I discovered one morning that my car wouldn't go in reverse. It seemed like it would "catch", but it wouldn't actually go anywhere. I towed it to my regular repair shop, and they quoted me $6000 to replace the transmission. I found a transmission shop who quoted me $1600-$3500 to actually fix the problem instead of replace, so I had the car towed a second time over to them. Shop called back and said neither bmw or gm will sell him all the parts he needs to do fix it. Bmw doesn't offer them (only whole transmissions), and gm won't warranty the parts if they're installed on a bmw. He also said he'd done some research on my concerns with the 1999 transmission, and that there were no technical service bulletins from bmw on it. There was a bulletin on the 2000 zl model transmission but not on mine (which he said was a 5l40-e model), so he doesn't think there's a widespread problem with this transmission. Bmw started using the 5l40-e transmission halfway through 1999 when they changed the 323 over from the e36 to the e46 chassis. And although there is a new complaint on the consumer affairs page almost daily regarding failure to go in reverse, bmw has not issued a single service bulletin. This same transmission, however, was also used in the 2003 cadillac cts, of which there are over 30 technical service bulletins regarding the transmission. Two of these specifically mention failure in reverse. Why will cadillac at least admit to the problem, but bmw makes no mention of it in a vehicle that's been on the road four years longer? I know a bulletin won't have any effect on my now $5000 repair bill, but I thought I had done my due diligence in researching the 1999 323i, e46's, and bmw in general before I bought the [xxx] thing. If I'd have known the transmission in this car was both non-serviceable and prone to failure, I'd have bought a kia. *tr information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
1999 BMW 323I transmission complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 33 of 33, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a '99 bmw 323i. My car recently reached 100,000 miles and have started experiencing transmission problems. The car will shift to reverse but with no effect. I have spoke with other bmw owners and have found this is a recurring problem and cost 5000 dollars to fix. Im in the united states marine corps and cant afford to fix a problem like this. I I am being deployed and am worried that transmission failure while im gone will be dangerous for my wife. I feel like bmw should pay for the transmission repair because its their bad choice for choosing faulty engines. They vehicle is extremely unsafe and should be recalled.
1999 bmw 3-series transmission failure at 108k miles due to faulty transmission.
Drove into a parking spot a work and could not back out of the parking space once on reverse, the car would not move! After having spent $2,500 just 3 weeks prior on other repairs.
I own a 1999 bmw 323i. Recently, the automatic transmission warning light started to go on when I would drive my car on the highway. I took it into the local bmw dealership and it took about 3 diagnostic visits to determine that I needed a new transmission for $6k. My car had less than 80,000 miles on it. I then took it to several bmw specialist auto shops who explained to me in full detail the issue that this gm transmission is known to have. Apparently the transmission fails in 5th gear and defaults to 4th gear, which not only causes it to drive differently, but can cause other expensive issues. After reading similar complaints about this transmission, I am extremely disappointed that bmw has let this go and has not issued a recall. I am disappointed w/ the poor quality of the american made transmission, and will never buy another bmw again.
I own a 1999 bmw 323i. Sometimes the reverse does not work at all and on somedays there are no problems what so ever. I took the care into the bmw dealership and was told that I need a new transmission that would cost about $7,000. I am disabled and cannot afford this type of repair. I thought buying a bmw would be a great retirement car. I am very upset, especially reading on the internet how many people have the same problem and bmw does nothing to help. I have a 1997 381i that is down also. Have taken it to the dealership and my local mechanic. Bmw has changed..I really need help ...
My bmw 323i 1999 has a defective transmission. Bmw says that we shouldn't change the transmission oil as it's a lifetime oil.... But I think this is what lead to having this problem. My car doesn't go into reverse and I've looked in several sites about this problem and have discovered that I"m not the only one that has this problem... Http://noreverse.org/complaints_2007q3.html please email me back as to what I should do... Thx, alex
My reverse on my 1999 323i automatic does not go into reverse. It initially worked then it would not reverse.
Reverse mysteriously not working. Goes in and out.
Reverse does not work. The same complaint from hundreds of others can be found at noreverse.org. There is a service bulletin put out to the service technicians about the transmission but bmw will not do anything about it.
My husband was driving my 1999 bmw 323i, he pulled forward at a 45 degree angle on our street in order to back into our driveway. After putting it in reverse and trying to back up, the engine revved and acted as if it were in neutral, the reverse gear failed. It started working again the next day and worked fine for about 10 days. I was parked at a shopping center and when I tried to back out of my parking space, the reverse again failed. After a long wait, the person who was parked in front of me left and I was able to pull forward and drive home. The reverse was working again by the time I got home. It began failing more frequently, but usually will come back sooner or later. We took it to our bmw mechanic, he said the seal appeared to be broken and fluid had leaked out. He refilled the fluid and ordered a new seal. The reverse worked fine for 2 days, then started failing again. The mechanic informed us that since the reverse failed so quickly, the seal would not do anything to solve the problem and we would need to replace the transmission. After doing research on my own online, I see this is a problem that is widespread and unresolved. Check the following website for countless testimonials on this defective transmission, they even named a website for the problem specific to bmw: www.noreverse.org.
1999 bmw 323i not going into revers at 90k miles
The reverse gear in my bmw 323i failed without any prior warning. It seems to be a common problem, as a drum in the transmission assembly is cast from weak metal and comes apart until it fails to compress the plates for the reverse gear.
I have been driving my 1999 bmw 323i for the past year with few problems. Today I got up to go on a road trip, and my car will not go into reverse. It has been serviced regularly, but there was indication of a transmission problem existing. According to the dealership, it will cost about $3,000.00 to correct the failure. A quick web search revealed that this is a fairly common occurrence.
I just read about the person who had the 1999 that had the engine light and transmission light go on. I have had the same thing. A mechanic friend of mine said that we should change the "lifetime" fluid and it might clear it out. When put on the computer it showed a problem with the 5th gear. We went ahead and paid to have the fluid changed. It was extremely dirty and definitely a good idea to change it....well it didn't rectify the problem. I have been told by bmw that I will need to probably have the entire transmission replaced...bmw is part pushers only, not mechanics.....my car is a 1999 and has only 70k miles on it...I have never had a transmission problem with a car with that little of miles on it. I had someone suggest not using the 5th gear so I am driving in s4 instead of "d". So far it is working just fine, however my engine light still comes on periodically. I agree that bmw should have a long warranty when it comes to transmission especially with all of the complaints I have read and price of this "most wonderful car". At this point I will never buy another bmw. I too plan to go into a toyota or honda.
1999 bmw 323i (e46) I didn't know my german car came with a crappy transmission made by gm in france. It failed after 89,000 miles and required a total replacement because parts are unavailable. This costs $4500. This is unacceptable and I'm sure others have the same problem because I've been reading about them on various bmw message boards. This should be considered a known defect and bmw is responsible for fixing this. They haven't taken any action to rectify this.
I own a 1999 bmw 323i. Recently, the check engine light keeps coming on along with the sign for the transmission (the exclamation in the circle). Then the power was significantly reduced which didn't allow me to drive over 40 MPH. I took it to the bmw dealer near my home and after they ran the expensive diagnostic test they still weren't sure what the problem was. However, they said they received a bulletin from bmw telling them that resetting the computer for the torque and transmission would fix the problem. However, this was only a temporary fix, as it only lasted for one week. The light still came on and they still don't know what the problem is. This frustrates me that the bmw dealer doesn't know what the problem is. I know of several other bmw owners and they have the same problem. They all have traded their cars in for a honda or some other japanese made car, which I am considering too! However, I shouldn't have to resort to this, as I have spent a lot of money for this luxury car and would like to keep it. Nevertheless, I believe this is a manufacturing problem, as many electrical problems among others have been reported by bmw owners and dealers. A co-worker's had a '98 325 and had only about 70k miles on it and she had major engine problems and spent about $3500 dollars and the problem still wasn't fixed. So, she trade hers in for a honda. I spent about $400.00 and my problem is still not fixed. I am hesitant to pour any more money into fixing my car especially, after my friend spent much more and hers wasn't fixed, and when the mechanics aren't sure what the fix is. I believe this is an across the board type of problem with many if not all bmw's and the manufacturer doesn't want to admit it. Just go to bmwcomplaints.com to see for yourself. I would like an investigation into this problem and a recall to fix these serious problems.
I believe that carmax sold me a lemon. It is a 1999 bmw 323ci, was purchased used at the independence boulevard store on nov 28, 2003, with 57,097 miles. The purchase price was $21,420 including a $1,699 extended warranty for 3yrs/36000. Automobile warranty agreement number: 7106508410. *ak since shortly after purchase, there have been excessive and expensive defects, including safety items. The car has broken down, failed to start, required towing, and the control panel flashes spurious warnings. Despite the warranty, and despite my requests to carmax, critical repairs have not been performed. Safety defects still occur and are not being repaired by carmax (I.e. Current control panel warning for lights). Major mechanical items are not being performed under warranty (e.g. Transmission). This has all occurred in less than a year, and with less than 5,000 miles of my driving. Summary of repairs since purchase: 12/17/0357,561mi.air bag light fault, seat belt, electrical & control panel 12/23/0457,694rear defroster, electrical, window replaced, worn brakes 06/04/0459,565horn replaced, fuses & electrical 9/10/0461,230clutch replaced, warning lights, control panel failure light intermittently comes on (has not been fixed) the car is currently unsafe to drive...reference the control panel warning indicator that carmax cannot analyze nor repair. The history of safety problems include fuses, air bag, electrical system, and horn. Summary: I was sold a "lemon" and have an unsafe automobile. I require a safe car to drive, and I want to stop paying for repeated defects and breakdowns. Recommemded solution: I suggest that either: (a) the car be returned for a full refund, including reimbursement for the cost of all defects, or; (b) I be reimbursed for all defects and that the terms of the 30 day warranty be extended to november 29, 2006.
Transmission locked to "limp home" mode. Can be reset by turn off and on the ignition, but it wont solve the problem and will occur again. If you run at 75/80 MPH, and the "limp" mode is on.. The gear will be shift down suddenly and it will dangerously impact the speed of the car behind me. Luckily the car behind me have enough time to reduce the speed before it hits me.
I was driving my 1999 bmw 323i on hwy 101 in santa clara, ca. The car sundenly feels "weak". I immediately pull off the next exit. At the traffic light after the exit ramp the car stalls. I restarted the car and was able to move it, slowly, to a parking lot. There I found that a). I lost the reverse gear b). The transimission program light was on. I attempted to start the car again to see if it moves but the engine keeps stalling - I noticed that the transimission does not appears to be shifting. It is like starting a manual shift car from the 3rd gear.there was no warning sign of all these. It happen all in a sudden. The car had just gone through the bmw 60k mile service (major service) a couple of months ago.*ak I have the car towed to my bmw dealer and there they pronounce the transimission dead - transmission locked-up. I am scared! I could have been killed that day!
Entire transmission for 1999 bmw 323 ic needs to be replaced (estimated charge is $4600.00) - after only 60,000 miles. The onboard computer did not alert me of the problem soon enough.
On november 1, 2000, I had a u.s. Air force appointment in the u.s. Pentagon in washington, dc. I proceeded to leave in my bmw 323i, which I lease through passport bmw in marlow heights, maryland. It was a dreary day, thus, I turned on the vehicle's headlights after starting the ignition. I placed the vehicle's gear in reverse and proceeded to back out of my parking space. However, the vehicle suddenly, and with great velocity, sped backwards. I immediately pressed the brakes preventing an accident. I tried this time to go forward and the car sped forwards back into the space I originally backed out of. I was quite shaken-up and completely analyzed the vehicle and my operation of it ensuring.
Transmission sluggish. Nlm
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