2007 BMW X3 SAV: jerking or lurching

Filed Jul 17, 2014 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 70,000 miles · CA

I purchased the vehicle on february 07, 2014 and while driving home from work my vehicle started jerking. It would jerk really hard and when you would try to stop by pressing on the brake the vehicle would jerk harder as if it is about to break down. The second time was in april, I believe the 5th I was having the same problem and then several warning lights came on. I called the dealership and brought the car in. As soon as the service advisor checked on the vehicle she said the car is not drivable and how it is unsafe to drive. There was another problem with the vehicle. I brought the vehicle in may for an oil change but when I was driving the vehicle towards the end of june it said I was really low on oil. I went to turn the vehicle in and it would not start.

Filed Jan 28, 2014 · Transmission · 108,000 miles · MN

Severe acceleration and deceleration issues with transmission on 2007 bmw e83 x3. Once the engine has reached normal operating temperature, transmission issues are more noticeable. My vehicle does not respond immediately to throttle input when starting from a dead stop. Several hesitative jerks are felt and then the vehicle accelerates very slowly. Often times during this sequence, the exhaust emits a huge plume of smoke, blinding drivers behind the vehicle. Upon deceleration, my vehicle may downshift harshly, generating a forward surge of acceleration because the transmission fails to match engine revs with the lower gear; I have only experienced this particular characteristic at low speeds (<20 MPH). Also while decelerating, my vehicle may lose power, which results in a loss of power steering, making the vehicle very difficult to turn. I have not been able to determine a deceleration rate that "triggers" this behavior. I am a test engineer and a performance driving instructor with bmw cca. I have regularly driven bmws over the past decade and have never experienced this issue with any other models that I have driven (e46, e39, e63). I also have limited racing experience in e30 bmws. I.e. I know how an engine/transmission is suppose to accelerate and decelerate under a wide variety of conditions. These acceleration/deceleration issues are very concerning to me.

Filed Jan 15, 2012 · Transmission · 38,800 miles · CA

Transmission continues to hesitate @ low gears, especially at initial accelerations while stopped @ a stop sign or signal light. Automatic transmission hesitates,car jolts trying to find the right gear. The car then jumps into a higher gear and dangerously accelerates rapidly. In addition, when driving on a steep downhill decline, the car adjusts well; however, when transitioning to a level surface street after a steep downhill, the gear will not shift into the appropriate gear (I.e., was stuck in previous gear). On 6/14/2010, took car to dealer. They "performed bmw diagnosis control unit function, there is no fault record in control unit, and at test drive i9 could not duplicate customer complaint at this time." no fix was provided. After years of minor jolts when accelerating (I believe in 1st and 2nd) & then a rapid kick acceleration to 3rd, no major incidents have occurred but safety on road has been compromised. I have learned to ease into accelerations with this car and do not allow anyone to drive this car because of unexpected hesitations/accel. On 1/14/2012, I had a close call entering an intersection after I was stopped at a light. As I proceeded into the intersection to turn left, the car hesitated & stalled in middle of intersection, then jerked forward and yellow transmission light came on. I parked on the side of the road, put it in "p" & turned engine off. Turned it back on and tranny light remained on and car would not accelerate in "d"; however, it would allow me to "reverse." it took three attempts (on/off engine) and the car went into "d" with hesitation. I attempted to drive home and car stalled at the next light. Was stuck in middle of road for 2 minutes trying to get it in gear. "d" finally worked. I parked in a lot, turned engine off for 15 minutes. Car has been working ok rest of day but it is not safe! This is seriously dangerous!!!!!

Filed Feb 13, 2011 · Acceleration, Electrical · 21,000 miles · CA

After multiple attempts to remedy the situation, bmw has been unable to resolve the transmission and the intermittent loss of power and most recently "limp-home" mode occurrence associated with the drivetrain on the 2007 bmw x3. The symptoms 1st presented itself as a loss of power from a start. Upon pressing the accelerator, the vehicle did not respond and then responded with a surge or lurching forward. This makes for unpredictable and dangerously erratic vehicle performance. After multiple visits (+4) and multiple complaints along with the sound of gear or differential noise, the dealership finally did some type of ecu update that appeared to resolve the problem. The noise never subsided and recently the car was inoperable forcing a tow after upon pressing the accelerator the vehicle went into transmission limp-mode. As usual, the symptoms "can't be duplicated" once codes are cleared yet the ecu is throwing multiple codes for transmission limp-mode and code 56be for clutch gears 2 and 6. I believe that this is a very dangerous situation to either press the accelerator and for it to be non-responsive then have a delayed vehicle surge not proportional to the input and timing of the accelerator depression and/or press the accelerator and experience significantly curtailed vehicle power due to the "limp-home" condition. This has been a recurring issue since the purchase of the vehicle on 5/31/2009.

Filed Feb 9, 2011 · Acceleration · 31,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 bmw x3. The contact stated that when the vehicle was in drive or reverse, it would lurch forward or backward about 100 feet suddenly. When the contact tried to change lanes and accelerate, the vehicle would begin to decelerate. The vehicle felt as if someone were applying the brakes. The contact also noticed a wailing sound from the rear end. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the failure could not be duplicated. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 33,000.

Filed Dec 8, 2010 · Transmission · 36,000 miles · OK

Over a year ago I began hearing loud noises underneath my 2007 bmw x3. I have had it serviced four times for the following: loud popping from underneath especially with slow driving (5mph ), problems with jerking with acceleration, & a significant rattling and or shaking from under the car between 35-45 MPH. The first two times it was taken to the dealership they claimed to hear nothing. The 3rd time they told me the tires were to blame. Wherein they further told me that if it was transmission issues ( I told them each time it was taken in we thought it was a faulty transmission) then they would not be responsible because the tires were causing an issue with the transfer casing. The fourth time was the same as before with still no resolution.

Filed Jul 14, 2009 · Transmission · 4,800 miles · GA

Slowing down to take a left hand turn at a traffic light, once the coast is clear, pressed accelerator to turn and the vehicle "hesitates" and does not react to the input. Traffic is now oncoming and vehicle still not moving, finally it starts to go. Barely get across the lane before the oncoming traffic is in the spot we just left. Vehicle does not shift smoothly; it has a jerky motion between 1,2 and 3rd gears. Often times when slowing down it down shifts harshly, searching for the correct gear. In the morning when first started and driven down the street to the stop sign, it will lurch forward several times while you are holding your foot on the brake. This vehicle is not safe to drive in it's present condition because the operator does not know whether it will react to input or not. You are forced to cross traffic with extreme caution.

Filed May 27, 2008 · Transmission · VA

We had a new 2007 bmw x3 that had horrible transmission problems. It was very scary - the car would hesitate when you wanted it to accelerate, it would seem to lose power at times - a real disaster and safety concern. Bmw was totally unresponsive - told us all sorts of nonsense about us not knowing how to drive. Initially they kept the car for a month claiming they needed software. Then they replaced the transmission. That still didn't fix the car. We sent the car back for service again, and after another month they said they couldn't fix it. Finally, after jerking us around for a long time, they agreed to swap the car out for a 2008, but even then, the way it was handled was abominable. The whole time we were dealing with bmw, they kept acting like they had never heard of the problems we were having, yet a simple search of the internet revealed the many many complaints that are exactly the same. Obviously, bmw is trying to avoid a recall.

Filed Apr 6, 2008 · Transmission · 200 miles · PA

Vehicle does not properly respond to my pressing the gas pedal and hesitates to move forward. Also, severely lurches forward on deceleration, especially on declines. Very unsafe.

Filed Mar 24, 2008 · Transmission · 17,500 miles · MI

On 3 occasions, the transmission on my 2007 bmw x3 3.0si has resulted in near crash situations. The transmission either does not respond (a significant delay) in response to the accelerator or lurches nearly uncontrollably in response to only a slight accelerator depression. I have taken the vehicle to the bmw dealer 3 times with no substantive improvement. Because of the transmission's erratic unpredictability, it really is only a matter of time before it will not respond in a critical situation resulting in a crash.

Filed Jan 31, 2008 · Transmission · NM

The transmission on the 2007 bmw x3 has jerkiness and hesitation issues, presenting serious safety concerns. An immediate investigation is warranted. Bmw already has attempted to resolve the problem with two software fixes, with mixed results. A third software fix allegedly is on the way. Please review the links below so that you can understand how serious and widespread this problem is. Http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255335 http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242429 http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.phpt=203584&highlight=transmission+jerk.