BMW Transmission Problems

My 2008 328xi has been nothing but a problem since the first day I bought it. I was at the service department every other week for something else. No, I have just about 50,000 miles on it and it won't go in reverse. Everything else is working, just won't go back. It was working fine the night before I woke up to go to work. I tried to back out of my drive way and it wouldn't go. I don't understand if there are many people complaining about this issue, why is it not being addressed? Is BMW that money hungry that they don't care that their 3 series are all having problems with their transmission? This is ridiculous.

Wouldn't you want the customers to be happy and tell all their friends to get a BMW? With this many people complaining, pretty soon no one will buy these cars and then what? I'm so mad. How can you let this happen? People buy BMW because it's supposed to be a great car, high class luxury and with this problem, it makes BMW like owning a Hyundai. If I wanted a piece of crap car, I would never have bought a BMW. My dream ever since I was a little girl was to own a BMW and now that dream became a nightmare.

My 2000 BMW 323ci with 100K miles has no reverse. I bought it used at 99K miles and owned it for four months. I've already spent $3600 on repairs to rebuild transmission. I'm wondering if it's worth it to repair. Anyone know what will go out next? Drive shaft? Engine?

Transmission Failure 95k - I purchased my 2004 BMW 530i A/T trans. on 02/28/2012 and thought long and hard before making this purchase because as we all know, these things don't come cheap. I test drove several other 5 Series before making my decision. I loved everything about the car which also came with a clean well maintained Carfax with presentable service records and with me just turning 20 years old, I felt fortunate to own such a car.

Well, not even a month and approximately 2,000 miles later, my transmission failed with no warning info on iDrive! No check engine or Transmission Fault! Earlier that day, I remember experiencing problems when the transmission downshifted from 6th to 3rd (very hesitant) when accelerating on the freeway, so I parked it when I got home and Immediately started researching online for a solution to this problem. I went out again later that day to see if the problem still existed (which it did), so I turned around to head back home. But when I came to a complete stop, I noticed something terribly wrong! The car wouldn't move because the rear wheels where locked up and the car would even go in neutral, this is all happening with no warning on iDrive.

I had to have the car towed from the rear and now waiting to have the car looked at by a BMW dealer or Indy shop. This is truly sad, but I'm not surprised. I was warned about the so called Ultimate Driving Machines!

I purchased this BMW 323i 1999 year of manufactured, today, 05/1/2012. Upon arriving at home, I went to back up and the vehicle would not shift into reverse. I made several attempts to shut off the vehicle for few minutes and tried again as stated in the manual. No change.

If I had known about this problem before I bought my car, I would have never get a BMW with automatic transmission. My 2000 323i just joined the infamous "No-reverse" Club. What infuriates me is that it seems like BMW is aware of the design flaws associated with this transmission, but acts like they don't care. I bought this car with very low miles (7500mi) and just now turned 100,000mi. It never was driven hard and was well-maintained. I would expect a car like this to provide better service than that, since they cost considerably more than an average car. To fix and maintain this car is not cheap either. I'm sure this is going to be my first and last BMW. So much for BMW reputation!

The automatic transmission in my 2003 525i (originally owned with 42,000 miles) started malfunctioning (not shifting). I took it to the dealer where I bought it and they tell me I need a new transmission. They acknowledge this is very unusual, but they also say it is not covered by any warranty because my warranty is for 50,000 miles or 4 years. It seems to me a $45,000 car should have a transmission that lasts more than 42,000 miles. Please help/advise.

323i transmission: Reverse went on this car when I bought it. So I replaced it, only to have it go again!

My 2006 750LI BMW has less than 80k miles on it. I have experienced numerous times where the car would not go into drive. The transmission failed light displayed. In fear that the transmission is about to go, I took it to a certified BMW repair shop and they told me that they could not find anything wrong with the transmission. This is going on twice that I had taken it to be looked at for the same problem, but no one seems to know what the problem is.

I went on vacation. While coming home, I stopped to get gas. After pumping the gas, the car would not go in drive. After a few turn offs and on, finally I got it to work. Later on that day, the car would not go into reverse. I don't know what the BMW is doing about this, but this is a problem. The cars don't come cheap and it should last longer than it does. BMW needs to come down off the greedy trip and help the buyers out. Perhaps we all need to stop purchasing their cars!

Honestly, I had VW all my life and they were great cars to me, despite what most people told me about them. I went ahead and got myself the 2007 BMW 328i manual transmission. Okay, my concern with this car is mostly the interior of the car. All the plastic parts inside the vehicle are melting away. The car is only 5 years old always and kept in a garage. I wouldn't expect this from a KIA. So if this is called the ultimate driving machine, thank you, but no thank you. After calling BMW of America and going to dealers and stuff, there's nothing they can do to fix it. I guess that's how they appreciate their customers who pay good money for poor quality.

I have been a loyal costumer and a fan of BMW until the problem and its consequences that clarify the poorness of their service and customer support. I own a 2010 BMW X6 5.0 that has 37,750 Km on it and it's under warranty until January 2013. First, the problem started a month and a half ago when I felt like the car has a hard upshifting and downshifting especially on low speeds such as 30 to 60 Km.

Moreover, what made me so sure that there is a problem is when the car's transmission shifts from 2 to 1 gear and it's speed is under 20 km and almost stop, I feel like someone just pushed the car from behind, or my car has been hit by someone's car on the back. I can assure there was a problem because I always ride this vehicle through traffic jams, especially when going to work on the morning and leaving on the afternoon. So jerking transmission problem appears to me tons of times a day, and honestly, I feel disappointed every day.

Secondly, I always feel that my car is unstable and affected by any bump on the street, which affects the car balance on the road and it always make clunking sounds on bumpy roads especially from the front. As an action, I took it to the maintenance department and they gave me an appointment after 10 days! Can you imagine this?

Because I was afraid that there is a serious problem with my car, I parked it at my home until the assigned appointment time. I went to them, and finally, they got the car into process. They kept the car for 14 days or more without providing me with a replacement car, and they didn't follow up on me with any information about the car status.

Unfortunately, during the days that they kept my car , I had to attend and supervise a huge conference for the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission and the capital market authority of Saudi Financial Market in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As a result, the maintenance department left me with no choice except renting a car on my own wallet.

Finally, after two weeks, the maintenance department gave me a call to collect my car. They promised me that they solved the problem of the transmission by reprogramming it and changing the oil. About the suspension and the clunking sound, they said that they put some liquid such as oil to fix the problem. Unfortunately, I found that nothing has been fixed, and I noticed that the performance of my car has decreased to a condition that's really noticeable.

Their response was they can't collect the car from me, and I need to set another appointment, which I did. However, before setting the appointment, I talked to the maintenance department manager about providing me with a replacement car. His answer was, "Sir, I will do my best," but he never did! I asked this guy tons of times about providing me with a replacement car, and he always avoid me by giving untruthful promises. I remember once that I talked to him on Wednesday and he promised me to respond on Saturday whether they have a replacement car or not. But he just skipped me for 10 days. What kind of treatment is this despite the inconvenience of the service itself?

It has been a month and a half since the problem started and I don't know what I can do. Despite the jerking transmission, I can feel that it was much better and powerful before reprogramming it. Moreover, the car is very bumpy and unfortunately, the suspension is giving me more instability after the maintenance department did their action. As a costumer, who can I rely on to fix and take care of my luxury car? Honestly, I have no problem to travel to Munich, to their headquarters, and represent my issue of the unfairness treatment and service for a BMW costumer. Moreover, I have a faith that BMW is a brand that values customer.

Eventually, I would like to inform you that I work at an institution that is known as the Capital Market Authority. Our public relation department has an agreement with your BMW representative in Saudi Arabia to encourage employees to buy cars. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I must report of the poor service. Whether or not you or anyone else cares, I leave that up to your business decisions.

However, from the consumer's standpoint, if asked about my experiences at Riyadh's BMW, I would have to inform them that purchasing the vehicle was great; but the service department is the worst that I have seen in my whole life of driving. As anyone knows, any vehicle needs servicing over the lifetime, but think twice about purchasing a vehicle from Riyadh's BMW because the service department is just poor.

People are polite and they have a smile on their faces but what is promised to the customer is not given to the customer. Of course, I am left to the mercy of Riyadh's BMW. Thanking you in advance for your time and attention to this matter. Have a happy holiday season.

So disappointed. I bought this used car on advice from a good friend of mine. He said best used car he has ever owned. I was looking for a used Lexus at the time. I have owned several and absolutely love them. He said to take his 330i for a couple of days and see what I thought of it. I absolutely fell in love with this car.

One day, after returning his car to him, I test drove 5 330's that were for sale, and bought the one that I currently own. I was beyond happy with the combination of performance, handling, and fuel mileage that this car had. After a couple of weeks, I noticed the lunge forward when stopping that everyone is complaining about. It is actually a dangerous problem. Constantly trying not to hit the car in front of you every time you come to a stop in traffic.

I took the car to the dealer to get this fixed. They charged me $400 to download new software for the transmission. I left the dealer and still had the problem, plus the car was shifting strange now. I called and reported the problem and they said that the transmission had to learn my driving habits and was no problem and that it would straighten itself out. Two weeks later, the transmission is shot, stuck in limp mode with a red gear light warning on the dash. I took it back to the dealer and they said the transmission is shot and it's gonna be $6,800 for a new one. I think it's crazy how many complaints I have read the last two days online from other 3 series owners with these same problems. I think BMW is covering up a very serious problem with this car.

The car has survived this long with mostly minor issues. It belongs to my parents who are the original owners of the vehicle from the factory. Before 50,000 miles, my parents would complain about lag time between depressing the pedal and the giddy up. Several visits to the dealer proved fruitless as they would indicate there being nothing wrong. My father is in the US Army and was recently stationed in South Korea. They left the car in the US in my care, as it is less hassle and less expensive to do so. The car was only driven by me once a week or so to maintain it. Recently, however, I began driving the car to and from work during wintertime as it already had winter tires on it.

Two or three months later at about 153,000 miles on the car, I stopped to pick up some dry cleaning. When I tried to back out of my parking space, the car revved but would not move. I had to push the car out of the space. Forward gears work, though they feel different. Even on the drive home from the first time. The forward gears seem to change at higher rpm or unpredictably. The problem continues. I have no reverse gear. It didn't take long to see how many customers have the very same problem. I feel privileged that the transmission lasted as long as it did. Some reverse gears are disappearing as low as 20 or 30 thousand miles! The consistency in reporting suggests this is not due to careless driving or normal wear and tear.

I just watched an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they restored a sharp BMW 840. It made me think about how nice a newer BMW might look in the driveway. Too bad I won't go near another one in my lifetime. I'll be sharing my story with anyone who is considering buying a Beemer.

First, I would like to tell all of you to do your homework when you have a problem with your car. I Google the problems and sometimes I find a YouTube video. When I go to the dealer, I know what I'm talking about and they know it. I don't give the keys to the service writer and hope they can figure it out. I also ask to talk to the main tech and ask him questions. If you did your homework and sort of know how to fix the car and the tech doesn't really give you the answers you found out on your own, then he might be worthless. Then, you start taking your car back for the same problems. I had that happened with my old car.

So, I recently bought a brand new 2011 BMW 328i at a great price. I've had it for 2 months. Last week, I put the car in reverse and the car started jerking and the RPM were going up and down. So, I set an appointment for the next day. While I was out and about, I hit the freeway. When I got on the on ramp, I noticed my RPM were at 6,000 and the car wasn't moving. I pulled over and put the car in park, then back in drive and it was okay.

Now, I go to the dealer and ask the tech and the service writer questions. Remember most service writers are not mechanics. They think they are, but they're not. In short, I'll tell you what I asked them. When the car was jerking could that be the Vanos, maybe a vacuum leak? When the car was messing up the check engine, light never came on. So I guess your scanner cant' pick up a code for the problem with the car.

When you start asking questions like that, things are much different. Try it and see what happens. Now, the biggest reason why you can't get your car fixed right the first time is because the dealerships don't want to pay the techs. A good tech might say he wants $30 an hour and the dealer won't pay it. So your left with a bunch of rookies. So, there you have it. I hope this will help someone out there.

I have loved BMW since I was a child. I have owned a 2006 325i and now a 2007 X3. Both vehicles were brand new. The X3 moonroof would not close. The reason: sometimes the wire will get caught in the cassette. The cost to replace the cassette is $4000! Why should I be paying for a flawed BMW design? X3 again, vehicle would not go into reverse. Valvetronic Assembly will need to be replaced at $3000. This is a 2007 X3 that we have had from new. We have spent $10,000 so far in repair costs. That does not include $4000 cassette and $3000 Valvetronic assembly. That is 80,000/4 years of the vehicle being under warranty. The car is now 5 years old with 130,000.

What a frigging rip-off. I feel duped! If I wanted a GM, I would have bought a GM. Why is BMW using GM for their transmissions? They know how to sell cars, they just don't know how to keep customers! Never again!

I bought a 98 740i BMW in 2002; it had 96k miles on it. It now has 111k miles on it. I just drove to work and back and around town. The water pump failed twice. I have replaced the radiator twice, the battery twice, hoses, etc., etc. Then the brakes went out. In November of 2011, I changed the brakes all the way around. Three weeks later, on the 1st week of December, I got a transmission failure on the dash. The car goes in reverse, not forward. It's parked in front of my apt. I don't know what to do. I dumped so much money into the car, and since owning it have driven what- a little over 15k miles in the vehicle? I am so upset I have spent a fortune in repairs on the vehicle. When I bought the car, I ran the VIN before purchase and no problems were to be found. I am the 3rd owner. It was a rental car, contractor owned the car and now me. Any suggestions? Please email.

No Reverse: the reverse in my 2001 BMW 325i transmission stopped working just like everybody else. I'm the original owner of the car.

I purchased a 2000 323i new in Sept '99. At 60,000, I had to have the transmission rebuilt. At the time, I complained to BMW. Their answer was, "Nothing we can do." I paid $2500 to repair the car. Car now has 120,000 miles on it. Guess what, transmission lost reverse. When are they going to own up that there is a problem whit this transmission, since everyone that has owned one has had the same issue?

I am the 3rd owner of a 323i, and I just hit 130k miles today when the reverse transmission went out. I'm looking at about $4,000 in repairs. Such a shame for my once favorite car company.

I own a 2006 330I that has been meticulously maintained. The car has 54,000 and the transmission has gone bad. I have read hundreds of complaints about this problem. BMW needs to be held accountable. Has anyone started a class action suit? Email me to start one or let me know if one has been opened. Nobody should have to pay for their mistake!

This is an email I sent to the service manager. They won't help me. I have proof that this is a problem, since day one, and I spent more than $70,000 on this car, and they are robbing me of my money.

I brought my car in for service two days ago, due to the ongoing transmission malfunction, that I've been having since day one. Steven advised me to call my insurance company, because I would need a whole new transmission, which would cost $18,000. The reason I'm writing to you, is because this should be a warranty job, because I never hit any potholes, or anything with this car, for you guys to say it's damaged due to impact.The reason why he thinks it is so, is because a few months back, when I brought it in for the same transmission malfunction, he noticed some minor damage to the felt covers that are located on the underside of the front bumper (which are there to protect the front bumper from being scathed when coming down steep inclines, and also serves as an air scoop for the intake). I admit that mine had damage, but I explained to him it came from a drive-thru that I went through, which had a very steep incline, and I couldn't avoid scathing it.

The tech finally figured the transmission oil pan had a tiny hairline crack, and it was causing the fluid to leak out, but this is after I had brought the car in 3 times before, because it was leaking oil and also giving a transmission error, since I 1st drove the car home with only 32 miles on it (I saved pictures of the messages on the screen of every time it happened, including the millage on the car, and the time it happened). They diagnosed each time, and gave it back to me, saying nothing is wrong with the car, or doing minor fixes, such as topping off the oil, reprogramming the CPU, and changing the seal around the oil cap, not knowing that it's the pan leaking, and not the seal around the oil cap. After they noticed the crack on the oil pan, I was imminently blamed, and told to call my insurance company, because they are linking the damage on the front end, and saying that I must have hit something, causing the oil pan to crack, which is not possible because the damage on the front was very minor, and didn't hinder any functions of the car. I even pointed out that the metal shield that covers the transmission pan didn't have a single scratch, dent, or any sort of damage (it would be the 1st point of impact before any damage is done to the pan itself ). They were just assuming I hit something. I tried everything I could to tell them its not my fault, but in the end, no one listened, and I had to pay over $1,800 out of pocket to fix the oil pan myself.

I got the car back, and it drove okay for a few months, and then the problem came back, even worse this time. The transmission malfunction happens even more, also the car shuts down on its own, while I'm driving (it once happened in the middle of the belt parkway where cars are flying past me, while I'm stuck in the middle of the highway). After I came to a full stop , I waited 2 minutes, and restarted the car, and it was fixed. Most of the time, restarting the car fixes the problem, but it didn't really. Also, I would come to a red light, and make a full stop. When the light changes, the car sometimes has a 3-4 sec lag, and then it would kick in really hard, and then move. It feels like I was hit by another car from the back. All of these problems were explained to your guys every time I came in for service, and still no one fixed this problem. Right now, I'm here in this mess. My insurance company is coming down to look at the car, but they think shouldn't have to fall on them.

I was honest to them as I am to you, because they are asking questions that I didn't have answers to, like, where did the impact happen to the car and when. I said I never had any impact with the car. I told them I've been experiencing this problem since day one with the car, and it was completely neglected to be thoroughly looked over, and addressed by the dealership. They are advising me to contact BMWNA directly, and get in touch with corporate, to address this matter personally, because they aren't responsible for damages not caused by me either. They advised me to obtain all my previous service records, and send it to them, and they will get in touch with BMW as well, to see how to address this sort of problem. I'm really disappointed in the service, and driving experience I've had with BMW. It's my first BMW, and definitely my last , because I can't deal with this every other week, and every month having to coming down to the dealership, to fix so many problems on a brand new car. All I need from you is my service records, so I can send it to my insurance company, and I want to keep you in the loop, because you told me if I ever needed anything, to contact you.

I purchased a BMW 2011 528I that has a transmission that is defective, and is unsafe to drive.

Driving home, the car started making thud noise when trying to shift gears, severe lag when shifting, and the transmission warning light lit up on panel. This is a 325i 05 or 06. I liked my car before this. It only had a couple oil leaks and no major problems. I think this is major though. It looks like I'm not the only one with the problem. BMW should address this.

I recently bought a 2005 BMW 545I with 55,000 miles. I drove the car for about 2.5 weeks (600miles) and the transmission is toast according to the dealership. I did buy an extended 3yr /36k miles warranty (cost$3,000) from a third party insurer. I am hoping that they will cover the cost of the replacement7, but after doing research, they seem to have many complaints from past clients about finding ways not to cover such failures. But we will see how it works out, hopefully for the best.

But my real beef is with BMW. This car I bought for $23k, which was selling for $45K+ brand new, should not experience a major mechanical failure with such low miles. I bought with the Carfax report and it revealed the car was well maintained and serviced as recommended. I am so pissed and really have no confidence in this car since it has already this type of a major failure. I have yet to even make a car payment on it and it's already in the shop. From what I read, BMW should replace these faulty transmissions that are clearly defective at no charge without hassle.

I am hoping mine will be covered but even so what a bad experience! I have driven other cars for over 150k miles without any major problems. Too many complaints regarding transmission failures in BMW's that it has to be a defective design or product.

I joined the "no reverse" club today. I own a 2001 330ci. I went to the garage to go to the store and I had just enough reverse to get out of the garage. Granted, my car has 234,000 miles but I have maintained it well. I have even had the transmission filter and oil changed. This should be a very embarrassing issue for BMW, but they do not seem to care at all.

Is this what you call the "ultimate driving machine"?

I've had same problem. I've bought 2000 BMW 323ci convertible and after only three months I lost reverse. There was only 109k miles on the car. I've tried to contact BMW and see if there is a recall on the transmission but no luck. The dealership wanted $5200 for new transmission. I've contacted few local shops and nobody wanted to mess with BMW. I've finally got number from a guy that works at an transmission shop and he said he could try to rebuild my old one. Since I didn't have $5200, I let him try it. He took it apart and found out that a part called rear drum was broken. I've seen the broken part. He ordered the new parts for it and fixed it. Now my BMW shift like never before. After 6k miles still runs like a champ. It cost me only $1500. If you need help, email me and I'll try to help you. Thank you.

2000 BMW 323it with 144k - just without even a whisper lost reverse yesterday (1/13/12 - Fri the 13th no doubt). I had been aware of this death sentence possibility reverse several years ago and I had just "hoped" I'd not become one of the "unlucky ones", so to speak.

Yup, this is pretty lame that such a popular BMW car that is expected to drive and performs so well for many years and miles could have such an expensive problem that is lose to becoming a "routine maintenance" issue. Appears to me that this is a manufacturing defect, plain and simple. Just wanted to file my issue along with all the others on here. Thanks.

I have a vehicle with 144k, looks new, drives fine. But now I'm faced with a very expensive repair to return reverse back into operation. With this many owner's having the same issue, and based on repair cost - $4000 plus - all from a car company that has based it's reputation on building well engineered vehicles that will perform for many years and miles. I would think BMW would have to accept something had not been engineered as well as it should and could have been. Seems simple enough to me.

The blinker has a defect. I have had it replaced a number of times in the past months and it never lasts. My mechanic says it's a common complaint on this year model 2001 321i.

I have had the worse experience owning a BMW. I have a 2000 BMW 328 with 124,000 miles. I can't tell you the number of times I had to bring it in for service. Has had everything wrong with it. Now, my car does not go in reverse. I have put so much money into it already and now getting quotes for over $4,000 for a transmission. I thought BMWs were supposed to last forever. BMW dealerships are a total rip off. So quick to overcharge and bill but will not help anyone with any problems, considering the amount of money you already spent. I was stuck in a narrow parking space. I had to be pushed out because my car would not go in reverse on a cold, rainy day with my young child and dog in the car. Unbelievable!

I have a 2007 BMW 328i. Around 20,000 miles, I noticed a clicking sound when shifting out of lower gears. I brought it to BMW of San Francisco and the technicians returned the car to me in the same condition, stating that it is a normal sound. I noticed that the same problem still persists after driving a few thousand more miles. BMW of San Francisco now says that indeed something is wrong with it and it is a $1200 fix.