2000 BMW 328I Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 328IC. WHEN AN OCCUPANT IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATES EVEN IF THE PERSON IS PROPERLY POSITIONED. THE CONTACT IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS STATED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V384000 FOR THE 2004-2006 BMW VEHICLES (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL). THE DEALER COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD AND IS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC AND A SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WAS RESET, BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 3 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR SIX WEEKS DUE TO A CRACK IN THE OIL WATER SEPARATOR. THE PART HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE REPAIR. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF VEHICLES IN THE SHOP WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 120,000. UPDATED 3/19/09 *CN ENGINE WAS LEAKING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL. UPDATED 03/25/09.*JB

REVERSE REFUSES TO WORK. NO WARNING, DROVE 2 HOURS, PULLED INTO DRIVE WAY AND COULDN'T GET OUT. *TR

FIRST THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER. CAR WOULDN'T START IN PARK. I HAD THAT FIXED. THEN I NOTICED WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE, IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. THEN OUT OF THE BLUE, ONLY SEVERAL DAYS OUT OF THE SHOP, THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE IN ANY GEAR. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 21,500 MILES OR SO. I WILL ASK MECHANIC TO KEEP OLD PART. I CALLED VOB OF ROCKVILLE, MD. THEY WERE THEIR USUAL DISGUSTING SELVES. THIS IS GOING TO COST ME OVER 6000 DOLLARS THAT I DON'T HAVE. THE CAR IS A 200 328CI PURCHASED NEW. *TR

REVERSE DOES NOT WORK; THIS IS INTERMITTENT. IT IS NOT CONSISTENT AND THE BMW DEALER SAYS THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE AND CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WHEN RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET, I PRINTED OUT INFORMATION FROM ONE SITE AND GOT 98 PAGES OF RESULTS FROM PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

THE REVERSE ON MY 328I SERIES BMW WENT OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. IT CAME BACK ON A DAY LATER AFTER HAVING TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE. IT HAS SINCE GONE OUT AGAIN WITH NO WARNING. AFTER RESEARCHING REASONS WHY ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED TO THOUSANDS OF OTHER BMW OWNERS WITH A 2000 328I SERIES. BMW DOES NOT CLAIM ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DEFECTIVE PART WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN UPDATED. THE ONLY RECOURSE FOR THE BMW OWNERS IS TO HAVE TRANSMISSION REBUILT OR A NEW ONE PUT IN AT A VERY HUGE COST, OFTEN TIMES MORE THAN THE CAR IS EVEN WORTH. BUT YOU CANNOT SELL A CAR WITHOUT REVERSE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS DEFECTIVE ENGINEERING DESIGNED PART. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS SAME FRUSTRATION AND EXPENSE. I WAS TOLD THAT BMW NORTH AMERICA WILL DO NOTHING AND DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM ON THEIR PART. THIS IS A FAULTY DESIGN ISSUE. CAN SOMETHING BE DONE? *TR

COMMON FAILURE ON 2000 BMW 3 SERIES CARS: THE REAR SUBFRAME TEARS AWAY FROM UNIBODY. I JUST RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THE DEALER THAT MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY BMW AS A DEFECT IN THE MATERIALS BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARILY COVERED BY BMW. THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THIS CONDITION AND WILL REQUIRE UPWARDS OF $5000 IN REPAIR. *TR

I AM AN OWNER OF A 2000 328I BMW WITH 112,000 MILES. I AM VERY METICULOUS ABOUT THE CARE OF MY CAR. MY CAR LOOKS AND RUNS EXCELLENT. LIKE MANY OTHER OWNERS OF A BMW, I ALSO SUDDENLY LOSS THE REVERSE GEAR AFTER ARRIVING TO WORK ONE EVENING RECENTLY. MY VEHICLE NEVER SHOWED ANY SIGNS OF TRANSMISSION TROUBLE. THE VEHICLE GOT GOOD GAS MILEAGE AND NEVER SLIPPED. LATER THE NEXT DAY, THE REVERSE GEAR IN THE CAR WORKED FINE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO AAMCO TRANSMISSION TO HAVE IT SERVICED. THE MECHANIC ON DUTY SAID THE TRANSMISSION WAS FINE. AFTER TALKING WITH THE MECHANIC, HE AGREED TO KEEP THE CAR FOR THE DAY AND DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY I GOT A TELEPHONE CALL FROM THE MECHANIC TELLING ME I NEEDED TRANSMISSION WORK. HE SAID THE REVERSE GEAR WENT OUT ALONG WITH 5TH GEAR. THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE WAS $1,400.00 BUT AFTER THEY PULLED THE TRANSMISSION OUT THE CAR, THEY REALIZED THE TRANSMISSION WAS MADE IN FRANCE. THE NEXT ESTIMATE WAS FOR $6,300.00 DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION BEING MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS FRANCE.(ZF5HP19 ) AFTER RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT THIS TRANSMISSION HAS THE SAME COMPLAINT BY MANY OTHER PEOPLE. THE REVERSE GEAR GOES OUT WITH NO WARNING AND WILL OCCASIONALLY WORK BUT WILL CONTINUE TO NOT WORK. THE BMW DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AS WELL AS BMW NORTH AMERICA. THE FACTORY HAS RELEASED AN UPDATED PART THAT SO FAR APPEARS TO BE A PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM ON THE ZF5HP19. *TR

NO REVERSE IN MY BMW!!!! I AM THE 2ND OWNER OF A 2000 BMW 328I. WHEN I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE, THE PREVIOUS OWNER SUPPLIED ME WITH ALL BMW DEALER MAINTENANCE/SERVICE RECORDS. AS THE 2ND OWNER, I NEVER HAD ANY MAJOR REPAIRS. ONLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. MY CAR LOOKS AND RAN IMMACULATELY UNTIL, OUT OF THE BLUE, MY CAR REFUSED TO GO INTO REVERSE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A DEPARTMENT STORE. AFTER SHOPPING, I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE...MY CAR WOULD MOVE INTO DRIVE JUST FINE BUT NO REVERSE. THERE WEREN'T ANY NOISES OR ANY WARNINGS THAT I HAD A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. PEAKE BMW OF KENNER, LA WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR $5,854.90. BEFORE PUTTING MY CAR IN THE REPAIR SHOP, I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET. I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE BMW 3 SERIES YEARS 1999-2001. I ALSO LEARNED THAT DESPITE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS, BMW REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS AND WILL NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE'S A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. I'M TRULY APPALLED AT BMW'S LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE FAULTY GM 5L40E TRANSMISSION AS IT HAS FAILED IN OTHER MAKES OF CARS AS WELL LIKE CADILLAC. RIGHT NOW, I'M TRYING TO DECIDE IF I SHOULD ALLOW THE BMW DEALER TO REPAIR MY CAR OR TRY TO FIND AN AUTHORIZED BMW REPAIR SHOP THAT'LL HOPEFULLY SAVE ME A LITTLE MONEY. *TR

TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR