2005 BMW 545I Power Train Problems

I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THAT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, IT APPEARS THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS STRUGGLING TO GET TO THE NEXT GEAR. THE RPMS WILL FLUCTUATE UP AND DOWN AND SOMETIMES REV WAY UP BEFORE THE CAR KICKS LIKE I HAVE BEEN HIT. IF I TRY TO ACCELERATE FAST FROM A STOP, THE ENGINE WILL REV UP TO ABOUT 5K RPM AND STOP RESPONDING UNTIL I LET OFF THE GAS AND LET THE RPMS DROP DOWN AND THEN IT WILL KICK INTO GEAR. IF I SLOW DOWN TO ALMOST A STOP AND THEN ACCELERATE IT WILL MOST CERTAINLY KICK, SO I HAVE TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS. I HAVE TO MAKE SURE I HAVE PLENTY OF ROOM WHEN PULLING OUT OF AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE I NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL ACT UP (WHICH IS MOST OF THE TIME) AND HINDER MY ACCELERATION. ONCE I GET UP TO CRUISING SPEED (ABOVE 45 MPH) IT RUNS SMOOTHLY, BUT IT HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT I DREAD EVERY TIME I HAVE TO STOP AT AN INTERSECTION OR SLOW WAY DOWN. I TALKED TO THE DEALER AND SAID IF IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION THEN THE SERVICE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. HE ASKED ME WHAT KIND OF GAS I USE AND I SAID SHELL HIGH OCTANE AND HE SAID THAT IS GOOD. OTHER THAN THAT, HE DIDN'T TELL ME MUCH MORE. I WANT TO SELL THE CAR NEXT SPRING BUT WHO WILL BUY IT WITH IT PERFORMING THIS WAY?

FOR MANY YEARS, AND AFTER MANY "REPAIRS" MY 2005 BMW 545I, WHICH I BOUGHT NEW, HAS NEVER RUN RIGHT. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, DOES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS AN ISSUE, BUT HAS BEEN UNABLE TO REPAIR IT. I HAVE SPENT MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN SEARCH OF A PERMANENT FIX, BUT THE LAST BMW DEALER I DEALT IS MIFFED ON SOLVING THE PROBLEM. WHEN APPROACHING BETWEEN 25-35 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION "SLAMS" AND FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED. IT IS A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM. I HAVE TO SLIGHTLY LET UP ON THE GAS IN THESE SPEEDS IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO RUN RIGHT WITHOUT AN EMERGENCY LIGHT COMING ON SAYING "TRANSMISSION FAULT; DRIVE MODERATELY." THIS CAN BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THE CAR IS SENSING THE FAULT AND IT WILL NOT ALLOW ONE TO DRIVE MUCH ABOVE 50 MPH WITHOUT STRAINING THE ENGINE. GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 50MPH IN MY AREA CAN BE A HAZARDOUS ACTIVITY! THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS SITUATION WITH THE CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT UP AND THRU THE PRESENT DATE, AUG, 21, 2014. I HAVE NO FAITH IN THE ENGINE/POWER TRAIN/TRANSMISSION. THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST BMW. *TR

Mileage: 5,000

CAR SLAMS LIKE YOU JUST GOT REAR ENDED IF YOU SPEED UP WHILE ROLLING AT AROUND 35MPH. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT HAPPENS WHEN I'M TRYING TO CHANGE LANES AND SPEED UP. ALSO TRANSMISSION JERKS AS IF YOU ARE MISSING A SPARK OR IT IS TRYING TO FIND A HIGHER OR LOWER GEAR WHILE CRUISING IN TRAFFIC BETWEEN 32-40 MPH. IT JERKS NOTICEABLY WHERE MY SON ASKS WHY ARE YOU DRIVING LIKE THAT. THIS IS TERRIBLE AND NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH, REGARDLESS WHETHER THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT. NONE OF THESE INCIDENTS SIGNALS A CHECK ENGINE WARNING. THE BANG AT ROLLING IS ENOUGH TO GIVE ONE WHIPLASH. *TR

Mileage: 67,000

AN EXCESSIVELY HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP, OR TRANSMISSION "BANGS" INTO GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL OR A "ROLLING" STOP (VEHICLE DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP). *JS

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. *TR

Mileage: 112,200

2005 BMW 545I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO SEVERAL ISSUES WITH VEHICLE TO INCLUDE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG, TRANSMISSION ISSUES AND LEAKS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WAS RECALLED. EVEN THOUGH THE PART WAS REPLACED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY AND EXHIBITED THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS STATED IN THE RECALL, THE CONSUMER'S VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THERE WAS A JOLT/DELAY WHEN PULLING AWAY. WITHIN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT BETWEEN 30-40 MPH AS IF IT WERE NOT GETTING ENOUGH FUEL. THERE WAS ALSO A COOLANT LEAK COMING FROM THE VALLEY PAN, A HOSE AND THE COOLANT TANK WERE REPLACED. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED IN 2008, AND SINCE THEN, THE VEHICLE USED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF COOLANT. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG AND POWER TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE ALSO OCCASIONALLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED AND MADE THE CONTACT AWARE OF THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V504000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) AND THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL) RECALL, BUT THE VIN WAS NOT ASSOCIATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 112,000.

Mileage: 104,000

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. I TOOK IT INTO BMW BUT SINCE THE SENSOR DOES NOT PICK UP THE PROBLEM THEY WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ACCORDING TO THEM. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT IS HARD TO TELL WHAT IS WRONG IT COULD BE TRANSMISSION, SENSOR, BRAKES, ENGINE, ETC...I FEEL THEY KNOW BUT DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE EXTEND OF THE PROBLEM IS. THERE IS A PROBLEM AND THEY NEED TO ADMIT IT AND IT MIGHT BE AN ELECTRONIC ISSUE WITH THE GEAR BOX FUNCTIONALITY. IT SEEMS THEY NEED SOME PRESSURE BEFORE IT CAUSES A FATALITY. THE ACCELERATION AND JOLT ARE A BIG PROBLEM. PLEASE ADDRESS AND LET'S NOT ADD TO YOUR NUMBER OF DEATHS COLUMN BEFORE YOU REACT.

Mileage: 67,500

2005 BMW 545I. IF THE CAR DOES NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AND I ACCELERATE WHILE IN A SLOW ROLL, THERE IS AN EXTREMELY HARD SLAM FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THROUGHOUT BMW OWNER OF THE 545I SERIES. BMW HAS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FAULT IN EITHER THERE PROGRAMMING OR THERE TRANSMISSION AND SHOULD RECALL AND FIX PROPERLY. ANYONE CAN GO TO THE NUMEROUS BMW FORUMS THROUGHOUT THE INTERNET AND FIND THE MANY THREADS REGARDING THIS ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 70

I OWN A 2005 545I. I WAS PULLING INTO THE GAS STATION TO REFUEL. I BEGAN TO HIT THE BRAKE THE CAR STARTED TO JERK BACK AND FORTH AND THEN IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I BEGAN TO PUMP THE BRAKE AND THE CAR STOP SHORT OF THE MINI MART THANK GOD! AFTERWARDS A GEAR INDICATOR APPEARED AND THE CAR WENT INTO SAFE MODE AND SHUT OFF. I COULDN'T START THE CAR AND I TRIED FOR THIRTY MINUTES AND ONLY THE GEAR INDICATOR WOULD COME ON. I THEN CALLED A TOW TRUCK COMPANY AFTER THIRTY MINUTES, RIGHT BEFORE THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED THE CAR STARTED. I TOOK THE CAR TO BMW OF ROXBURY AND I WAS TOLD THAT SINCE MY DSC LIGHT WAS ON THAT NEEDED TO BE REPAIR TO ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. AFTER CHALLENGING THEM, HOW CAN A ADD ON FEATURE (TO INCREASE STABILIZATION AND TRACTION) THAT I NEVER USED WHEN IT WAS WORKING CAUSE THE CAR TO DRIVE BY ITSELF. THEY DROPPED THE ISSUES CALLED ME BACK AFTER A HOUR AND SAID THEY DROVE THE CAR AROUND FOR 25 MIN AND NOTHING IS WRONG. ALSO THERE WAS NO RECORD OF THE GEAR INDICATOR COMING ON EVEN THOUGH IT CAME ON TWENTY OR SO TIMES WHEN I WAS TRYING TO START THE CAR. SO I GUESS I WILL GET MY CAR BACK AND PAY THEM A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR NOTHING. IS FINE AND THERE IS NO RECORD THE GEAR LIGHT EVER CAME ON. SO. *TR

Mileage: 72,000

I HAVE 2005 545I BMW, LAST WEEK I RECEIVED RECALL ON BRAKING SYSTEM ASKED TO TAKE MY CAR TO DEALER AND GET IT FIX. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE DEFECTED PART. THEY CHECKED EVERYTHING AND MENTION EVERYTHING IS FINE. TODAY AT APPROXIMATELY 1:30 PM I HAVE RECEIVED ACTIVE STEERING MALFUNCTION MESSAGE . I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND WHILE DRIVING MESSAGE POPPED UP. FLUID LEVEL LOOKS FINE BUT DID NOT GET IT CHECKED BY ANYONE YET. BMW NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING WITH THEIR CARS AS THEY SEEMS TO HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES. I ALSO RECENTLY REPLACED THE SMG PUMP AS WELL AS ENGINE MODULE. *TR

Mileage: 58,990

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. *TR

Mileage: 98,625

I PURCHASED MY USED 2005 BMW 545I WITH ONLY 55K MILES ON IT IN MAY 2009. ON OR ABOUT MARCH 2010, THE VEHICLE STARTED JERKING DURING ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES A HARD "JOLT" AS IF YOU HIT A LARGE OBJECT IN THE ROAD OR HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THE REAR. ON ACCELERATION, THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES REV WAY UP, WITHOUT ENGAGING THE TRANSMISSION, AND THEN SLAM INTO ACTION SO FAST THAT IT FEELS LIKE BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. IT IS LIFE-THREATENINGLY DANGEROUS, BECAUSE WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT IS SUCH A SHOCK YOU ARE DISTRACTED FROM DRIVING. IT NORMALLY HAPPENS FROM A FULL STOP, BUT HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY NUMEROUS TIMES AS I WAS TRYING TO MOVE FROM A SLOW LANE TO A FASTER LANE. WHEN IT SLAMS, THE NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO LET OFF THE GAS, HOWEVER, THERE WAS FASTER TRAFFIC APPROACHING FROM THE REAR, AND I ALMOST GOT HIT. AFTER CHECKING POPULAR BMW OWNER WEBSITES SUCH AS BIMMERFEST, I NOTICED THERE WERE COUNTLESS OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MODEL YEARS (2004-2005 545I) WHICH HAS THE V-8 ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN. BMW HAS NOT RECALLED THIS DEFECT AS OF THIS DATE AND WILL NOT UNLESS SOMEONE GETS KILLED, SERIOUSLY INJURED, OR RECEIVE MAJOR PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT LIKE TOYOTA'S ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE IS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE (FIX) AVAILABLE FROM BMW THAT WILL FIX THIS PROBLEM, BUT THEY PREFER CUSTOMERS TO PAY OUT OF POCKET (OUT OF WARRANTY CUSTOMERS) OPPOSED TO VOLUNTARY RECALLS FORCED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR BAD PR FROM THE MEDIA PRESS. THE BMW SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN (SIB) THAT ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM IS: 24 03 05 SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR TRANSMISSION. I PLAN TO TAKE THIS MATTER TO THE MEDIA PRESS IF SOLUTIONS AREN'T OFFERED FROM BMW OR THE GOVERNMENT. *TR

Mileage: 69,000

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. *TR

Mileage: 48,705

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). ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE AIRBAG MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME ON, SEAT BELT TENSIONERS MAY NOT FUNCTION, AND THE ACTIVE STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME ON, INDICATING THAT THE CAR'S STEERING WHEEL MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ALIGNED WITH THE WHEELS. THE CAR BECAME MORE DIFFICULT (MORE EFFORT) TO STEER, WITH LOSS OF SOME POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR BACK DOWN TO 20 MPH. AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CAR ENTERED TRANSMISSION FAILSAFE PROGRAM, LIMITING THE CAR TO GEARS R, N, 1, 2, 3 FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, THE HIGH BATTERY DRAIN INDICATOR CAME ON ALSO. POWER WINDOWS AND REMOTE KEY FUNCTIONS CEASED TO WORK, ALTHOUGH I COULD STILL CONTROL THE SUNROOF. I PROMPTLY BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING ON MAY 13TH. THE BMW DEALERSHIP RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND STATES THE SZL MODULE IN THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR IS AT 51050 MILES, AND BEYOND WARRANTY COVERAGE AT 5 YEARS OLD. BMW NA WILL NOT COVER THE COSTS OF REPAIR TO THE VEHICLE TO CORRECT THIS SAFETY ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (SI B340506) ISSUED FOR 2006 MODELS DESCRIBING SIMILAR FAILURES IN THEIR PRODUCTS. I AM SUBMITTING THIS REPORT SO THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO OTHER DRIVERS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH SIMILAR CARS. *TR

Mileage: 51,050