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BMW · NHTSA safety record

2018 BMW 540I

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 31 safety complaints about the 2018 BMW 540I with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering back-over prevention and the engine and its cooling.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 14 complaints, 45% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2018 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

31 complaints on file

31

Complaints

3

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

2

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 14 · 45%
SEAT BELTS 11 · 35%
SEATS 10 · 32%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 · 13%
ENGINE 3 · 10%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 3%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 · 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 3%
SUSPENSION 1 · 3%
TIRES 1 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 31.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 8.

12 9 6 3
18 20 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2018 BMW 540I. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

19V684000 · September 27, 2019

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The risk
The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 257,473 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

18V465000 · July 12, 2018

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall. On September 12, 2018, BMW expanded the recall to a total of 5,309 vehicles including certain 2018-2019 BMW 540d xDrive, 230i M240i, M240i xDrive, X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 330i, 330i xDrive, 340i, 340i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e, 530e xDrive, 640i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330e, 2019 430i Gran Coupe, 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i Gran Coupe, 440i xDrive Gran Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, 740i, 740i xDrive, MINI Cooper, Cooper S, JCW, MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), and MINI Clubman (Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, JCW All4) vehicles.
The risk
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 5,309 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

POWER TRAIN

1 injured · crash · towed

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. The vehicle proceeded to accelerate as it jumped a curb, crashed into a ditch, before finally becoming lodged in a fence and coming to a complete stop when half of the vehicle was lifted off of the ground. The driver of the vehicle suffered a fractured back as a result of the incident. We have reported this incident to BMW and are awaiting a response from the manufacturer. The vehicle has been

NHTSA complaint 11460740, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

1 injured · crash

Constantly pops up a message for passenger restraint system malfunction. I had an accident where I swerved off the road into a ditch at about 60 mph. I the driver was not hurt and the passenger wouldn’t have been hurt either if it was for the passenger seat belt not locking correctly at first and then repeatedly locking and unlocking the entire time hurting his chest.

NHTSA complaint 11641549. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

crash

The car's hood sensor did not alert us to the fact that the hood was not properly closed. This resulted in the car's hood opening while being driven, causing the driver to lose sight of the road and crashed into a guardrail in a canyon road (see photo). The car is currently being evaluated by the insurance company for a total loss, and the car may be available for inspection currently, although it may also be taken apart by the auto collision company for their estimate evaluation. The failure of the hood latch mechanism to properly and conspicuously notify us prior to driving the car put us at severe risk of being in a life threatening accident as well as potentially imperiling the lives of

NHTSA complaint 11627712, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
Seat belt/restraint system malfunction seat pad

NHTSA complaint 11762732. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
Seat belt/restraint system malfunction seat pad

NHTSA complaint 11762733. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
On and off system notification of "Passenger Restraint System Malfunction" with and without a passenger in the seat. Also, the Airbag off/disabled light on the instrument cluster illuminated. Can't seem to declare if it is an electrical shortage, seatbelt buckle related or passenger pressure sensor sensor in the seat. Find this to be a major safety concern should there be an accident, and unsure whether the airbags will deploy or not. BMW should investigate this concern.

NHTSA complaint 11729268. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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 CRANKSHAFT RELUCTOR RING. BASIS FOR RECALL POPULATION DETERMINATION: SUPPLIER PRODUCTION INFORMATION WAS USED TO IDENTIFY THE START AND END DATE OF THE AFFECTED CRANKSHAFT SENSORS WHICH THEN CORRELATED WITH ENGINE PRODUCTION AND VEHICLE ASSEMBLY INFORMATION TO DETERMINE THE START DATE (5/18/2018) AND THE END DATE (06/08/2018) OF THE AFFECTED VEHCILES." This vehicle was towed to a factory authorized

NHTSA complaint 11711754, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Recurring System Failures: My vehicle has exhibited intermittent and unpredictable system malfunctions, including engine stalling, braking issues, and electronic system failures. These pose serious safety risks and have made driving increasingly hazardous.continual tire pressure monitor reset light warning after reset 100 % measurement successful. rebalance all tires light reappear distant same spots

NHTSA complaint 11694413. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS
"Passenger Restraint System (Malfunction)" warning appears on the main screen and instrument panel blocking other information and cannot be removed from instrument panel WHILE THE SEATBELT HAS WORKED NORMAL. I researched the problem and found several threads about this problem on the BMW owners forums and found several discussions by numerous owners that said it is FAULTY SENSOR problem which is WIDESPREAD and deserves a recall. The odometer reading of this car, which was purchased in 2017, is about 28,000 miles now; the problem started when the odo was about 18,000. As a faulty sensor problem, or a real malfunction problem, a widespread problem started on a lightly used car at low odometer

NHTSA complaint 11686413, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 540I

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 9 6 —
2019 11 1 —
2017 20 1 —

Other 2018 BMW models

X3 75 X5 72 X1 59 K1600B 44 430I 36 330I 32 530E 27 530I 25

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every BMW on this site — 257 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst