1998 BMW 540I problems
Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 BMW 540I. Cooling system is the most reported problem area, at 39% of complaints. After that come engine (25%) and exhaust system (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 28 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cooling system 39% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 53,000 miles 16 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 16 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 53,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 1 injury reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 86% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the BMW 540I with enough data (21 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While stopped (engine still running) at a gas station, the driver side airbag and driver side side curtain airbag both went off. The battery disconnect feature was also triggered. Very lucky I wasn't driving when this occurred.
Consumer may be drving at any given speed. When he begins to slow down or if he downshifts and turns, engine will shut down, causing loss of steering and braking control. BMW dealerships cannot find a cause.
I have drive standard transmissions for over 40 years, I have never had a clutch problem until a purchased a '95 540I (know for poorly designed clutches, particularly the pressure plate). I bought this new '98 with hopes the problem was solved, no such luck. If I had the failure on a major highway or crowded road I easily could have been in an accident the time for the clutch to stop working entirely was very short.
Engine cooling radiator hose fitting broke off. Lost all coolant on highway. Dealer replaced radiator under warranty and stated it is common failure on 540I BMW due to plastic parts not stong enough to resist temperature. Well documented on private web sites.
I was driving down a busy street one evening and as I came to a light, smoke started coming out of my hood. Fortunately it was in the evening and traffic was lighter than usual. I pulled into a parking lot off the side of the road. Having known others that this has happened to, I first checked the radiator and sure enough, there was a large crack down the side of the housing. I had the car towed home and purchased a new radiator from BMW of seattle the following morning.