2000 BMW 323I Complaints

THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR ON MY BMW 323 CIC (MODEL YEAR 2000) REGULARLY FAILS TO UNLOCK PREVENTING PASSENGERS ENTRY OR EXIT THROUGH THIS DOOR. I REPLACED THE ACTUATOR ON THE PASSENGER DOOR AND THE DOOR STILL FAILS TO UNLOCK REGULARLY USING ALL POSSIBLE MEANS AVAILABLE, I.E. KEY FOB, INTERIOR UNLOCK BUTTON, OR PULLING REPEATEDLY ON THE DOOR HANDLE TO ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE DOOR. THEY ALL FAIL LEAVING THE PASSENGER (FRONT & BACK SINCE I OWN A TWO DOOR) TRAPPED IN THE CAR AND FORCED TO CLIMB OUT THE DRIVER'S DOOR AFTER ALL OTHER PASSENGERS HAVE LEFT THE CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR PASSENGERS IN MY CAR WHO ARE HANDICAPPED, RECOVERING FROM SURGERY, NOT IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE TO CLIMB OVER THE MIDDLE CONSOLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE OR IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. THIS ALSO IS A COMMON ISSUE ON THIS MODEL WHICH BMW HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED AND INITIATED A VOLUNTARY RECALL TO FIX. GIVEN THE SAFETY ISSUES THAT THIS TYPE OF COMMON PROBLEM PRESENTS, I WOULD LIKE THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE AND DETERMINE IF BMW NEEDS TO BE FORCED TO DO A RECALL TO ADDRESS THIS. *TR

REVERSE GEAR INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT IN THE VEHICLE CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM CAUSED BY AN ENGINEERING DEFECT THAT BMW REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE. *TR

HELLO I BOUGHT A 200 BMW 323I AND THE CAR WAS WORKING PERFECTLY FINE. AFTER ONE WEEK THE CAR WONT GO IN REVERSE.THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION IN 3 SERIES AND THE DEAL WANTS $5000 FOR A NEW TRANNY OR TO REBUILD IT WHICH IS CRAZY CONSIDERING I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR. *TR

NO REVERSE IN 2000 BMW 323I WITH 70K MILES. REVERSE WENT OUT SUDDENLY WITH NO PRIOR PROBLEMS OR WARNINGS. FORTUNATELY, I JUST ARRIVED HOME AND TRIED TO PARK MY CAR IN REVERSE INTO MY GARAGE WHEN I NOTICED THE REVERSE ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. TOOK TO AUTO BODY SHOP $3300.00 TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY. MECHANIC PROMISED THE CAR SHOULDN'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM EVER AGAIN AFTER REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

NO REVERSE IN 2000 BMW 323I WITH 92K MILES. REVERSE WENT OUT SUDDENLY WITH NO PRIOR PROBLEMS OR WARNINGS. BMW DEALER SAYS HASN'T BEEN AN ISSUE. THE DEALERS SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY, APPROX. $5,500. FROM LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB CONCERNING THIS ISSUE, IT SEEMS BMW SHOULD RECALL THIS PROBLEM. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE IN MY GARAGE WHEN IT QUIT WORKING, BUT THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE JUST A FEW HOURS PRIOR. *TR

WE HAVE A SAFETY ISSUE WITH OUR BMW 323I YEAR 2000. THE ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS WILL ACTUATE AND THEN YOU CANNOT GET OUT OF THE CAR THROUGH 3 OR 4 DOORS. THE ELECTRIC LOCKS WILL NOT DISENGAGE AND YOU CANNOT RELEASE THEM WITH THE HANDLE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. PASSENGERS ARE BASICALLY TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAR AND HAVE TO CLIMB OVER THE FRONT SEAT TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. PROBLEM HAS BEEN RECURRING FREQUENTLY. AFTER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, WE ARE USUALLY ABLE TO GET THE LOCKS TO WORK. I FOUND 10 COMPLAINTS FILED ON THIS SAME ISSUE WITH ONE DEATH AND 3 INJURIES RESULTING FROM THIS MALFUNCTION. THERE ARE PROBABLY MORE COMPLAINTS BUT I JUST LOOKED AT 3 VEHICLE YEARS. *TR

I OWNED BMW 2000 323I WITH 79,000 MILES AND REVERSE SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AS MINE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. *TR

I DRIVE A 2000 BMW 323I AND AT TIMES DUE TO A FAULTY CENTER CONTROL MODULE (MOST LIKELY) I CAN NOT GET OUT OF MY CAR. IT WILL NOT UNLOCK FROM THE OUTSIDE OR INSIDE, BUT THANKFULLY I CAN ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS IF I NEED TO GET OUT. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF I NEEDED TO GET OUT IN A HURRY. THE BMW DEALERSHIPS WANT TO CHARGE AN ARM AND A LEG TO JUST POSSIBLY FIX A PROBLEM. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS OUT THERE WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR

I OWN A 2000 BMW 323I WITH ONLY 21,500 MILES ON IT. THE CAR IS KEPT IN AN INTERIOR GARAGE AND DRIVEN MOSTLY WITHIN THE CITY. UNTIL TWO DAYS AGO, I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND NEVER HAD ANY INDICATION THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION (OR ANYTHING ELSE FOR THAT MATTER). I BACKED OUT OF MY GARAGE, DROVE TO A STORE, DID MY SHOPPING AND RETURNED TO THE PARKING LOT. I TURNED THE IGNITION ON AS NORMAL, PUT MY FOOT ON THE BREAK AND SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO REVERSE AND TRIED TO BACK OUT, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT ACTED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL BUT THE DASHBOARD CLEARLY READ THAT I WAS IN REVERSE. THERE WAS NO WARNING, NO INDICATOR LIGHT WENT ON, NO NOISE OR SOUND OUT OF THE ORDINARY. THE CAR DID DRIVE FORWARD, SO I WAITED UNTIL THE CARS IN FRONT OF ME LEFT AND DROVE MY CAR TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP WHERE I GOT THE CAR. THEY REFUSED TO GIVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF A TRANSMISSION REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT UNTIL I GAVE THEM $300 TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. I DECLINED AND BROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP NEAR MY HOME. THE MECHANIC REMOVED A PAN AND SHOWED ME THE LIQUID WHICH WAS BLACKISH IN COLOR. HE SAID THAT IT HAD ALUMINUM POWDER IN IT, INDICATING THAT SOMETHING INSIDE PROBABLY BROKE AND CAUSED BURNING. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF DECIDING WHAT TO DO NEXT: EITHER GET THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED OR HAVE IT REBUILT. BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND THE BMW DEALERSHIP I GOT THE CAR FROM REFUSE ANY FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIR. *TR

IN THE MIDDLE OF A 3-POINT TURN, VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. VEHICLE SHUDDERED AND THE REVERSE GEAR FAILED. GIVEN THAT MY CAR WOULD NO LONGER OPERATE IN REVERSE, I WAS TRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. OF COURSE, I WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE MY CAR FROM THE ROADWAY. THIS IS A COMMON AND WIDESPREAD ISSUE REGARDING REVERSE GEAR FAILURE. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS TRANSMISSION IS PRODUCED BY GM, AND IS INSTALLED IN CADILLAC CARS AS WELL (FOR WHICH A RECALL WAS ISSUED). NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED BY BMW. *TR