1999 BMW 540I Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 23%of 22 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 56,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the engine cooling of the 1999 BMW 540I, 23% of the 22 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 56,000 miles.
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 son was driving home in rush hour traffic on connecticut ave. It was raining rather hard and visibility was low. My son all of the sudden smelled smoke coming through the vents and the engine shut down. It would not restart. He had to push it off the road into a service station due to the high volume of traffic. The car was towed that evening to my repair shop where it was diagnosed that the thermostat housing sensor failed which melted the wiring harness and damaged other electrical sensors on the engine.”
NHTSA complaint #10211543, filed 2007-12, 60,590 miles“Without warning a crack appeared in the radiator housing causing a loss of antifreeze. Car was out of warranty. Had to replace the part. Same thing just happened again.”
NHTSA complaint #10153224, filed 2006-03, 45,000 miles“(1) normal driving conditions; noticed steam coming from under hood. 2) radiator's upper hose inlet cracked (plastic); car disabled (3) car out of warranty; no remedy from manufacturer.”
NHTSA complaint #10080565, filed 2004-07, 58,000 miles“This is a very common occurence. On the roadfly bulletin board of fellow owners, failure rate is almost 40% of respondents! Typically after only 40 - 50k miles! Dt”
NHTSA complaint #769419, filed 2002-11Related service bulletins
- 10244236Oct 16, 2023The lower radiator coolant return hose may come in contact with the secondary air system check valve flange gasket when the engine coolant is at operating temperature due to…
- 10142928Dec 1, 2017SERVICE ACTION: PROGRAM DME (FOR O2 SENSORS): Due to DME software error, the following oxygen sensors plausibility fault codes may be stored in DME 5.2.1 control module:
Engine cooling: other model years
Other parts of the 1999 BMW 540I
4 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
2 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
2 complaintsEngine
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsVisibility (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 27, 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