10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
145,000 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2001 BMW 540:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #1

Apr 122014

540

  • 145,000 miles
M62 V-8 engines used in the E-39 540 and E-38 740 are notorious for faulty timing chain guides. At around 125,000 the plastic can disintegrate causing the chain to skip a tooth. Once a tooth is skipped the valves are crushed and the engine is destroyed. The cost to replace the guides is extremely expensive. I was lucky in that I replaced mine at 140,000 miles

- Watertown, CT, USA

Add Complaint