2018 BMW 5 Series Engine Problems

I was driving home after picking my son up from school and out of no where the vehicle temperature was in the red and a message popped up stating that vehicle coolant needed to be replenished but that continued driving of the vehicle was ok. It was not ok at all! The car started smoking and we were left stranded on the side of the road. I’ve read numerous blogs showing that the same thing has happened to other people and that there have even been recalls on other bmw’s in regards to the engine coolant system.

The contact owns a 2018 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for water pump repairs, the wrench warning light was illuminated, and the message "Passenger Seat Restraint Sensor Failure" was displayed. The contact stated that the dealer inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the passenger's seat occupant weight sensor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The contact stated that the failure had persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

The contact's wife owns a 2018 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, and the warning light turned off; however, the check engine light soon returned. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test discovered that coolant and freon had leaked from the turbo lines, causing damages to the oil housing and water pump. The dealer provided the contact with an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

I contacted the dealership where I purchased my vehicle called Global Imports on December 6 because the car was running hot. I arrived on Saturday morning was informed that the radiator was leaking and a water pump was leaking that they both needed to be replaced and I would be charged around $3000 to replace it. There were no recalls the service bulletins that I mentioned they advised me were only repair notifications. They said there were no other notifications regarding the radiator only to have the check engine light come back on a week later I took it to a different dealership and I was advised that the 15 year warranty on the flaps which the flaps are not functioning properly. I was advised to take it back to Global Imports .

The contact owns a 2018 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a coolant level message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test determined that there was a coolant leak inside the engine. The contact was informed that the vehicle was covered under warranty and that an undisclosed part inside the coolant system was replaced. The contact stated that one week after the repair, the message returned, and the contact was informed that the upper coolant hose was defective. The contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty and the contact paid for the repair. After the second repair, the contact stated that the failure retuned and there was coolant leaking from the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

The 540d has swirl flaps on the intake manifold to regulate air intake so it adjusts how much air the intake manifold feeds the engine. There's an actuator motor that connects to the swirl flap shaft that connects via a plastic linkage. When the linkage breaks, the flaps are no longer controlled by the actuator and stays in its semi closed state. The result is when you give it full throttle, it spews out plumes of black smoke that is thick and the equivalent to rolling coal on a deleted diesel truck. The car still runs, but this poses a danger to those behind you and not very environmentally friendly to spew out soot. BMW's solution is a $6,000 repair bill, because the entire intake manifold has to be replaced for that linkage. This will be a guaranteed fail again - considering I had a check engine light for swirl flap issues starting around 40K miles.

Engine suddenly lost most of power, causing risks of losing control. Diagnosis suggests a bug in Digital Motor Electronics (DME) unit. Per TSB SI B12 08 18, the correction is to update software. This should be a recall to make sure drivers don't experience sudden engine malfunction during driving.

There is an exhaust leak which has developed in the turbo. This causes untreated fumes and soot to be emitted in the engine compartment. This untreated exhaust makes its way into the passenger cabin, putting passengers at safety risk due to untreated exhaust fumes entering the cabin. The dealership has acknowledged the issue and describes it as follows: "The soot that you have seen and the smell is coming out of the wastegate shaft which by design there is a tolerance for it to move, but due to back pressure from the soot build up before the regen has occurred there is some soot that comes out." This problem happens every time I start and drive the car. The dealership is stating that this is not covered by the factory warranty. An exhaust leak like this is a serious passenger safety issue.

WHEN BRAKING TO COME TO A STOP AT A LIGHT, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO OVER 5000 RPM. I HAD TO SHUT OFF THE CAR TO GET IT TO STOP. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, IT IMMEDIATELY REVVED UP TO OVER 7000, WHILE I STOOD ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM MOVING. SHUT IT OFF AGAIN, PUT FLASHERS ON AND WAITED A MINUTE. RESTARTED AND IT PERFORMED NORMALLY.