Bmw 540ia 1997
Model 540ia made in 1997 by Bmw got 15 consumer complains as well as 3 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags and engine and engine cooling. Technical service bulletines regarding equipment and fuel system, gasoline.
Model 1997
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | |||||
| 84 01 97 | 12/01/1997 | 84 01 97 | 53945 | Bmw navigation system cd v 05 operating software for mark i system. | 02/29/2000 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 16 06 97 | 11/01/1997 | 53948 | Fuel level sensor may have been damaged during production which will cause fuel gauge to read approximately 3/4 full even if tank is comopletely full. *ak | 02/28/2000 | |
| STRUCTURE | |||||
| 11 05 97 | 07/01/1997 | 53344 | Left side engine support may contact the front subframe, causing a drone noise. *ak | 02/29/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 88000 | 1 | 06/01/2002 |
| The airbag light illuminated. the dealer stated it was due to the passenger side weight system. *nlm *scc *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 08/23/2003 | 69718 | 1 | |
| Radiator defect -- plastic neck of radiator connecting to upper hose broke at point of connection while at moderate speed, spraying coolant onto engine and windshield and causing risks of fire and hazardous impairment of visability. this defect is well known to the manufacturer and a recall should be commenced.*ak | |||
| 11/26/1998 | 28000 | 2 | 05/12/1997 |
| Radiator and cooling system failed on my 1997 bmw 540i. car quickly overheated severely and shut down on interstate 5 in stockton, ca with my wife and child in the car. the system failed a second time in march 2002. same occurance, radiator and cooling system failed on highway 580 in tracy, ca. car shut down due to failure. | |||
| 04/14/2001 | 1 | 02/01/2001 | |
| Upper radiator neck broke off from radiator during normal driving. radiator was replaced by dealer with identical component. i expect the radiator will fail again within 80,000 miles from time of incident. catastrophic failure of the radiator is potentially dangerous due to obscured vision from steam, immediate need to stop the car to prevent further engine damage, etc. dt | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 12/06/2005 | 1 | ||
| 1. brought my car to firestone automotive repair in los angeles california and had the thermostat replaced - work completed by firestone - 2-5 days later went to beverly hills bmw to have coolant resevoir replaced was told i needed a new thermostat (just replaced at firestone) and water pump and that i had a major engine leak (later was told i had a minor engine leak not worth repair at that point) - had water pump replaced. - recieved vehicle from beverly hills bmw with the engine cover removed and vehicle not checked as asked - this took 3 weeks! 2. the problem: while driving at 65 mph on the hwy 2 hours from my house an explosion occured in the engine bay of the vehicle. 4 peices of the fan had shot through the hood of the vehicle making a large 1 inch slit accros the entire hood and approx 1 inch hole the whole length. almost lost control and crashed! pulled over to find that my fan was completly gone (the plastic parts had completly exploded from the fan clutch and gone through the hood and look to have tore many hoses inside the engine bay) and coolant was leaking out (my cooling system had been completly replaced whitin the last 4 weeks). 3. towed the car to harloff bmw where they suspected that beverly hills bmw forgot to tighten the fan when they removed it for service to the water pump. beverly hills bmw refused to service the car at harloff bmw and towed the vehicle to beverly hills bmw where i was told by the service manager that everything would be taken care of and not to worry. was told today that this is my fault and that they said my fan was going bad (not true - have documentation to prove this and now they seem to have documentation to say otherwise fraud?). damage: the hood, many internal engine bay parts i have found many other cases of this. either bmw is not servicing this part or that they cut some corners in designing the engine fan there is no way that an engine fan should ever explode through the engine hood!!! *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 04/01/2003 | 44000 | 04/10/2001 | |
| A faulty radiator design (plastic neck?) caused my 97 bmw 540ia to break down on the freeway during rush hour. *nm | |||
| 01/15/2003 | 88000 | 1 | 11/15/2002 |
| Radiator/overflow tank on my 1997 bmws 540ia cracked and needed replacement at 85,000 miles. the radiators in bmws are known as a weakness and continually fail on owners. this situation should be remedied!*ak | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 65000 | 1 | 08/30/1997 |
| The radiator hose connection at the top of the radiator failed completely. it is made of plastic, and split under cool weather conditions. this resulted in replacement of entire radiator, and replacement of radiator overflow container. it would appear that the use of plastic in this application resulted in heat stress over time, eventually resulting in complete failure without warning. possible engine damage still being assessed at this time. i understand that this problem has occurred too many customers, however, the factory replacement parts appear to be exactly the same as original. therefore, i can expect total coolant failure again in the future. this seems imprudent, and i have no response from bmw on this issue. *jb | |||
| 08/23/2003 | 69718 | 1 | |
| Radiator defect -- plastic neck of radiator connecting to upper hose broke at point of connection while at moderate speed, spraying coolant onto engine and windshield and causing risks of fire and hazardous impairment of visability. this defect is well known to the manufacturer and a recall should be commenced.*ak | |||
| 07/13/2003 | 101932 | 1 | 02/01/2000 |
| 1997 bmw 540ia radiator failure. upper hose connection cracked off unexpectedly, causing catastrophic dump of engine coolant. vehicle was immediately disabled.*ak | |||
| 05/10/2003 | 37000 | 1 | 03/29/2003 |
| At the precise moment i fully depressed the accelerator to pass a slow-moving vehicle, causing the automatic transmission to down shift, the radiator upper neck broke off, causing complete loss of coolant. significant steam was generated from the leak and caused a cloud behind my car that could have blocked the view of a following vehicle. i was traveling at highway speeds which minimized the steam's ability to block my view, but at lower speeds the steam may have completely blocked my view. considering i was passing a vehicle, there was a risk that if my view was obstructed, an accident with either the vehicle being passed or oncoming traffic could have resulted. i was stranded until my temporary repairs allowed me to limp to the nearest repair facility. i understand that this is a common failure mode for this vehicle, and request an investigation be initiated.*jb | |||
| 11/26/1998 | 28000 | 2 | 05/12/1997 |
| Radiator and cooling system failed on my 1997 bmw 540i. car quickly overheated severely and shut down on interstate 5 in stockton, ca with my wife and child in the car. the system failed a second time in march 2002. same occurance, radiator and cooling system failed on highway 580 in tracy, ca. car shut down due to failure. | |||
| 11/12/2001 | 54361 | ||
| While driving on the highway, steam started coming from the engine, obstructing consumers vision. consumer pulled over and check under the hood, and observed that the connection between the engine and the radiator had broke. the dealership replaced radiator, and indicated that this is a common problem. ts | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/26/1998 | 28000 | 2 | 05/12/1997 |
| Radiator and cooling system failed on my 1997 bmw 540i. car quickly overheated severely and shut down on interstate 5 in stockton, ca with my wife and child in the car. the system failed a second time in march 2002. same occurance, radiator and cooling system failed on highway 580 in tracy, ca. car shut down due to failure. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 02/02/2006 | 180500 | 1 | 11/16/1998 |
| I have a 1997 540 bmw with 180,000 mi. investigating the cause of a flat driver side right front tire i discovered the front spring strut plate was cracked and allowed itself and the coil spring to contact and cut down the tire. found nhtsa campaign # 04v183000 describing exact condition. towed to devon hill bmw in pa. they will not pay to replace spring strut plate. they state bmw does not sell the spring strut plate separate from the strut and since i install aftermarket bilstien struts at 108,000 mi. which requires the installer to use the existing spring strut plate bmw is not responsible. there is also a record of the car being at another bmw dealer at 135,000 miles where the repair order notes the recall and states they inspect struts and state no further action needed. no mention of retaining clip installation as described in the remedy section of the campaign. i have owned the car since 40,000 mi. i call bmw and referred me back to the dealer service manager which has not changed his position. *nm | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | BEVERLY HILLS BMW | BEVERLY HILLS BMW | ||
| CA | MT. VIEW | ALLISON BMW | ||
| CA | SAN BERNADINO | A-1 AUTO | ||
| IL | NAPERVILLE | BILL JACOBS MOTORSPORT | ||
| OR | BEND | CARRERA MOTORS |