BMW 540I · model year

2023 BMW 540I

6 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2023BMW540I carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2023 540I is service brakes with 2 filings, followed by tires (1) and back over prevention: rearview system braking (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2023 540I. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

6
Complaints
4
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

4 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES2
TIRES1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1

Recent Complaints

20240926CrashSERVICE BRAKES

About June 2024 when I was driving downslope at about 30 MPH, when I hit break the car accelerated. Fortunately, nobody and no car were around and I gained control of the car by pumping the break. I did not think much about this issue to report it. On August 23, 2024, I was driving home. I was very close to my home at very low speed (about 1-2 MPH). I hit the break and the car accelerated for the second time crashing into my next door neighbor's house damaging his bushes, steps, spriklers and the gate. My car sustained considerable amount of damages. It was in the BMW Authorized body shop about a month. I received the car on 9/25/2024.

20240926CrashSTRUCTURE:BODY

About June 2024 when I was driving downslope at about 30 MPH, when I hit break the car accelerated. Fortunately, nobody and no car were around and I gained control of the car by pumping the break. I did not think much about this issue to report it. On August 23, 2024, I was driving home. I was very close to my home at very low speed (about 1-2 MPH). I hit the break and the car accelerated for the second time crashing into my next door neighbor's house damaging his bushes, steps, spriklers and the gate. My car sustained considerable amount of damages. It was in the BMW Authorized body shop about a month. I received the car on 9/25/2024.

20240926CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

About June 2024 when I was driving downslope at about 30 MPH, when I hit break the car accelerated. Fortunately, nobody and no car were around and I gained control of the car by pumping the break. I did not think much about this issue to report it. On August 23, 2024, I was driving home. I was very close to my home at very low speed (about 1-2 MPH). I hit the break and the car accelerated for the second time crashing into my next door neighbor's house damaging his bushes, steps, spriklers and the gate. My car sustained considerable amount of damages. It was in the BMW Authorized body shop about a month. I received the car on 9/25/2024.

20240331BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

The rear cross tracking warning system does not provide an audible warning or apply brakes. The settings have been set, and verified with the dealer, including the most sensitive sensor level and loudest audio alert level. I have gone to two different dealers in Ohio and Florida and got the same response, “it works as designed”. My brother in law has a 2023 BMW 440i and has the same issue, with the same results with dealer responses. It’s a well known issue in the BMW community since 2019 models, yet the company doesn’t fix. Not only is it dangerous backing out of parking spaces etc., but it causes a lack of faith in the other critical safety features which you rely on, but cannot easily check; like adaptive cruise and forward collision features.

20240327CrashSERVICE BRAKES

Car did not fully stop when brakes engaged. Caused collision with a wall. Mechanics are currently evaluating the braking system but it appears to be consistent with the brake recall issued for other 2023-4 BMW vehicles—loss of power brake assist or antilock brake to not function properly. (See National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Campaign Number 24V-104 reported on February 12, 2024).

20231110TIRES

size 19. I have had two tires fail in 3 months. Less than 3k miles on both. There was no road hazard but both tires blew out on the side.

Compare 2023BMW540I to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2023 BMW 540I have?
The 2023 BMW 540I has 6 NHTSA complaints, 4 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2023 BMW 540I?
The most-complained component for the 2023 BMW 540I is SERVICE BRAKES with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING.
Is the 2023 BMW 540I safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2023 BMW 540I; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.