BMW 540i
Owners filed 251 complaints across 22 model years of the BMW 540i. The 2018 drew the most (31).
Which BMW 540i years should you avoid?
No BMW 540i year stands out. Across the 4 model years old enough to judge, none drew twice the complaints of a typical year (about 29), and none shows an unusual share of fires, crashes or deaths for its age.
Too new to judge: 2025. Complaints take a few years to arrive, so a new model year looks better than it is.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every BMW 540i model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Too new | 1 | 0 | — | — | Wheels | Routine | |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | Routine | |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | — | 2 | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | — | 1 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2021 | 9 | 6 | — | 1 | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2020 | 3 | 5 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2019 | 12 | 1 | — | 2 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2018 | 31 | 2 | — | 3 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2017 | 20 | 1 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2003 | 7 | 2 | — | — | Steering | Do not drive | |
| 2002 | 12 | 2 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Do not drive | |
| 2001 | 15 | 4 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2000 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 1999 | 22 | 1 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1998 | 26 | 1 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly | Routine | |
| 1997 | 27 | 0 | 2 | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly | Routine | |
| 1995 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Seats | Routine | |
| 1994 | 8 | 4 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1993 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1992 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1991 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1990 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.