BMW 540 owners have reported 47 problems related to radiator (under the engine and engine cooling category). The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Engine cooling radiator hose fitting broke off. Lost all coolant on highway. Dealer replaced radiator under warranty and stated it is common failure on 540i BMW due to plastic parts not stong enough to resist temperature. Well documented on private web sites.
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all problems of the 1998 BMW 540
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A faulty radiator design (plastic neck?) caused my 97 BMW 540ia to break down on the freeway during rush hour.
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all problems of the 1997 BMW 540
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Radiator failure.
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all problems of the 2000 BMW 540
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At 71888 miles the radiator of my BMW 540i broke because of a crack in the plastic housing around the outlet. I had read about this problem on the roadfly message board. I read that the raditors broke around the hose and they only lasted about 50,000 miles. When I read it, I wondered if I was due, about a month later, I was setting at a stop light and when the light turned green, I accelerated away from the light and as I did I saw steam coming out of the fender wells. It first I thought it was another car, but soon realized it was mine. I pulled over and called to have the car towed to the dealership. It was the radiator and the plasic housing broke around the hose. This is a serious mechanical flaw in a automobile that otherwise is pretty darn good. I don't see why BMW can just provide an all metal radiator, or beef up the plastic around the hose to restand the strain.
Radiator failure.
Radiator/overflow tank on my 1997 Bmws 540ia cracked and needed replacement at 85,000 miles. The radiators in Bmws are known as a weakness and continually fail on owners. This situation should be remedied!.
Radiator failure on BMW 540i with only 51k miles, causing loss of traction and almost a wreck.
The upper radiator hose unexpectly separated from the radiator. Inspection showed that the plastic radiator had broken at the hose fitting. The resulting steam cloud and water deposits on windshield abruptly obscured vision, leading to a very dangerous situation. Non-reinforced plastic is an unsafe material for use in this application.
Common radiator failures. All at usually below 50k miles.
Radiator neck sheared off without warning while my wife was driving on freeway. Caused immediate loss of coolant and emergency stop. Car had to be towed.
While driving on the highway, steam started coming from the engine, obstructing consumers vision. Consumer pulled over and check under the hood, and observed that the connection between the engine and the radiator had broke. The dealership replaced radiator, and indicated that this is a common problem. Ts.
The radiator in my 1997 BMW 540i has failed twice since I have owned it. I see this as a safety issue.