIBLE AND HAVE NOT LOST ANY OF THE INSULATION. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE WIRES HAVE LIQUID ELECTRICAL TAPE USED, SHOULD ANY VEHICLE WITH 119XXX MILES HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE?

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SEAT WARMER, OVERHEATED AND BURNED THE CONTACTS CLOTHING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEATED ELEMENT WAS FRACTURED CAUSING THE DRIVERS SEAT TO OVERHEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

BMW HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE ISSUE UNDER RECALL OF THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT DEALING WITH THE SEAT MAT/SENSOR THAT DEVELOPS CRACKS OVER TIME FROM REPEATED ENTRY AND EXIT OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE WAS A RECALL AND THIS CAR IS CLEARLY EFFECTED BY IT BUT BMW SAYS IT IS NOT. AS THE VEHICLE WAS JUST PURCHASED TO REPLACE ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD ACTUALLY HAD AN ACCIDENT, THE SAFETY RELATED EQUIPMENT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. BMW ADMITS THERE IS A RECALL(ID# 76546) BUT CLAIMS THIS VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED. THIS COULD EFFECTIVELY END MY OWNERSHIP OF ANY BMW IF THIS ISSUE IS NOT FIX PROMPTLY. *TR