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First introduced in 1995 as a mid-size luxury sedan, BMW 540i captivated the hearts of many drivers and car enthusiasts. It was gifted with a modest 4.4-liter V8 engine, which can generate 282 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque. This allowed the 540i to offer a comfortable driving experience that got even more accentuated by the traditional three-pedal, six-speed manual transmission. However, great things come with some drawbacks as well. The following are the problems that BMW 540i owners commonly run into:
The most common complaint against the BMW 540i is the radiator failure. A number of 540i drivers report that their radiators have cracked around the hose, causing these radiators to last for only up to 50,000 miles. The alarming scenario, though, was during the actual failure of these radiators while the car was running. A significant amount of steam appeared on the driver's front side, which obscured the view of the road. It was a very dangerous situation, which could have resulted to road accidents.
It is argued that this radiator problem roots from a manufacturing defect or poor design, but there are still no official findings as to the cause of these radiator cracks.
Electrical system glitches in the BMW 540i are varied. They are not exclusive to a certain part or system. These problems range from sunroof or windows that fail to close completely to serious overheating of tail light bulbs that could possibly cause fire hazard. Electrical short due to a faulty thermostat is also among the common problems included in this category, which could possibly result to further damage like melted wirings.
There was no known widespread recall to address this problem, as its nature was wide-ranging.
The power train is responsible for sending power from its source to drive mechanism, but the BMW 540i has been criticized for its automatic transmission failure. According to a number of 540i owners, the reverse gear suddenly stopped working without any indicator of wear or damage. This could have been the result of an internal slippage or damage, which eventually caused the transmission to go into neutral or safe mode.