Bmw 540i 1998

• Recall 11190 [USA]: This condition will cause a noise from the differential and, ultimately, failure of the shaft and loss of drive.
  Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The differential pinion shaft within the differential case assembly was produced without the appropriate surface hardening. This can result in the shaft experiencing premature wear.
  dealers will replace the entire differential assembly.
  owner notification began december 28, 1998.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.Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

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To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

While stopped (engine still running) at a gas station, the driver side airbag and driver side side curtain airbag both went off. The battery disconnect feature was also triggered. Very lucky i wasn't driving when this occurred.

White steam was coming from under the hood onto the front windshield. The steam was fogging the windshield, and causing poor visibility while driving 50-55 mph. Consumer was able to get the vehicle to a repair shop. Dealer informed the consumer that the upper neck connector of the radiator hose broke.*ak

I was driving down a busy street one evening and as i came to a light, smoke started coming out of my hood. Fortunately it was in the evening and traffic was lighter than usual. I pulled into a parking lot off the side of the road. Having known others that this has happened to, i first checked the radiator and sure enough, there was a large crack down the side of the housing. I had the car towed home and purchased a new radiator from bmw of seattle the following morning. The new radiator was about $200, a few hours of my own labor and a few more hours detailing the engine pay and headlights which had radiator fluid all over them. Also from the experience of others who own e39 bmw 540s, i fully expect this to happen again in the next 50k miles. I also expect the expansion tank to go within the next few months. *ak

2nd catastrophic radiator failure. Not a leak, the neck breaks off causing immediate loss of cooling. 1st radiator at 45k, 2nd at 92k. Based on other's experiences, this is very common for this model (and even longer life than many). Causes loss of vision due to amount of steam released. Less experienced driver may have difficulty controlling vehicle to get to side of road quickly to shut down. No way to predict the failure. Same issue with expansion tank. Both failures are on plastic parts.*ak

Multiple coolant defects on the 1998 540. The car has now had 3 radiators, 3 thermastats, water tube seals replaced twice, and a water pump. The costs have been over $3,500. These leaks are not just expensive, they pose a real danger to causing personal injury and damage. The failure rate is known to be very high. Http://www.Votations.Com/asp/surveyresults.Asp?Pollid=66461 .*ak

Plastic neck of radiator on my '98 bmw 540ia broke completely and suddenly on highway. White smoke came out under the hood. Saw temp gauge climb up rapidly. Pulled over immediately. Towed to dealership for repair. No one was hurt luckily. *nm

Driver-side front wheel bearing makes noise when wheel spins freely. This was reported several times to dealer in past. Dealer replaced passenger-side front bearing ! Driver-side beraing still noisy. Waiting for complete failure to prove dealer wrong. Front wheel bearings are marginally designed for bmw 540i, this is well documented on various web sites of bmw owners. Bearings last 75,000 miles!

Engine cooling radiator hose fitting broke off. Lost all coolant on highway. Dealer replaced radiator under warranty and stated it is common failure on 540i bmw due to plastic parts not stong enough to resist temperature. Well documented on private web sites.

Engine doesn't rev up above 4500 rpms and misfires. Engine check light on. Dealer replaced one of two catalytic converters under warranty. According to private clubs abd web sites of bmw owners, 540i cat converters last 50kmiles only.