2001 BMW 330I Complaints

NO WARNING LIGHT. PUT IN REVERSE AND I HEARD A POP NOISE. I THOUGHT MY STUFF WAS MOVING IN TRUNK. PUT IN GEAR AND DROVE. WHEN I CAME TO FULL STOP AND TRY TO REVERSE. IT DOESN'T WORK. MORE LIKE REVERSE WAS IN NEUTRAL. ALL OTHER GEAR IS FINE EXCEPT REVERSE. I HAVE A BMW 330I SEDAN, 2001 3L. I TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY CAR. I BEEN DRIVING ON AND OFF WITH THIS CAR FOR 4 YEARS SINCE GAS IS EXPENSIVE. NOW IT COMPLETELY DIED. THEY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON FAULTY TRANSMISSION. I HEARD SEPTONIC TRANSMISSION ARE MADE BY GM. *TR

THE METAL STRAP THAT SUPPORTS THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK JUST BROKE OFF. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND HEARD A POP SOUND AND THEN METAL GRINDING AND JUMPING AROUND (LIKE A NEEDLE ON A SCRATCHED RECORD/ A CD) THE BRACKET TO WHICH THE FORWARD END OF THIS STRAP MOUNTED TO THE UNDERBODY BROKE FREE LEAVING A GASH LIKE TEAR ON THE UNDERBODY. I AM HAVING THE CAR SERVICED FOR REPAIRS, BUT WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THE PARTS DEPARTMENT DIDN'T HAVE ANY FIXABLE SOLUTION FOR THE MISHAP. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY THING THAT I COULD DO WAS TAKE IT TO A BODY SHOP TO HAVE A FABRICATED PIECE MADE. I'VE RESEARCHED THIS INCIDENT AND FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OTHER BMW OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME INCIDENT. I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING THE LOSS OF REVERSE. THE DRIVE GEAR SEEMS TO BE FINE; HOWEVER, THE REVERSE IS NOT OPERATING. I AM NOW LOOKING INTO HAVING IT SERVICED FOR THAT ISSUE AS WELL. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY DID TELL ME THAT THERE WAS AN OPEN CAMPAIGN ON THE TRANSMISSION (THOUGH THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT IT WAS ONLY FOR PROGRAMMING ISSUES). I HAD ALSO FOUND THAT THERE HAS BEEN OTHER BMW OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE AS WELL. I KNOW THAT THEY HAD MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE TWO TYPES OF TRANSMISSION (THE GM AND THE ZF TRANSMISSION). THERE WAS A MENTION THAT IT COULD BE A FAULTY SOLENOID OR THE REVERSE DRUM HAS BROKEN/ SHREDDED. NONE THE LESS YOU CAN PLACE INTO "REVERSE" AND GIVE IT GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS NO MOVEMENT UNLESS YOU PLACE INTO "DRIVE." MY CAR DOES HAVE THE STEPTRONIC FEATURE.

MY 2001 BMW 330I IS EXPERIENCING TAIL LIGHT PROBLEMS. THE RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL LIGHT DOES NOT WORK AND WHEN ACTIVATING IT, IT BLINKS TWICE AS FAST ON THE FRONT AND SIDE MARKER. ON THE DISPLAY PANEL IT SHOWS THE REAR RIGHT SIGNAL IS OUT. THE LEFT REAR BRAKE LIGHT IS ALSO OUT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW AT LEAST. THE CAR DISPLAY ON THE DASH INDICATES THAT THE REAR RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT IS OUT. I HAVE CHANGED EVERYBULB IN THE REAR OF THE CAR WHICH FIXED NOTHING. I THEN DISCONNECTED THE THE TAILIGHT CONNECTOR ON EACH SIDE TO REVEAL THAT SOME OF THE PINS INSIDE OF THE CONNECTION HAVE MELTED AWAY. I AM POSITIVE THAT IS THE PROBLEM AS IT IS WITH THE 2002-2005 MODEL 3 SERIES. I CALLED BMW ABOUT THE RECALL AND OF COURSE 2001 IS NOT INCLUDED YET! I HOPE THIS GETS FIXED SOON. IT IS EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT AND DANGEROUS. *TR

THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FOR 2002-2005 BMW (VARIOUS MODELS) REGARDING THE REAR LIGHTS. WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS IN OUR 2001 330I. THE RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHTS DO NOT WORK AND THE TURN SIGNAL BLINKS AND THE TURN SIGNAL SOUND IS TWICE AS FAST AS NORMAL. I AM WRITING TO MAKE YOUR DEPARTMENT AWARE THAT THE MODEL YEARS SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE 2001 BMW 330I. *TR

UPON EXITING THE FREEWAY A HORRIBLE, CONTINUOUS METALLIC SCRAPING NOISE BEGAN. I HAD HEARD THIS PERIODICALLY ON MY DRIVE, BUT UNTIL NOW IT WAS NOT CONTINUOUS. LOOKING UNDER THE CAR, I COULD SEE THE METAL GAS TANK STRAP HANGING AND RESTING ON THE GROUND. IT WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT THAT FAILED, SO THE STRAP WAS POINTING FORWARD. I ASSUME IT WAS ONLY PERIODICALLY AT FIRST BECAUSE IT TOOK SOME TIME FOR MY ACTUAL GAS TANK TO SLIP DOWN FORCING THE STRAP AGAINST THE ASPHALT. KNOWING THAT A METAL STRAP WAS SCRAPING AND POSSIBLY SPARKING AGAINST THE ASPHALT NEXT TO MY SAGGING GAS TANK, THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC. *TT

MY 2001 BMW 330I STOPPED GOING IN REVERSE LAST WEDNESDAY. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, AS I WAS VERY SUPRISED TO SEE DOZENS OF WEBSITES DEDICATED TO THIS NO REVERSE ISSUE. HOW COME THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THIS COMMON FAILURE? *KB

THE FUEL PUMP/TANK SENDING UNIT BEHIND PASSENGER'S SEAT IS LEAKING FUEL WHEN THE TANK IS FULL. STRONG GASOLINE VAPORS ARE PRESENT IN THE CABIN AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING A FEW MINUTES AFTER A FILL UP. THESE VAPORS POSE A SIGNIFICANT EXPLOSION/FIRE HAZARD SHOULD SOMEONE BE SMOKING AS THEY ENTER THE VEHICLE OR SHOULD THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION AND BECOME AN IGNITION SOURCE. WHEN THE FUEL PUMP/SENDING UNIT ASSEMBLY IS VIEWED FROM THE TOP, THERE IS AN ENCLOSED PLASTIC CYLINDRICAL PIECE APPROXIMATELY 1/4 OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER WITH A BALL SHAPED END, THAT IS LEAKING AT THE TOP. FAILURE OF THE FUEL/PRESSURE RETAINING PLASTIC COMPONENTS ON FUEL PUMPS AND SENDER UNITS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON MANUFACTURING DEFECT AS SIMILAR (UNREPORTED) LEAKING PROBLEMS ARE FOUND WHEN RESEARCHING SIMILAR VEHICLES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB. REFERENCE : ODI 10426736. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BWI 330I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SPONTANEOUSLY DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WAS REPLACED. THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

REVERSE SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING WITH NO WARNING. ALL OTHER FORWARD GEARS WORK FINE - (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). BASED ON A QUICK SEARCH ON THE INTERNET THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 3 SERIES BMW'S. *TR

I OWN AN AUTOMATIC 2001 BMW 330I. I HAVE HAD NO PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE AND ON MARCH 28, 2010, I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AND WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE (2 MINUTES LATER - WITHOUT STOPPING THE ENGINE) THE CAR DID NOT MOVE BACKWARDS. I PROCEEDED TO TURN OFF THE CAR, WAIT AND PUT IT BACK INTO REVERSE AND PRESSED ON THE GAS. THE VEHICLE REV'S UP BUT DOES NOT MOVE AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. AFTER SOME RESEARCH ONLINE IT SEEMS THE 2001 330I POWER TRAIN IS A COMMON FAILURE WITH NO PRIOR WARNINGS EVEN WITH ALL MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE VEHICLE. *TR