2018 Bmw 540I

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2018 Bmw 540I has 57 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (33% of all complaints), specifically: received an error message on bmw 540i 2018, with 10600 miles. purchased as factory demo a little over a month ago. will be taking it to service soon. however i understand this is a long standing issue with bmw-s that the manufacturer is not correcting or issuing recalls..

5 crash reports 5 injuries

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.7x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

19 complaints

33%

• RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON BMW 540I 2018, WITH 10600 MILES. PURCHASED AS FACTORY DEMO A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO. WILL BE TAKING IT TO SERVICE SOON. HOWEVER I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH BMW-S THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CORRECTING OR ISSUING RECALLS.
• RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON BMW 540I 2018, WITH 10600 MILES. PURCHASED AS FACTORY DEMO A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO. WILL BE TAKING IT TO SERVICE SOON. HOWEVER I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH BMW-S THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CORRECTING OR ISSUING RECALLS.
• FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW, MY CAR HAS BEEN THROWING A "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" ERROR. IT HAPPENS SPORADICALLY AND ONLY STAYS UP FOR BETWEEN 1 AND 5 MINUTES AT A TIME. IT WILL HAPPEN WHETHER THE CAR IS MOVING OR NOT, AND EVEN SOMETIMES AS SOON AS I TURN THE CAR ON. I HAVE BEEN SUBMITTING T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON BMW 540I 2018, WITH 10600 MILES. PURCHASED AS FACTORY DEMO A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO. WILL BE TAKING IT TO SERVICE SOON. HOWEVER I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH BMW-S THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CORRECTING OR ISSUING RECALLS.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SEATS/RESTRAINTS

17 complaints

30%

• RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON BMW 540I 2018, WITH 10600 MILES. PURCHASED AS FACTORY DEMO A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO. WILL BE TAKING IT TO SERVICE SOON. HOWEVER I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH BMW-S THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CORRECTING OR ISSUING RECALLS.
• FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW, MY CAR HAS BEEN THROWING A "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" ERROR. IT HAPPENS SPORADICALLY AND ONLY STAYS UP FOR BETWEEN 1 AND 5 MINUTES AT A TIME. IT WILL HAPPEN WHETHER THE CAR IS MOVING OR NOT, AND EVEN SOMETIMES AS SOON AS I TURN THE CAR ON. I HAVE BEEN SUBMITTING T
• FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW, MY CAR HAS BEEN THROWING A "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" ERROR. IT HAPPENS SPORADICALLY AND ONLY STAYS UP FOR BETWEEN 1 AND 5 MINUTES AT A TIME. IT WILL HAPPEN WHETHER THE CAR IS MOVING OR NOT, AND EVEN SOMETIMES AS SOON AS I TURN THE CAR ON. I HAVE BEEN SUBMITTING T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

4 complaints

• ACCORDING TO BMW LITERATURE, UNDER APPROPRIATE CONDITIONS, THE DRIVER IS TO BE ALERTED BY MEANS OF VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL OF EITHER UNINTENTIONAL LANE CHANGES OR VEHICLES IN THE DRIVER'S BLIND SPOT WHILE SIGNALING A TURN. IN MY 540I, I CAN DETECT NO STEERING WHEEL VIBRATIONS AT ALL WITH TH
• THE REAR CROSS-TRAFFIC/PEDESTRIAN ALERT SYSTEM IS DYSFUNCTIONAL. I HAVE HAD TWO OTHER VEHICLES WITH THIS FEATURE AND AM QUITE FAMILIAR WITH IT. THIS VEHICLE IS INCAPABLE OF EFFECTIVELY DETECTING AND WARNING OF APPROACHING REAR TRAFFIC AND/OR (AND WORSE) PEDESTRIANS. REPEATED EFFORTS TO HAVE MY BMW D
• Sunroof exploded, glass shards everywhere. This has to be a manufacturer defect

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“ACCORDING TO BMW LITERATURE, UNDER APPROPRIATE CONDITIONS, THE DRIVER IS TO BE ALERTED BY MEANS OF VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL OF EITHER UNINTENTIONAL LANE CHANGES OR VEHICLES IN THE DRIVER'S BLIND SPOT WHILE SIGNALING A TURN. IN MY 540I, I CAN DETECT NO STEERING WHEEL VIBRATIONS AT ALL WITH TH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

4 complaints

• The vehicle was at a complete stop, when the gas pedal was tapped to move forward slightly the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. There was an attempt to apply the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and "Drive Train Malfunction" began to flash on the dashboard of the vehicle.
• 1) Passenger restraint system malfunction. According to information on the web and several BMW forums, this is a common problem on these vehicles and it is a serious and inherently unsafe issue that should necessitate a recall from the manufacturer. The root cause is typically a malfunction of the
• Infotainment System interplay through audio voices coming from place of employment this have been unusual to audio system in various of my vehicles this over the air bugs are safety concerns as well as frequent unexpected wiper blade activation without touching for auto movement complex to electrica

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“The vehicle was at a complete stop, when the gas pedal was tapped to move forward slightly the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. There was an attempt to apply the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and "Drive Train Malfunction" began to flash on the dashboard of the vehicle.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

3 complaints

• WHEN BRAKING TO COME TO A STOP AT A LIGHT, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO OVER 5000 RPM. I HAD TO SHUT OFF THE CAR TO GET IT TO STOP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, IT IMMEDIATELY REVVED UP TO OVER 7000, WHILE I STOOD ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM MOVING. SHUT IT OFF AGAIN, PUT FLASHERS ON AND WAITED A M
• I contacted the dealership where I purchased my vehicle called Global Imports on December 6 because the car was running hot. I arrived on Saturday morning was informed that the radiator was leaking and a water pump was leaking that they both needed to be replaced and I would be charged around $3000
• For this item - Please refer to NTHSA RECALL 18V-465 : BMW Crank Sensor Recall 9/12/2018. In particular - this refers to a 2018 BMW 540ix. Specifically, "VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTUTRED WITH A CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, THAT DUE TO SENSOR FIRMWARE, CANNOT ACCURATELY PROCESS THE INPUT FROM THE CRANKSHA

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WHEN BRAKING TO COME TO A STOP AT A LIGHT, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO OVER 5000 RPM. I HAD TO SHUT OFF THE CAR TO GET IT TO STOP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, IT IMMEDIATELY REVVED UP TO OVER 7000, WHILE I STOOD ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM MOVING. SHUT IT OFF AGAIN, PUT FLASHERS ON AND WAITED A M”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

SEATS/RESTRAINTS(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 57 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON BMW 540I 2018, WITH 10600 MILES. PURCHASED AS FACTORY DEMO A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO. WILL BE TAKING IT TO SERVICE SOON. HOWEVER I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH BMW-S THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CORRECTING OR ISSUING RECALLS.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SEATS/RESTRAINTS: RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON BMW 540I 2018, WITH 10600 MILES. PURCHASED AS FACTORY DEMO A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO. WILL BE TAKING IT TO SERVICE SOON. HOWEVER I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A LONG STANDING ISSUE WITH BMW-S THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CORRECTING OR ISSUING RECALLS.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: ACCORDING TO BMW LITERATURE, UNDER APPROPRIATE CONDITIONS, THE DRIVER IS TO BE ALERTED BY MEANS OF VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL OF EITHER UNINTENTIONAL LANE CHANGES OR VEHICLES IN THE DRIVER'S BLIND SPOT WHILE SIGNALING A TURN. IN MY 540I, I CAN DETECT NO STEERING WHEEL VIBRATIONS AT ALL WITH TH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: The vehicle was at a complete stop, when the gas pedal was tapped to move forward slightly the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. There was an attempt to apply the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and "Drive Train Malfunction" began to flash on the dashboard of the vehicle.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)