2001 BMW 540I: recalls and complaints
NHTSA advisory: do not driveCampaign 19V015000. NHTSA received the report on . 157,549 units. Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
Remedy of campaign 19V015000, in the NHTSA record
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.
Do-not-drive advisory: A mark on a recall campaign in the NHTSA recall file. This site shows the mark as NHTSA sets it.
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2001 BMW 540I. The newest campaign is 19V015000. NHTSA received the report on 14 Jan 2019. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module. NHTSA has 7 complaints on file for this model year.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
4 campaigns, newest first. 258,568 units in total.
- 19V015000Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator ModuleAdvisory
- 03V421000Air Bags / Frontal / Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
- 02V138000Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
- 01V206000Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
19V015000Received . 157,549 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator ModuleDo-not-drive advisory
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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 exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by BMW of North America, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
03V421000Received . 23,000 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, a microprocessor in the air bag control module, which activates the front air bags, the side air bags, the front seat safety belt pretensioners, and the battery safety terminal, may have a malfunction that could lead to an unintended activation of one or more of these components.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Unexpected deployment of the air bag(s) could cause serious injury if an occupant is too close to the deploying air bag(s). In addition, the battery safety terminal may also be activated. If that happens, the starter cable would become disconnected from the battery, and the engine could not be restarted.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the air bag control module. Owner notification began november10, 2003. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
02V138000Received . 1,550 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, the engine auxiliary/cooling fan operation, including variable speed, is electronically controlled. Failure of the fan motor can cause the electrical circuitry of the fan control unit to overload and fail, causing the fan to stop operating.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this were to occur, engine overheating and subsequent engine damage could result. In addition, it is possible for the failure of the electrical circuitry to cause a fire in the fan control unit located in the front of the engine compartment.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the fan. Owner notification began september 28, 2001. This is a supplement to a recall that began during september 2001 (see recall campaign 01v206). Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE.
01V206000Received . 76,469 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The engine auxiliary/cooling fan operation, including variable speed, is electronically controlled. Failure of the fan motor can cause the electrical circuitry of the fan control unit to overload and fail, causing the fan to stop operating.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this were to occur, engine overheating and subsequent engine damage could result. In addition, it is possible for the failure of the electrical circuitry to cause a fire in the fan control unit located in the front of the engine compartment.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the fan. Owner notification began september 28, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
7 complaints, 9 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.
| Component | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | 5 |
| Power Train | 2 |
| Air Bags | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 |
- Complaints that report a crash
- 0
- Complaints that report a fire
- 0
- Injuries in the complaints
- 0
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 21 May 2010
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2001 BMW 540IThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2001 BMW 540I: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/bmw/540i/2001/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 29 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 29 Mar 2018
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- BMW of North America, LLC
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2001 BMW 540I?
- 258,568 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the BMW 540I have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 23 recall campaigns for the BMW 540I, model years 1989 to 2024. 4 of them name the 2001 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2001 BMW 540I name most often?
- Electrical System: 5 of 9 component mentions.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2001 BMW 540I open?
- The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.