The 1999 BMW 540ia has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,864 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 5HP24 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. PREMATURE WEAR OF THE RING GEAR CAN OCCUR, LEADING TO THE LOSS OF 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, AND REVERSE GEARS.
IF THIS PROBLEM OCCURS, THE CAR MAY NO LONGER OPERATE IN REVERSE, 1ST, 2ND, OR 3RD GEARS.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE THICKNESS OF THE MAIN POSITIVE ELECTRICAL CABLE (GENERATOR TO STARTER) INSULATION IS LESS THAN SPECIFIED, MAKING IT SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING ABRADED OR CUT BY THE CLIP THAT SECURES THE CABLE TO THE GENERATOR.
THE CABLE INSULATION CAN BE WORN AWAY, EXPOSING THE WIRE. THE WIRE COULD CONTACT THE CLIP OR A SHORT CIRCUIT COULD OCCUR.
DEALERS WILL APPLY A THICKNESS OF INSULATING TAPE TO THE CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE CLIP, AND INSTALL A REVISED CLIP.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I have a 1999 540i and the reverse has stopped working completely. The forward gears work perfectly but the reverse suddenly stopped working. I have read many similar stories. *tr”
“My 1999 bmw 540i sport caught fire 12/19/08 while it was sitting in the driveway of my home. I noticed flames about 1:30 am coming from the sides of the hood. I had driven the car to dinner that night and it was parked and locked in my driveway. I just happened to notice the flames through the…”
“My 1999 bmw 540i sport caught fire 12/19/08 while it was sitting in the driveway of my home. I noticed flames about 1:30 am coming from the sides of the hood. I had driven the car to dinner that night and it was parked and locked in my driveway. I just happened to notice the flames through the…”
“Radiator cracked at top hose inlet causing loss of coolant”
“Tl*- the contact owns a 1999 bmw 540ia with failure mileage of 100,000 miles. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph he began having problems with the transmission. The contact stated that the gears began to function improperly, and could not be operated in 1st through reverse gears. The…”
“I had troubles with my abs module unit that is attached to my bmw 1999 540ia. I have become aware that this is a common problem that disables the abs control of my car and many other same model cars as mine. I had to replace the part myself due to no recall or acceptance from bmw that this is a…”
“1) check coolant level warning light came on twice in 1 week. Kuni bmw conducted my factory inspection ii service only 2 months before this occured. ) radiator cracked where the upper hose enters the radiator, leaking fluid into the engine bay and ground. 3) replace the radiator. This is a well…”
“Radiator failed on my 1999 bmw 540 at 54,700 miles. I believe this to be a safety problem that bmw needs to address. This safety problem: - disables the vehicle no matter where you are from rush hour traffic where the panic could endanger other drivers, to the middle of nowhere in the dead of…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 BMW 540ia as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.