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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2005 BMW 545I Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
15about this part
Share
19%of 78 total for the year
Median mileage
67,250miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 15 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2005 BMW 545I, 19% of the 78 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 67,250 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

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

“I have a 2005 Bmw 545I. When I am decelerating and rolling towards a stop and then accelerate before a full stop I will get a large jerking transmission bang coming from the back of the car. In addition while driving the car around 35-40 MPH the transmission slips from one gear to the next and back causing the car to surge and jerk slightly.”

NHTSA complaint #10357401, filed 2010-09, 98,625 miles

“On may 12th, I was driving my 2005 545I Bmw at 8pm with my wife and two children on the highway. The display indicated a windshield wiper malfunction (would not turn off or control speed of wipers). After a few more miles, I noticed there was no communication to any of the steering column controls, nor did the turn signals work (would not stay on unless held down). …”

NHTSA complaint #10330465, filed 2010-05, 51,050 miles

“My 2005 Bmw 545I has a hesitation, and strong hard downshift present, under factory warranty I complained about this, and now outside of factory warranty I am still having issues, and no one is willing to do anything about it at my dealer basney imports. When calling bmwna they are unwilling to help until a hard code is present, even though the service advisor, and technicians have road around with me in the car, and felt the situation.”

NHTSA complaint #10339918, filed 2010-06, 48,705 miles

“I have been reviewing blogs on the 2005 Bmw 545I series. About a month ago I started experiencing issues with my car. The car is accelerating at times on its own as I switch the transmission into drive and I let go of the brake. It gives a boost of acceleration where I almost hit my garage door. On several occasions when I roll from a stop sign the car experiences a big jolt as if I just got rear ended. It is so hard that my 4 year old got flustered and started to cry. At 30-40 miles the car started to jerk as well. …”

NHTSA complaint #10406454, filed 2011-06, 67,500 miles

“My Bmw 545I 2005 has experienced problems with mechatronics for some time. One day I was driving home and my car has down shifted from high 4th gear to 2nd and caused me to drive into a ditch. Luckily I was wearing a seat belt but still experienced neck injuries from hitting the ditch. This problem needs a recall before some one gets killed. Bmw can no longer cover this up and this issue needs to be investigated. Many forms on the internet have addressed the same problem. This is no longer a issue, its a life safety problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10440933, filed 2011-12, 112,200 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20051519%
2004818%

Other parts of the 2005 BMW 545I

Air bags
34 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsSeat belts
9 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsSeats
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsTires
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 BMW 545I

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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