2021 BMW 540IService bulletins
2021 BMW 540I Technical Service Bulletins
167 technical service bulletins (TSBs) are on record for the 2021 BMW 540I. TSBs are notes manufacturers send to dealers about repair procedures for issues seen in the field. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault.
- 10215750May 1, 2022Engine cooling, Electrical system. BMW offers a new special ISTA Installation made available for Roadside Assistance / Mobile Service technicians. The new ISTA Version is also able to be used in case of a Remote Software Upgrade (RSU) programming failure to get the customer car reprogrammed on site. In case of a Remote Software Upgrade failure, the engine start is prevented for safety reasons until the vehicle is programmed correctly. Most of the…
- 10215742May 1, 2022Equipment. Note: Before performing a repair and submitting a claim, first confirm that the vehicle has the above Notice of Limited Warranty Extension in the DCSnet Warranty Inquiry Vehicle Comments section. If you have Extended Limited Warranty (ELW) eligibility and/or coverage questions, please contact the Warranty department through IDS by selecting Coverage, Policy, Coding Questions and Mileage Corrections prior to…
- 10214992May 1, 2022Electrical system. The functionality of the right rear SRR sensor could be reduced which would display the "Driving Assistance" Check Control Message.
- 10214990May 1, 2022Electrical system. The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 4 (HU-H4, also called MGU21) superseded the MGU starting with…
- 10214985May 1, 2022Equipment. When using the Key Reader to retrieve information from the customer's key, no current vehicle data is available.
- 10214984May 1, 2022Equipment. Check Control Message (CCM) displays "Vehicle key missing" after engine start.
- 10214983May 1, 2022Electrical system. BMW AG is conducting a Voluntary Service Action on certain Model Year 2019-2020 BMW Plug-In HybridElectric (PHEV) vehicles that were produced between March 25, 2019, and October 17, 2020. Analyses of transmitted teleservice data indicate abnormalities in the "balancing" of the cells within one or more of the high-voltage battery cell modules. This could possibly cause a loss of performance of the corresponding…
- 10212797Apr 1, 2022Electrical system. Sport mode is not displayed correctly in the instrument cluster. Instead of a red background in sport mode, the background is displayed in blue (like in Eco Pro mode). Software in the instrument cluster (Kombi).
- 10212795Apr 1, 2022Electrical system. Check Control message (CCM) displays "Vehicle key missing" after engine start.
- 10212793Apr 1, 2022Equipment. 48 V battery may become totally discharged, and possible replacement needed.
- 10212786Apr 1, 2022Exterior lighting. The customer complains that under moderate throttle application or on deceleration after throttle application, a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is displayed in the instrument cluster.
- 10212785Apr 1, 2022Equipment. Information updated about engine oil filter cap drain plug. When performing an engine oil service on vehicles equipped with a N63M, N63B or S63M engines; the ETK states to use "Set oil filter element" P/N 11 42 5 A33 C42 or P/N 11 42 5 A33 C43. The part numbers are not available at the moment.
- 10212784Apr 1, 2022Engine cooling, Fuel system. The belt pulley on the mechanical coolant pump may fracture allowing the engine drive belt to come off the coolant pump and alternator.
- 10211809Mar 1, 2022Equipment, Lane departure, Steering. The steering intervention for Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is too strong (severe), which can create an uncomfortable feeling for the driver. Background: Steering intervention helps keep the vehicle in the lane if the system detects that a lane marking has been crossed. The steering intervention can be noticed on the steering wheel and can be manually overridden at any time.
- 10211808Mar 1, 2022Equipment. No heater output in passenger area.
- 10214254Feb 1, 2022Back-over prevention (rear camera). In some rare cases a customer vehicle might be excluded from one or more Remote Software Upgrade(RSU) campaigns. This SIB gives an overview how to identify these vehicles and how to proceed in case of a customer complaint.
- 10212528Feb 1, 2022Electrical system. BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop (effective June 9, 2021) on certain Model Year 2021 BMW vehicles that were produced between May 7, 2021 and May 21, 2021. The Receiver Audio Module (RAM) will need to be added to the affected vehicles.
- 10212523Feb 1, 2022Equipment. BMW AG is conducting a Voluntary Service Action on certain Model Year 2019-2020 BMW Plug-In Hybrid-Electric (PHEV) vehicles that were produced between March 25, 2019, and October 17, 2020.
- 10208181Jan 1, 2022Electrical system, Equipment. Temporary black screen in the instrument cluster.
- 10208176Jan 1, 2022Fuel system, Engine cooling. The belt pulley on the mechanical coolant pump may fracture allowing the engine drive belt to come off the coolant pump and alternator.
- 10206693Dec 1, 2021Equipment, Electrical system. While using the wireless charger, one or both of the following may occur: 1) The BMW display key or mobile phone becomes hot to the touch. 2) The device switches off due to over temperature (built-in device protection).
- 10206692Dec 1, 2021Electrical system, Equipment, Other or unknown. The SIM card installed in the telematics control unit (ATM2) connects to different mobile providers' networks. However, due to a missing parameter, this does not work and can cause disruption in BMW ConnectedDrive services in areas with insufficient network coverage.
- 10206690Dec 1, 2021Engine, Electrical system, Steering. Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column.
- 10206688Dec 1, 2021Equipment. SiriusXM satellite radio is not working and does not display a channel list.
- 10205616Nov 1, 2021Back-over prevention (rear camera). A groaning type noise is heard during the height adjustment.
- 10205615Nov 1, 2021Back-over prevention (rear camera). ???Due to an unfavorable operating point primarily in the low-end torque range, the fuel vapor scavenging that takes place in that range may result in incorrect detection of a mixture that is too rich. As a result, an incorrect mixture adaptation value is stored.
- 10205614Nov 1, 2021Electrical system, Equipment. ???When charging the vehicle with an Occasional Use Charger (OUC) after previously using a Wallbox charger, the selected charging current might not be displayed correctly in the instrument cluster.
- 10205613Nov 1, 2021Engine, Electrical system. The customer complains that under moderate throttle application or on deceleration after throttle application, a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is displayed in the instrument cluster.
- 10205612Nov 1, 2021Equipment. BMW offers a new special ISTA Installation made available for Roadside Assistance / Mobile Service technicians.
- 10205600Nov 1, 2021Electrical system. BMW of North America (BMW NA) has made information available online to customers about software versions, including any changes to vehicle functionality that will result from each update.
- 10205095Nov 1, 2021Electrical system. The "energy management" Check control message (ID code 415) is falsely displayed when entering the vehicle.
- 10205093Nov 1, 2021Engine cooling. The BMW Gesture Control function may fail permanently as a result of high temperature fluctuations.
- 10205091Nov 1, 2021Equipment. The sunroof will not operate in either direction.
- 10205089Nov 1, 2021Equipment. A faulty componnent inside the trunk spindle drive.
- 10205070Nov 1, 2021Electrical system. Customer states the following about their vehicle: active radio or music source is interrupted, the navigation is no longer available, a black screen is shown in the Control Display, the system works again after a short interruption.
- 10204533Oct 1, 2021Equipment. In some rare cases a customer vehicle might be excluded from one or more Remote Software Upgrade (RSU) campaigns. This SIB gives an overview how to identify these vehicles and how to proceed in case of a customer complaint.
- 10204532Oct 1, 2021Equipment. With the introduction of BMW Remote Software Upgrade, all Service Pack 18 vehicles and partial Service Pack 15 vehicles may receive new functionalities or modifications in their features with a new Software Update.
- 10204661Sep 1, 2021Steering. Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle maynot start when placing the key against the steering column.
- 10204659Sep 1, 2021Electrical system. The air conditioning cycles from cold to warm air while driving or while at a stand still. The vent outlet temperatures vary by 25 degrees Fahrenheit or more (38F to 60F +) without changing any climate control settings. In some cases the air conditioning may have stopped blowing cold air altogether.
- 10204658Sep 1, 2021Electrical system. Only warm air comes out of the vents despite the air conditioning being switched on. The status indicator LED on the air conditioning control panel (IHKA) lights up green.
- 10203340Sep 1, 2021Steering. Groaning, scraping, or squeaking noise coming from the steering wheel area in the interior of the vehicle,when turning the steering wheel.
- 10203338Sep 1, 2021Latches, locks and linkages. The trunk lid/hatch does not open fully when unlatched with remote or hands-free operation.
- 10203333Sep 1, 2021Electrical system. When charging the vehicle with an Occasional Use Charger (OUC) after previously using a Wallbox charger,the selected charging current might not be displayed correctly in the instrument cluster.
- 10204620Jul 1, 2021Electrical system. A software optimization affecting vehicle performance has been made available.
- 10202474Jul 1, 2021Electrical system, Engine cooling. When the vehicle is operated in Sport Mode, the engine speed is no longer displayed in the BMW Head-Up Display (HUD).
- 10202471Jul 1, 2021Equipment. Check control message (CCM-ID 49) "You can continue driving. Drivetrain". In addition, the following information is shown on the Central Information Display (CID): "You can continue to drive. No roadside assistance necessary. To avoid subsequent damage, arrange an appointment with your Service Partner".
- 10202469Jul 1, 2021Equipment. The customer may complain of a check control message stating "Safe share detected" (CCM-ID 953). Check control message can be verified by checking key reader information or performing the Check control message history service function.
- 10202468Jul 1, 2021Electrical system. 48 V battery may become totally discharged, and possible replacement needed if: a) The vehicle has been charged using a 12 V charger with the hood closed during a long stationary period, the. For example, the showroom or storage. b) Vehicles stored for an extended period connected to a low output solar or trickle charger. c) Vehicles stored for an extended period with no charger connected and not properly…
- 10201149Jul 1, 2021Equipment. The top view image of the vehicle is misaligned when observed in the Control Information Display (CID). When the vehicle is parked in a parking spot with line markings, it is clearly noticed in the CID that the lines are not parallel to the side of the vehicle. This may be noticed on either the driver side, passenger side or both.
- 10201148Jul 1, 2021Equipment. The BMW key card cannot be activated. The activation menu in the BMW iDrive is missing.
← All problems reported for the 2021 BMW 540I
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.