2004 BMW 545I problems
Owners have filed 78 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 BMW 545I. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 24% of complaints. After that come electrical system (15%) and engine (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 78 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 24% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 102,000 miles 67 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 | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 67 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 102,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 92,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 BMW 545I. The contact stated that the driver engaged the driver's side seat warmer. Several moments later, they noticed smoke emitting from the seat. The driver immediately moved off the roadway and stopped the vehicle. After exiting the vehicle and inspecting the failure, the driver discovered a large burn in the driver's seat. The driver waited several minutes before continuing to drive the vehicle.
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.
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.
Vehicle slips in an out of 5th and 6th gear when traveling at constant 35 to 40 MPH in auto mode and around 60 MPH in ds mode. Noticeable oil leaks as well as occasional smoke from tailpipe and vehicle bangs into gear ( while downshifting on occasion) also noticed that the electrical system seems to cut out for a split second while driving. Heads up display and radio illustrates this finding as they shut off for a second. The clock is also behind a few minutes / week because of this.
Not too long ago I had my car parked on a street on a sunny day. I got in the vehicle and started it and received a message on my idrive saying that there is a passenger restraint system malfunction and a airbag light along with the seatbelt light lit up on the dash. Dealer says that there is no recall for this issue yet online I've read that my model does in fact have a recall for this issue.
Other model years of the 545I
- 2005
- 2004