1999 BMW 323I Complaints

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

REAR SUB-FRAME HAS CRACKED. OUR 1999 323I MODEL HAS 103,000 MILES AND APPARENTLY IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. CALLED BMW USA N.A. TO HAVE AN INSPECTOR CHECK THE CAR ON 3/21/07 AND WAS TOLD TO GET THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER SAID WE HAVE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, AND TO DATE, DESPITE NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS, WE STILL DO NOT HAVE AN APPOINTMENT. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 1999-2005 323I MODELS. THE CAR HAS BEEN MODIFIED BY THICKENING THE METAL ON NEWER MODELS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2003 BMW 323I RUNS ROUGH ONCE THE VEHICLE STARTS UP. THE VEHICLE REACHES A SPEED OF 35-40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHE HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTART THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE NOT TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO WAYNE SERVICE CENTER IN WAYNE, NJ, AND WAS TOLD BY THE REPAIR FACILITY THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CONTINUEDTO EXPERIENCE THE SAME FAILURE, AS WELL AS, HAVING WARNING INDICATORS WHICH SHOWED THE VEHICLE OVERHEATING WHEN IT WAS NOT OVERHEATING, AND THE WARNING LIGHT FOR THE ENGINE AND AIRBAGS. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER A POTHOLE, CAUSING THE FRONT LEFT DOOR AND FRONT LEFT SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED.

I PURCHASED FOUR P205/60R15BW AMEAG H (GOODYEAR)ON 8/2/06, THESE TIRES HAVE A 60,000 MILE TREAD WEAR. ON 8/15/06 MY CAR WAS SENT TO A CERTIFIED BMW MECHANIC DUE TO EXCESSIVE WHEEL NOISE. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE PROBLEM OF ORGIN TO BE "ALL TIRES VERY NOISEY & L/F CHOPPY TIRE AFTER 37 K MILES." HE ALSO STATED THE L/F TIRE WAS ALMOST SEPERATED. *JB

I'M REPORTING THE MANUFACTURER PROBLEM WITH BMW ON THE SUBFRAMES OF THE 1999 E46 323I. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS ON THIS MATTER. *NM

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. *JB

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. *NM