2009 BMW M3 Complaints

1. WHEN SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT THAT TURNS GREEN, THEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE BEFORE ACTUALLY STOPPING, THE CAR HESITATES OR LAGS. COULD GET REAR-ENDED OR T-BONED IF TURNING IN AN INTERSECTION. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED DUE TO THIS ONGOING, IGNORED, SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW. 2. CAN ROUTINELY REPRODUCE THIS HESITATION/LAG. 3. BMW REFUSES TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND HAS TOLD IT'S DEALERS IT IS A NORMAL RESPONSE. *TR

2009 BMW M3 WITH DCT - ISSUE PRESENT FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE. THE PROBLEM OCCURS FREQUENTLY WHEN IN AUTOMATIC MODE AND SLOWING SUCH AS AT AN INTERSECTION PRIOR TO A TURN AND THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO THE LOWER GEAR (USUALLY 2ND). WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED, THERE IS OFTEN NO RESPONSE FOR UP TO 2 SECONDS. WHEN THE VEHICLE DOES RESPOND, THE APPLICATION OF POWER MAY BE GRADUAL AND NOT DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THIS HAS RESULTED IN A NEAR-ACCIDENT SITUATION. WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC, OR MERGING RIGHT WITH TRAFFIC THAT IS MAKING A LEFT TURN, I HAVE HAD TO TAKE EMERGENCY ACTION TO AVOID COLLISION. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME, UNTIL SOMEONE IS INJURED OR WORSE WHEN THE VEHICLE FAILS TO RESPOND AS EXPECTED. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THIS ISSUE IN THE NET DISCUSSION BOARDS, YET BMW NORTH AMERICA HAS ISSUED A STATEMENT CLAIMING THAT IT IS NORMAL TRANSMISSION BEHAVIOR. THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOUR VEHICLE FAILS TO RESPOND IN A RELIABLE/TIMELY MANNER IN REAL TRAFFIC SITUATIONS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A SIDE ROAD AT THE ALLOTTED SPEED LIMIT., I WAS ON A SINGLE LANE ROAD. I THEN WENT OVER A POTHOLE- NOT A HUGE CRATER. AFTER WHICH MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME CROOKED AND THE DSC FAILURE WARNING ON MY BMW CAME UP. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER SHIP AND THEY SAID THAT I HAVE DAMAGE TO MY REAR SUB FRAME(BENT), I APPARENTLY HAPPENS UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CIRCUMSTANCES-THE COST FOR REPAIRING IS 4000$. IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. IT LOOKS LIKE TO AVOID THESE INCIDENTS I SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING ON ROADS - AS I WAS NOT SPEEDING NOR WAS I INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER CAR. I COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE POTHOLE - AT THE EXPENSE OF GOING INTO THE OPPOSITE LANE AND HITTING THE OTHER CAR. I HAVE CONTACTED EVERYONE AT BMW., NONE HELPS. I HOPE THIS IS MY LAST RESORT FOR LITTLE PEOPLE LIKE ME. *TR

THE DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT) IN MY CAR, A 2009 BMW M3 ROUTINELY HESITATES WHEN PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR IN 2ND GEAR. THE HESITATION IS LONG ENOUGH TO HAVE PUT ME AND MY PASSENGERS IN GRAVE DANGER. IN FACT, IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED A NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS WHEN MERGING WITH HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND NEEDS TO BE IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

HELLO, I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 BMW M3 WITH THE DCT TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION ACTS LIKE A SEQUENTIAL MANUAL SHIFTER, ALLOWING THE DRIVER TO SHIFT UP AND DOWN AT THEIR WILL. THESE SHIFTS HAPPEN INSTANTANEOUSLY, WITHIN FRACTIONS OF A SECOND. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR WILL DOWNSHIFT TO 1ST GEAR ON ITS OWN, INSTEAD OF RELYING ON DRIVER INPUT, AS A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE. ALL OF THIS IS NORMAL, ADVERTISED, AND EXPECTED BEHAVIOR. THERE ARE TIMES, HOWEVER, WHEN THE CAR IS DECELERATING BUT NOT COMING TO A FULL STOP (WHEN TAKING A TURN AT AN INTERSECTION, FOR EXAMPLE), THAT THE TRANSMISSION WILL BEGIN ITS AUTOMATED DOWNSHIFTS BUT THEN BECOME INCREDIBLY UNRESPONSIVE. IN THESE CASES, IF I PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR BEFORE COMING TO A FULL STOP, I'LL NOTICE A SIGNIFICANT LAG BEFORE THE ENGINE ACTUALLY REVS UP. BASICALLY, PRESSING ON THE GAS WON'T DO ANYTHING -- THE TRANSMISSION IS OSTENSIBLY "DECIDING" WHICH GEAR IS THE OPTIMAL ONE AND WILL IGNORE ALL MANUAL GEAR CHANGES AND GAS PEDAL INPUT UNTIL IT MAKES UP ITS MIND. AT TIMES, THIS LAG HAS LASTED AS LONG AS 2-3 SECONDS. THIS LAG IS BOTHERSOME, AT TIMES DANGEROUS, AND ALARMINGLY, WAS NOT AS NOTICEABLY BAD WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR A FEW MONTHS AGO. THIS BEHAVIOR OCCURS ON A DAILY BASIS, AND CAN BE REPRODUCED AT WILL. INCIDENTALLY, THIS LAG DOESN'T HAPPEN IF I MANUALLY DOWNSHIFT THROUGH THE GEARS TO 3RD, 2ND, OR 1ST RATHER THAN LETTING THE CAR PERFORM THE DOWNSHIFTS FOR ME. *TR

THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN- LIKE FOR A TURN, BUT DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DCT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE FIGURING OUT WHAT GEAR TO SELECT BECAUSE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN THE ONSET OF POWER- UP TO 2-3 SECONDS. BY THIS TIME, THE DRIVER IS USUALLY REALLY DIGGING INTO THE THROTTLE. THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY PICKS A GEAR, WHICH RESULTS IN THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHING FORWARD, SOMETIMES INVOKING THE ANTI-SKID CONTROL. THE OCCURS FREQUENTLY. *TR

M-DCT TRANSMISSION LAG. WHEN YOU'RE TURNING AND CARS MAY BE COMING AT YOU THERE IS NO POWER, CAUSING SERIOUS ENDANGERMENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO-LANE STREET (ONE-LANE EACH DIRECTION) AND AS I WAS APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT I TURNED ON MY LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND STARTED TO MOVE INTO THE DEDICATED LEFT-HAND TURN LANE. AS I DID THIS I NEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT AS I SLOWED DOWN FOR THE STOPPED TRAFFIC AHEAD AT THE LIGHT. WHEN I SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO MOVE INTO THE TURN LANE MY CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO GEAR. I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED FROM THE CARS BEHIND ME BUT LUCKILY MY CAR'S TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AT THE LAST SECOND AND I CLEARED THE LANE I WAS IN. BUT BECAUSE I WAS PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR SO HARD TO TRY TO GET THE CLUTCH TO ENGAGE, WHEN IT FINALLY DID I SHOT OFF ACROSS THE LEFT-HAND TURN LANE INTO THE LANE OF ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO STEER CLEAR BEFORE BEING HIT HEAD-ON BY ON-COMING TRAFFIC BUT THE EXPERIENCE LEFT ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN MY VEHICLE. *TR

HELLO. I HAVE A 2009 BMW M3 WITH THE DCT TRANSMISSION. I AM EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT DELAYS WHEN DOWN SHIFTING FROM ONE GEAR TO A LOWER GEAR. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN, LIKE FOR A TURN, BUT DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DCT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM FIGURING OUT WHAT GEAR TO SELECT BECAUSE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN THE POWER ENGAGING. I WOULD SAY ABOUT 2-4 SECONDS. BY THIS TIME, I AM REALLY STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL. THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY PICKS A GEAR, WHICH RESULTS IN THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHING FORWARD, SOMETIMES ENGAGING THE ANTI-SKIP CONTROL. THIS PROBLEM BECOMES MOST APPARENT WHEN MAKING A TURN INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC, SLOWING DOWN TO AROUND 10-15 MPH. AFTER THE TURN, THE CAR IS POSITIONED IN THE TRAFFIC LANE, BUT I HAVE NO POWER TO ACCELERATE INTO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THE ONCOMING CARS ARE NOW CLOSING IN ON YOUR CAR AT A FAST RATE, AND YOU'RE BASICALLY STUCK. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR A 2009 BMW M3 COUPE WITH THE DUAL-CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT). I AM EXPERIENCING MAJOR SHIFT LAG TRYING TO REACCELERATE AFTER SLOWING DOWN. BASICALLY, THE 2ND GEAR WILL FAIL TO CATCH / ENGAGE WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL CAUSING THE CAR STALL FOR A SECOND OR TWO. AFTER THAT, THE GEAR WILL ENGAGE ABRUPTLY AND I WILL BE PULLED VIOLENTLY FORWARD. THIS HAS RESULTED IN SEVERAL NEAR-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS: 1. I ALMOST REAR-ENDED SOMEONE WHEN THE GEAR ENGAGED ABRUPTLY WITH THE CAR JERKING FORWARD AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN IT TURNED GREEN AS I WAS APPROACHING, SLOWING DOWN TO 2ND GEAR. 2. I WAS ALMOST T-BONED AT A NON-REGULATED INTERSECTION. I WAS SLOWING DOWN WHEN APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION. THE CAR DOWNSHIFTED TO 2ND GEAR FOR ME AND ABOUT 1/4 WAY INTO THE INTERSECTION, I SAW A VEHICLE SPEEDING DOWN TOWARDS THE INTERSECTION ON MY LEFT. I TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION BUT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO ENGAGE FOR A FULL 2 SECONDS. I BARELY MISSED THE VEHICLE T-BONING INTO MY CAR. THERE IS NO APPARENT EVENTS THAT HAVE LED UP TO THE FAILURE. THE CAR BEHAVES LIKE THAT ON THE FIRST DAY I BOUGHT IT. THIS FAILURE WOULD HAPPEN EVERY TIME I LEAVE THE CAR IN AUTOMATIC MODE, SO THAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER WILL DOWNSHIFT FOR ME. I ALREADY BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THE POTENTIAL SAFETY RAMIFICATIONS, BUT THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT CLAIMED THAT BMW NORTH AMERICA HAS ISSUED A STATEMENT CLAIMING THAT IT IS NORMAL TRANSMISSION BEHAVIOR AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO TO CORRECT IT. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME AND I AM ASTONISHED THAT BMW WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO RECTIFY ITS PROBLEM. *TR