BMW 545i Complaints
122 consumer complaints on file.
- #10479620October 10, 2012AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SENSOR FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPLAIR.THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 97,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10475298September 13, 2012ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
ON BMW WITH THE N62 4.4L V8 ENGINE THERE'S AN OIL LEAK ON THE ALTERNATOR BRACKET THAT LEAKS FOR A WHILE UNTIL IT IS INSPECTED AND FOUND IT LEAKS OIL ON THE STEERING COMPONENTS I THINK CAUSING THE STEERING COMPONENTS TO DETERIORATE AFTER A WHILE CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE. THE OIL LEAK EVENTUALLY HAPPENS TO ALL N62 4.4L V8 ENGINES. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10472992August 30, 2012LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING, VISIBILITY/WIPER
FREQUENT ELECTRONIC MALFUNCTIONS (AVERAGES 1 PER HOUR). CAR WILL ENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL WITH NO WARNING. OCCASIONALLY WILL INCREASE THE CRUISE CONTROL BY 5 MILE PER HOUR INCREMENTS. WILL RANDOMLY SPRAY & WIPE WINDOWS. FREQUENTLY UNLOCKS DOORS & WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO BE LOCKED AGAIN UNTIL THE CAR IS STOPPED & TURNED OFF. MAKES FREQUENT EMERGENCY CALLS (OFTEN 3-4 TIMES IN AN HOUR). MOVES & ADJUSTS STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. ACTIVATES TURN SIGNALS. ACTIVATES 4 WAY FLASHERS. ROLLS UP & DOWN WINDOWS WITH NO WARNING. SOMETIMES WILL GO OUTSIDE TO CAR TO FIND WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN WHILE CAR WAS PARKED. ACTIVATES ALARM SIREN WHILE DRIVING. AND MORE ..... *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10465857July 16, 2012ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
INTERMITTENT HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT (JOLT) WHEN COMING TO A STOP WITH LIGHT BRAKE APPLICATION. JOLTS AND/OR JERKS FELT WHEN REACCELERATING AFTER COASTING. JUDDER WHEN GENTLY ACCELERATING (MOST NOTICEABLE AT AN ENGINE SPEED BELOW 2,000 RPM). *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10464279July 5, 2012POWER TRAIN
WHEN DRIVING BETWEEN 35-40 MILES PER HOUR THE CAR HAS A VERY BAD JERK LIKE IT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT GEAR IT WANTS TO BE IN. AND SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS GETTING HIT FROM BEHIND WITH HOW HARD OTHER JERKS ARE. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10459188May 21, 2012AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
THERE IS A BMW SERVICE BULLETIN SI B 65 75 06 WHERE THEY SAY THEY WILL FIX AN AIRBAG AND SEATBELT ISSUE ON E60, E61 (5 SERIES) VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO 11/2005. THE BULLETIN SAYS IT IS DUE TO OC3 SEAT MAT FAULT. DUE TO PARTS DEFECT THEY ALSO COVER IT WITH AN ADDITIONAL 10 YEAR WARRANTY ACCORDING TO THE BULLETIN. MY BMW 5 SERIES WAS MANUFACTURED IN 08/04 AND CURRENTLY HAS THE EXACT SAME ISSUE OUTLINED IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC. HE SAID THAT I HAVE MICRO CRACKS IN MY OC3 SEAT MAT AND THATS WHY MY AIRBAGS ARE NOW OFF ALL THE TIME WHEN I DRIVE. I CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE ANY RUNNING AIRBAGS IN MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM DETECTS MICRO CRACKS IN MY OC3 SEAT MAT AND DISENGAGES THE AIRBAGS BECAUSE IT DETECTS THAT SOMEONE IS NOT SITTING IN THE SEAT. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE ANYMORE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND SINCE IT DISPLAYS IT ON THE MAIN SCREEN AT ALL TIMES I CANNOT EVEN SELL THE VEHICLE SINCE NO ONE WOULD WANT ONE WITHOUT AIRBAGS THAT WORK. BMW SAYS THEY WILL CORRECT THIS ISSUE ON A CUSTOMER COMPLAIN BASIS IN THE RECALL. WHEN I LET BMW DEALERSHIP KNOW ABOUT MY ISSUE THEY SAY THAT MY VEHICLE DOES NOT SHOW UP ON THE COMPUTER AND BMW IS REFUSING TO FIX THE ISSUE. I HAVE A 5 SERIES AS DESCRIBED IN THEIR BULLETIN. I AM WITHIN THE GUIDELINES ISSUED ON SI B65 75 06 DATED FEBRUARY 2009. FROM SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET THERE ARE OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH BMW 545'S WHO HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE RECTIFIED BY BMW. IT IS THE SAME PART AND SAME ISSUE (MICRO CRACKS) THEY NEED TO COVER THIS SO I HAVE WORKING AIRBAGS. *TT
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10458292May 14, 2012AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,200.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10456520April 26, 2012POWER TRAIN
CAR SLAMS LIKE YOU JUST GOT REAR ENDED IF YOU SPEED UP WHILE ROLLING AT AROUND 35MPH. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT HAPPENS WHEN I'M TRYING TO CHANGE LANES AND SPEED UP. ALSO TRANSMISSION JERKS AS IF YOU ARE MISSING A SPARK OR IT IS TRYING TO FIND A HIGHER OR LOWER GEAR WHILE CRUISING IN TRAFFIC BETWEEN 32-40 MPH. IT JERKS NOTICEABLY WHERE MY SON ASKS WHY ARE YOU DRIVING LIKE THAT. THIS IS TERRIBLE AND NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH, REGARDLESS WHETHER THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT. NONE OF THESE INCIDENTS SIGNALS A CHECK ENGINE WARNING. THE BANG AT ROLLING IS ENOUGH TO GIVE ONE WHIPLASH. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10455925April 20, 2012WHEELS
FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MULTIPLE FLAT TIRES. THE DEALER KEPT TELLING ME I HAD BAD TIRES AND I BOUGHT NEW TIRES EVERY TIME. THIS YEAR AGAIN I HAVE 2 FLAT TIRES AND NOW THE DEALER IS TELLING ME I HAVE 3 CRACKED RIMS AND 1 BENT RIM. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. MY INSURANCE CARRIER STATE FARM TOLD ME THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH BMW WHEELS AND THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE TO FIX. THE DEALER IS SAYING THEY KNOW NOTHING OF A RIM PROBLEM. BUT WHEN I SEARCHED IT ON LINE I FOUND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS A HUGE DANGER TO ME AS WELL AS ANYONE ELSE NEAR ME WHEN THESE RIMS AND TIRES FAIL. *JS
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10455602April 17, 2012POWER TRAIN, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
AN EXCESSIVELY HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP, OR TRANSMISSION "BANGS" INTO GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL OR A "ROLLING" STOP (VEHICLE DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP). *JS
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10453642March 31, 2012STEERING
THE BATTERY DIED SO I GOT A NEW ONE. AFTER REINSTALLING IT, ALL THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. THE ACTIVE STEERING CAME ON ALSO. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR OFF THE LOT, I REALIZED MY STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TO THE LEFT BUT I WAS GOING STRAIGHT. NOW I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE. *JS
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10453182March 27, 2012AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 15 MPH WHEN THE AIR BAG RESTRAINT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT MAT SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED. THE DEALER ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR REPAIRS UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER:08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL). THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND NOTED THE VIN. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED AN INVESTIGATION WAS TAKING PLACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,120 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,150. UPDATED 05/02/12*BF UPDATED 05/04/12
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10444862January 23, 2012SEAT BELTS, AIR BAGS
MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR A WEEK FROM THE DATE THAT I LAST DRIVEN IT AND TO THE TIME I WENT AND START UP THE CAR. AFTER A WEEK OF NO USAGE AS SOON AS I STARTED THE CAR, THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT RESTRAINT AND AIRBAG LIGHT SHOWED UP AS A MALFUNCTION. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I NOTICE THAT BMW HAD A RECALL ON A SEAT MAT SENSOR ON 200,000 5 SERIES BUT AFTER TALKING TO BMW MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL. I ALSO DID SOME RESEARCH AND NOTICE THAT THERE IS A GREAT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN BECAUSE THE SEAT MAT SENSOR IS BAD THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IF I GET INTO A CAR ACCIDENT. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10444481January 19, 2012POWER TRAIN
ENGINE STALLING WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, UNABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE AFTER THE STALL. LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKE POWER ASSIST WHEN VEHICLE STALLS WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE STALLS VERY PERIODICALLY AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF OPERATION. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 3 TIMES AND WERE UNABLE TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM. DEALER REPLACED BATTERY AND ELECTRICAL WIRING TO FIX PROBLEM BUT PROBLEM STILL CONTINUED. ALSO A BRAND NEW ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED AND STILL SAME PROBLEMS AROSE. MESSAGE CENTER WOULD DISPLAY "TRANSMISSION FAULT" DRIVE MODERATELY. *TT
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10442679January 6, 2012SEATS, AIR BAGS
A PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION LIGHT HAS CAME ON MY 2005 545 BMW. AFTER DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH IT SEEMS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS QUITE COMMON ON BMWS AND I FEEL AS ITS AN ISSUE WITH THE PRODUCTION OF THE CAR AND SHOULD NOT BE AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE FOR A FAULTY PRODUCTION. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THIS REPAIR AND I'VE CONTACTED THE BMWNA AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A RECALL BUT NOT ON MY CAR. THE COST TO REPAIR IS OVER $2000 AND I FEEL THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BMW NEEDS TO ADDRESS SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY ISSUES WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSORS. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10440933December 22, 2011POWER TRAIN
MY BMW 545I 2005 HAS EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH MECHATRONICS FOR SOME TIME. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING HOME AND MY CAR HAS DOWN SHIFTED FROM HIGH 4TH GEAR TO 2ND AND CAUSED ME TO DRIVE INTO A DITCH. LUCKILY I WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT BUT STILL EXPERIENCED NECK INJURIES FROM HITTING THE DITCH. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS A RECALL BEFORE SOME ONE GETS KILLED. BMW CAN NO LONGER COVER THIS UP AND THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. MANY FORMS ON THE INTERNET HAVE ADDRESSED THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS NO LONGER A ISSUE, ITS A LIFE SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10440203December 16, 2011AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,656 UPDATED 03/16/12 *BF
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10437142December 1, 2011POWER TRAIN, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2005 BMW 545I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO SEVERAL ISSUES WITH VEHICLE TO INCLUDE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG, TRANSMISSION ISSUES AND LEAKS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WAS RECALLED. EVEN THOUGH THE PART WAS REPLACED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY AND EXHIBITED THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS STATED IN THE RECALL, THE CONSUMER'S VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THERE WAS A JOLT/DELAY WHEN PULLING AWAY. WITHIN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT BETWEEN 30-40 MPH AS IF IT WERE NOT GETTING ENOUGH FUEL. THERE WAS ALSO A COOLANT LEAK COMING FROM THE VALLEY PAN, A HOSE AND THE COOLANT TANK WERE REPLACED. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED IN 2008, AND SINCE THEN, THE VEHICLE USED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF COOLANT. *JB
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10436891November 23, 2011POWER TRAIN, AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG AND POWER TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE ALSO OCCASIONALLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED AND MADE THE CONTACT AWARE OF THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V504000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) AND THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL) RECALL, BUT THE VIN WAS NOT ASSOCIATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 112,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10436284November 17, 2011SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
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
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0