2005 BMW 545I: jerking or lurching

Filed Apr 26, 2012 · Transmission · 67,000 miles · CA

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.

Filed Jun 9, 2011 · Acceleration, Transmission · 67,500 miles · TX

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.

Filed Jan 13, 2011 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · NY

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.

Filed Sep 24, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · 98,625 miles · VA

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.

Filed Jul 20, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · 69,000 miles · GA

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.