2002 BMW 540I Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 540I years
- About as many complaints as other years 8th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 BMW 540I. That ranks 8th out of 17 540I model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (5 complaints, 42%), typically at around 105,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 12owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 BMW 540I problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 5 | 42% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 42% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 17% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 17% | 114,100 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 8% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 BMW 540I recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, and 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity Vehicles. Please note that the 5-series and X5 vehicles are only included if they are equipped with the optional sports steering wheel. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Note: On December 17, 2015 BMW removed the model year 2004 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity vehicle from this recall. Those vehicles were mistakenly identified as including the air bags that are subject to this recall.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 bmw 540i. While the contact's vehicle was at a stop sign, it was rear ended by another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the…
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 540i. The contact stated that it took ten attempts to start the vehicle. The failure occurred at least thirty times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 166,000.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 bmw 540i. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…
The plastic covers on the headlights of my bmw became crazed/frosted. Every bmw of this vintage has the same problem. I showed this to occur in 2010 at 100,000 miles, but in fact it was a steady degradation over several years. It's a safety issue, because the light output is significantly reduced…
Power steering pump mounting brackets broke off ( on a power steering pump itself), car thus lost power steering, belt got off, in a turn it would have been a disaster , somehow i was able to steer it clear in a turn. I guess i was lucky.
Other BMW 540I years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 540I | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 540I | 5 | 1 |
| 2023 540I | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 540I | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 540I | 9 | 5 |
| 2020 540I | 3 | 5 |
| 2019 540I | 11 | 1 |
| 2018 540I | 31 | 2 |
| 2017 540I | 20 | 1 |
| 2003 540I | 7 | 2 |
| 2002 | 12 | 2 |
| 2001 540I | 15 | 4 |
| 2000 540I | 31 | 2 |
| 1999 540I | 22 | 1 |
| 1998 540I | 26 | 1 |
| 1997 540I | 27 | 0 |
| 1995 540I | 10 | 2 |
See all BMW 540I problems by year, every BMW model, or the BMW VIN decoder.
Similar BMW models
Embed this 2002 BMW 540I badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 BMW 540I?
Owners most often report electrical system, steering, air bags problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 5 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 BMW 540I?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 BMW 540I a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 540I model years, the 2002 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.