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Electrical systemPart report

1999 BMW 540I Electrical system Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
18%of 22 total for the year
Median mileage
108,538miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the electrical system of the 1999 BMW 540I, 18% of the 22 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 108,538 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My transmission would not accelerate or move. I had the trans rebuild and 2 years later the same problem. The trans has lost gears 1-3 and reverse, multistate repaired the trans again 2013, ifor the second time, it never worked after repairs. The engine light stays on, Bmw says I need new trans and engine. When I looked up recalls for 540I, it states the same trans problem and it should be replaced. When I look up engine there are known engine problems with 540I, not my VIN. I also have electrical issues, which have a recall on 540I, but not my VIN. …”

NHTSA complaint #10588144, filed 2014-05, 70,000 miles

“During a down shift, my car sometimes jump forward a foot or so and makes a thump down shifting noise. This forces me to apply the break quickly. Just a week ago, I hit a curve because of this defect and the bottom bumper cover of the car got hit and became cracked! Luckily this problem is rare. This is about 4th failure in a span of 10 months. For about 10 months, my car also stalls (engine loses power) during a slowdown. Usually this happens when I slow to make a right turn. I nearly got into an accident few times this month because my car stalled in an intersection during a turn. …”

NHTSA complaint #10066088, filed 2004-04, 54,000 miles

“The contact owns a 1999 Bmw 540I. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the positive battery cable was burned. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 99v004000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 147,076.”

NHTSA complaint #10732740, filed 2015-07, 147,076 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2024120%
2022117%
2021222%
201918%
2018413%
2017420%
2003114%
2002542%
2001533%
2000826%
1999418%
1997311%
1995110%

Other parts of the 1999 BMW 540I

Engine cooling
5 complaints
Brakes
4 complaints
Steering
3 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
3 complaints
Air bags
2 complaints
Electronic stability control
2 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
2 complaints
Engine
1 complaints
Tires
1 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 1999 BMW 540I

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology