2002 Bmw 540i problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (5) · Electrical System (3) · Air Bags (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw 540i model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2019-01-14 · campaign 19V015000 · 157,549 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000-2003 525i Sedan, 530i Sedan, 540i Sedan, 2001-2003 525i Sports Wagon and 540i Sports Wagon vehicles, and 2000-2004 X5 SAV 3.0i, X5 SAV 4.4i, and X5 SAV 4.6is vehicles. This recall affects certain vehicles where the original steering wheel has been replaced with the optional sports steering wheel. The sports steering wheel has a frontal air bag inflator that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term e
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for an optional sports steering wheel with an affected inflator. Dealers will replace the air bag module as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2015-05-28 · campaign 15V318000 · 419,235 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, and 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity Vehicles. Please note that the 5-series and X5 vehicles are only included if they are equipped with the optional sports steering wheel. The affected vehicle
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this r
Service bulletins (13)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2023-12-20 · B160623 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
engine will crank but not start. there is no communication with the integrated fuel module (tfe) whendiagnosing with ista. the following two fault codes will be stored in the dme: 032b43 - low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low cda594 - message (- 0x33e) missing, rec
Equipment 2023-11-22 · B653423 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers may state that the alarm system (dwa) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. depending on the vehicleã¢ââs equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. additionally, the red anti-theft alarm led in
Air Bags 2019-04-01 · B013118 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
takata air bag recall-related short-term alternate transportation and consequential repairs this service information bulletin supersedes si b01 31 18 dated october 2018.
Air Bags 2019-04-01 · B013118 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
takata air bag recall-related short-term alternate transportation and consequential repairs this service information bulletin supersedes si b01 31 18 dated october 2018.
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2019-01-01 · B011618 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
takata class action settlement. customer support program. front driver side airbag modules.
Showing the 6 most recent of 13 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2018-01-23 · Air Bags · 40,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owned a 2002 bmw 540i. while the contact's vehicle was at a stop sign, it was rear ended by another vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. there were no injuries and a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed and deemed a total loss. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 40,000. *bf *tr …”
2016-12-09 · Electrical System · 166,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 540i. the contact stated that it took ten attempts to start the vehicle. the failure occurred at least thirty times. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 166,000. …”
2016-07-22 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2002 bmw 540i. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had…”
2015-06-24 · Exterior Lighting · 100,000 mi“the plastic covers on the headlights of my bmw became crazed/frosted. every bmw of this vintage has the same problem. i showed this to occur in 2010 at 100,000 miles, but in fact it was a steady degradation over several years. it's a safety issue, because the light output is significantly reduced. causing risk at normal highway speeds. in ad…”
2015-05-12 · Steering · 86,000 mi“power steering pump mounting brackets broke off ( on a power steering pump itself), car thus lost power steering, belt got off, in a turn it would have been a disaster , somehow i was able to steer it clear in a turn. i guess i was lucky.…”
2015-04-09 · Steering · 96,000 mi“i was driving and my serpentine belt fell off. after inspection the bracket for my power steering pump broke and caused the belt to fall off. lost power steering while driving. *tr…”
2013-12-16 · Steering · 151,345 mi“after starting up my car, there was a slight whine under the hood. i gave the car a little bit of throttle to see if the whine went away and heard a loud bang. the car was still running but my battery light was on. i needed to get home, and i thought that my car may not start again if i turned it off so i drove home. immediately i noticed that i di…”
2012-10-02 · Steering · 76,854 mi“i was driving in stop and go traffic when i noticed the steering felt a little stiffer than usual. after about 5 miles and better flowing traffic i pulled into a restaurant for dinner when my upper radiator hose exploded. i pulled into a stall and opened the hood to inspect what happened. the hose was very apparent and after further investigation i…”
2012-03-27 · Electrical System · 105,000 mi“multiple instances of no start. every time the car was towed to a bmw specialist who over and over again diagnosed completely drained battery, but charging system was ok. i have just found out that bmw has been recalling 2003-2010 models with the exact same defect. *tr…”
2010-08-14 · Steering · 130,000 mi“1. events leading up to failure: i drove the car 5min and parked for 30 minute lunch. when i started the car, the power steering failed immediately and i couldn't turn the wheel. 2. the failure, frequency, consequences: power steering pump mounting brackets fractured near the bolts that retain the part to the chassis. the pump swung loose, …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.