2003 BMW Z4 Complaints

CONSUMER STATED WHILE AT A STOP TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. *AK 2003 BMW Z4 EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WHERE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL WHILE AT A STOP. THE TRANSMISSION IS A SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX). THIS OCCURENCE ALMOST RESULTED IN VEHICLE GETTING REAR ENDED.*MR

NOTE: THIS IS MY SECOND COMPLAINT FOR THE SAME PROBLEM.... WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, MY CAR BEGAN TO REV UNCONTOLLABLY AT SPEEDS SO HIGH I THOUGH THE ENGINE WOULD BLOW. AS HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME, I PRESSED AS HARD AS I COULD SO AS NOT TO LUNGE FORWARD. I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF BUT UPON STARTING, IT WAS STILL OUT OF CONTROL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS THAT STOPPED THIS PROBLEM AS ONE GETS PRETTY MUCH PANICKED WHEN ONE CAN'T CONTROL THE SITUATION. *AK

INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE ENGINE WOULD DIE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED ENGINE "EML" MEANING ENGINE ELECTRONIC PROBLEM, BUT THIS PROBLEM IS NOT REGISTERED IN THE CAR COMPUTER. THEREFORE DEALER CAN NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *PH

TRAVELING BETWEEN 5-10 MPH, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY. WAS JUMPING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR FOR ABOUT 4 TO 5 SECONDS AND NEVER ENGAGING THE CLUTCH IN EITHER GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST 2 MONTHS.*AK

DRIVING SLOWLY ABOUT 10MPH AND TURNING, TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL BY ITSELF WHILE SHIFTER SHOWS CAR WAS IN DRIVE. TRANSMISSION IS THE BMW SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX). *AK

2003 BMW Z4 3.0 WITH THE SMG TRANSMISSION (W/ SPORT PACKAGE). THE FOLLOWING INSTANCE HAS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN THE CURRENT 2,600 MILES ON THE NEW VEHICLE. WHILE IN THE "MANUAL MODE" IN THE SMG TRANSMISSION AND DOWNSHIFTING TO FIRST GEAR (AT A 4-WAY STOP INTERSECTION), WHILE WAITING TO ACCELERATE OUT INTO THE INTERSECTION THE TRANSMISSION "SLIPPED" INTO NETURAL WITHOUT MYSELF (DRIVER) KNOWING, SO WHEN IT WAS TIME TO ACCELERATE THROUGH THE INTERSECTION I WAS VERY SUPRISED TO FIND I DID NOT MOVE BUT HEARD THE ENGINE JUST REV WHILE I STAYED PUT!! AFTER WAVING OFF (HOLD ON A MINUTE) TO THE CARS WAITING BEHIND ME, I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUT THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, WAIT.., THEN PUT THE VEHICLE IN NETURAL, WAIT.., THEN PUT THE VEHICLE IN FIRST GEAR, WAIT.. IT ENGAGED AND I PROCEED FROM THERE. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS VERY SIMILIAR BUT WAS AT A 4-WAY TRAFFIC LIGHT, AND WAS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO GET BACK INTO FIRST GEAR (ALSO, OTHER VEHICLES BEEPING HORNS, ETC.). I HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAINED THIS TO THEM AND THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF THE PROBLEM AND COULD NOT FIX A PROBLEM THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE AND/OR HAD NO INFORMATION FROM BMW ABOUT A FIX? I FILED A FORMAL COMPLIANT THROUGH BMWNA ON FRIDAY AUGUST 22ND, 2003. THROUGH FORUMS ON WEB-SITES, I HAVE FOUND I'M NOT ALONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I FEAR THAT A DRIVER COULD BE PUT IN A VERY COMPROMISING POSITION, SUCH AS WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN IN A LEFT TURN LANE, EMERGENCY AVOIDANCE, GIVING RIGHT OF WAY TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES, ETC.). POSSIBLLY A QUICK TEMPORARY SOLUTION SUCH AS AN "AUDIBLE TONE" WHEN GENERATED WHILE THE SMG TRANSMISSION "AUTOMATICALLY" SLIPS INTO NETURAL FROM FIRST GEAR? THANK YOU.*AK

DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE IN MY JUNE 2003 PRODUCTION BMW Z4 3.0I ROADSTER. THE CAR SUDDENLY DIES AT 65 MPH. THE "EML" LIGHT COMES ON, BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON, RPM NEEDLE SURGES, THROTTLE IS UNRESPONSIVE, AND THE FOOT BRAKES ARE FROZEN AND CANNOT BE DEPRESSED. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO SWERVE OFF THE INTERSTATE, ACROSS THE SERVICE ROAD, AND INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE I HAD TO USE THE HAND BRAKES TO GET THE CAR TO STOP COMPLETELY.*AK

I WAS APPROACHING A TRAFFIC SIGNAL AND I HAD TO STOP. I BEGAN EASING UP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS THE CAR WAS COMING TO A STOP. IT WAS THEN THAT I REALIZED I WAS HAVING TO PRESS HARDER ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS THE CAR WAS NOT MAINTAINING THE SLOW SPEED I WAS EXPECTING. HAVING REACHED THE POINT AT WHICH I HAD TO STOP, I FOUND MYSELF PRESSING QUITE HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I IMMEDIATELY PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND NOTICED THE TACHOMETER READING 3,500 TO 4,000 RPM'S. I BELIEVE IT WAS MY TAPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL THAT GOT THE CAR TO REV AT THE NORMAL RPM'S FOR A CAR THAT IS A STATIONARY POSITION, HOWEVER, THIS HAPPENED SO FAST AND CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD, THAT PERHAPS THE PROBLEM FIXED ITSELF AND IT WASN'T MY TAPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL. *NLM

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT THE VEHICLE WOULD LOOSE POWER WHICH CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO PULL OVER. DEALER NOTIFIED. *PH

CENTER COMPARTMENT IS ACCESSIBLE WITHOUT A KEY. THERE IS A SOLENOID TO LOCK THE COMPARTMENT, BUT ALL ONE HAS TO DO TO OPEN IT IS PRESS THE DOOR UNLOCK BUTTON.*AK