2008 BMW M3: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Oct 3, 2019 · Engine · 65,000 miles · CA

While driving at approximately 70mph on the highway, cel came on, car went into limp mode, before losing power altogether while driving. Vehicle would not turn back on. Report of engine damage requiring an entire replacement.

Filed Dec 26, 2017 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 80,100 miles · NC

I have a bmw e92 chassis. I have spoken to many, many owners of the same bmw and they have said the same thing. The throttle body actuators are defective on these bmws. When the malfunction takes place the bmw goes into limp mode. The car is not able to rev above 3k RPM nor go a speed of over 55 MPH. This is incredibly dangerous on the interstate when your car does this. I did not feel safe as well as many people I've talked to and this has happened to them. It is a known issue on the e92 bmw around 79,000 miles. The bmw m3 of this year is very popular and there are many owners. The rod bearings also go out in this car and create the same safety issue. I believe the throttle actuators and rod bearings going bad and putting the car into limp mode is an incredibly dangerous issue. I have called bmw na and they will not look into them as they are not an 'active recall'.

Filed Jan 27, 2017 · Engine · 52,500 miles · IL

Throttle actuator problem: is caused by an engineering defect in the actuator gears which deteriorate under 60,000 miles and cause the engine to go to "limp" mode. Once in limp mode the engine may stall and won't accelerate as normal; which was my case when it occurred on the highway causing a great danger to myself and society.

Filed Jul 20, 2013 · Engine · 74,598 miles · KS

The engine in my bmw died at 74,598 miles, no warning lights and no weird noises. It died when I was driving the speed limit (65) on the highway doing nothing out of the ordinary, wheels locked up in traffic so I had to push in clutch. It was a very life threatening situation because a big rig almost crashed into my car. I coasted to the side of the highway to check it out: the engine was not overheating and there was no fluids on the ground. As I tried starting the car up again I could hear the fuel pump turning on and the starter motor clicking, but the engine wouldn't turn over. I got the car towed to the dealership and a few days later it was made known to me by the dealership that my engine was seized and that I would have to pay $19,000 for a new engine and $6,000 for the labor to install it. I made the dealership aware that I kept up with the maintenance, and that nothing was indicating to me that my engine was about to fail. I instructed the dealership to contact bmw north america (bmw headquarters for north america) for a "good will" replacement, but my request was denied. This problem is directly related to the rod bearing inside the engine, which gave out because there is no adequate lubrication to them, I heard of these rod bearings giving out on the s65 engine all over web forums, multiple people have had this happen to them. During my warranty period I did let them know that my car would go in limp mode (low power mode on engine, max speed about 40mph) and I was hearing ticking noises (dealership said this was normal) that were not present when the car was really new (the first 5000 miles I put on the car). The dealership and bmw north america don't care about these problems which were present during my entire ownership of the car (in warranty period) and they denied the free replacement because my car is now out of warranty.

Filed Apr 14, 2009 · Transmission · 1,200 miles · WA

M3 with dct automated manual transmission will not shift when at lower speeds going around corners. There is a long delay before it shifts so its dangerous when merging out into traffic. The car has performed this way since purchased and multiple software reprogramming has not remedied. When turning the rear differential makes a grinding noise. It started at about 1200 miles and continues at 5000 miles. The dealer put fluid in to remedy and said to wait 300-500 miles for it to go away. That was over 1500 miles ago.................