Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2005 BMW 545I submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
MY PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT LIGHT ARE BOTH ON AT ALL TIMES. THE ON BOARD COMPUTER SAYS FAULT IN PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT OR SEAT BELT TENSIONER. ALSO THE BACK BRAKES DON'T WORK AT ALL BUT THE FRONT ONES DO. WAS WONDERING IF THIS WAS A RECALL MATTER BEFORE I SPEND THOUSANDS TO FIX THE PROBLEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO RESPOND. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS AND FULL BODILY FORCE, THE VEHICLE THEN CAME TO A STOP.THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 10V446000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) BUT WAS ADVISED THAT THE VIN WAS INELIGIBLE UNDER THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V446000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC: POWER ASSIST VACUUM) AND NOW THE VACUUM PUMP WAS LEAKING. THE BRAKE VACUUM LINE WAS REPLACED, BUT THAT DID NOT PREVENT THE VACUUM PUMP FROM FAILING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO STATED THAT THE VACUUM PUMP WAS NOT COVER UNDER THE RECALL SINCE ONLY THE BRAKE LINE HOSE, BRAKE BOOSTER AND BRAKE CALIBUR WERE LISTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,000.
OCCURRENCE IS VERY SIMILAR TO OID 10399328, 10328989 AND 10407868. FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN CONGESTED TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AT SLOW SPEED. THE VEHICLE SLOWED WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED NORMALLY BUT DID NOT COME TO A FULL STOP. HAD TO STOMP ON THE BRAKES WILL EXTREME FORCE TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE CAR IN FRONT. PROBLEM RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY 3 TIME BEFORE REPAIRS. ADDITIONALLY, FREQUENTLY WHEN FOOT WAS ON BRAKE WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF THE PEDAL WOULD FORCEFULLY PUSH BACK AGAINST FOOT. SERVICE ON RECALL FOR HYDRAULIC POWER VACUUM PUMP ON THE BOOSTER WAS PERFORMED IN JANUARY. DEALER SAID THE CURRENT PROBLEM IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AS IT IS A COMPLETE BOOSTER FAILURE NOT THE VACUUM PUMP. MY PERCEPTION IS THAT THE FIRST RECALL WAS NOT COMPREHENSIVE ENOUGH TO ADDRESS A LARGER GENERAL PROBLEM VEHICLE'S BOOSTER BRAKING SYSTEM. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL DROPPED TO THE FLOOR BOARD. THE CONTACT APPLIED EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIRS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,500.
COMING TO A STOP SIGN, HAD TO EXERT AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP. GOING TO THE DEALER TO HAVE MY BRAKES CHECKED UNDER THE BMW BRAKE RECALL, I WAS TOLD I HAD NO OIL IN MY BRAKE LINE, BUT THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A VACUUM PUMP OIL LEAK. REMEDY WAS TO REPLACE PUMP AND CLEAN, FOR $1300. IF YOU LOOK ON THE BMW E60 FORUM, AND OTHERS, THERE ARE NUMEROUS IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT COME TO A STOP. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE CONTACT APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONTACTS VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V446000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM). RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THE RECENT REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE THE RECALL REPAIRS HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.
TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FULLY ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE DECREASED IN SPEED BUT WOULD NOT STOP. SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE HIGHWAY AND ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ADVISED THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND VACUUM HAD FAILED. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS YET MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
1. THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE - BRAKE LOSS 2. THE FAILURE, HOW OFTEN IT OCCURS, ITS CONSEQUENCES: THIS STARTED ABOUT 3-4 MONTHS AGO. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 25-30MPH AND HAD TO STOP BECAUSE THE LIGHT TURNED RED. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES BUT MY CAR DID NOT STOPPED. IT FELT LIKE I WAS STEPPING ON A BRICK BUT THERE WAS NO BRAKE PRESSURE. I PULLED THE E-BRAKE, TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURNED IT BACK ON AGAIN AND IT WAS OK AFTER THAT. I IGNORED THAT ISSUE THINKING IT WAS JUST A PHANTOM ISSUE - JUST LIKE MOST ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH BMW'S. I DON'T DRIVE MY CAR EVERYDAY - MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK AT THE MOST. AFTER A FEW WEEKS, I HAD THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN, IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. SAME SCENARIO - DRIVING ABOUT 30-35MPH. IT IS NOT SPONGY (I KNOW FOR SURE IF IT WAS CAUSED BY AIR ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM) - IT DEFINITELY FELT LIKE STEPPING ON A BRICK, AS IN LITERAL BRICK. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAVE TO CHANGE THE BRAKE FLUID SINCE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE FLUID EVERY 2 YEARS. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO, I WAS DRIVING AT THE INTERSTATE DRIVING ABOUT 70MPH, I HAD TO PRESS MY BRAKE BECAUSE A LOW MOVING VEHICLE MOVED IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE TO PRESS THE BRAKE THEN HAD THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN. I HAVE TO DRIVE ON THE LEFT PAVED SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE VAN IN FRONT OF ME. YESTERDAY, I CHANGED MY BRAKE FLUID. WENT TO THE GROCERIES TO TEST DRIVE IT. DRIVING ABOUT 15-25MPH ON TRAFFIC - HAD THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN. NO BRAKES, NO PRESSURE, FELT LIKE STEPPING ON A BRICK. TURNED OF ENGINE AND TURNED IT BACK ON - WENT BACK TO NORMAL. *TR
BRAKE FAILURE. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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