2000 BMW 323I Problems

MY 323I HAS THE REVERSE GEAR IS BROKEN..... FOUND THIS FROM NOREVERSE.ORG. COST ME 3K TO FIX. *KB

WITH NO WARNING,NO INDICATION ON DASH, NO PREVIOUS PROBLEM, CAR WOULD NOT BACK UP, FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY AND NOT IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION. 2000 323I AUTOMATIC TRANS 100000+ MI DEALER SERVICED SINCE NEW, "LIFETIME FLUID" NO WAY TO CHECK FLUID LEVEL, DEALER SAYS"FLUID LOW CLUTCHES BURNED" ??? LIFETIME FLUID . I SUSPECT AND WILL CHECK TO FIND BROKEN CLUTCH DRUM SO COMMON TO THIS TRANS AS INDICATED IN THE MANY WEBSITES DEDICATED TO THIS TRANS LITERALLY, HUNDREDS PERHAPS THOUSANDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ARE ON LINE HOW MANY NOT REPORTED? THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT AS WELL AS AN OBVIOUS ENGINEERING FAILURE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OWNERS FAILURE TO SERVICE THIS VEHICLE OR CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL- IN FACT -THE OWNER HAS NO WAY TO CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL. WHY HAS NHTSA NOT FORCED THE MANUFACTURER TO ADDRESS THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY DEFECT ? ARE WE WAITING FOR ANOTHER "' PINTO" SERIES OF DISASTERS? *KB

I was driving normally, and made a right hand turn onto a street when the driver door airbag and driver curtain airbag deployed suddenly. The engine shut off and the hazards turned on automatically, and I pulled off the road to a safe location. I was able to restart the engine to bring the vehicle onto the tow truck. As far as I am aware there was no impact, and the outside of the car is not damaged. I am able to see some other NHTSA reports of this random deployment happening with other 3 series models, specifically 2000 model year vehicles like mine. I am unsure of what caused this, I can only assume a faulty sensor is the cause.

The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323i. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag deployed but did not inflate. There was no crash to cause the air bag to deploy. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of several recalls regarding the driver’s side air bags however, there was no recall on the passenger’s side air bags. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V853000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

2000 BMW 323I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWERTRAIN SAFETY RECALL. *LD *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE. ON ONE OCCASION, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AND CAUSED A FENDER BENDER WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH AN UNKNOWN BMW DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REVERSE DRUM FAILED DUE TO DEFECTIVE METAL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE PARTS WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

TAKATA RECALL. THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS ISSUES WITH THE INTEGRITY OF THE SUBFRAME OF THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND YEAR OF BMW. IT EXPERIENCES RUST ISSUES FREQUENTLY. I NEED TO REPLACE SUBFRAME DO TO THIS AND WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER THE YEARS, IT HAS NOT BEEN STATIONARY OR ANYTHING OF THAT MATTER. IT HAS BEEN USED AS A DAILY DRIVER, AS THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A DAILY DRIVER SUBFRAME, SPECIALLY FROM A BMW.

REAR SUBFRAME BODY HAS SEPARATED FROM SUBFRAME MOUNTING SUPPORT. THE CHASSIS IS NO LONGER PROPERLY ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE TIED DOWN BOLTS HAVE SHEARED OFF. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOWS FAILED TO CLOSE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE REPAIRS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. RECALL FOR VEHICLE AIRBAGS IN EFFECT, HOWEVER MY SITUATION WAS FOUND TO BE UNRELATED TO THE RECALL. I ADVISE THE RECALL BE RE-INVESTIGATED TO INCLUDE SPONTANEOUS AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. *TR

MRS BELT TENSIONER DRIVER FAULT. ONLINE FORUMS SUGGEST A UNIVERSAL WIRE DEFECT WHERE THE WIRING IS PINCHED AND BREAKS FROM MOVING THE SEAT. *TR

THE LOCKS REPEATEDLY QUIT WORKING ON ALL PASSENGER DOORS. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A GENERAL DEFICIENCY OF THE GM5 MODULE ON BMW. *TR

The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323I. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, an abnormal rattling noise would emit from the rear end of the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered part of the rear driver’s side subframe had detached from the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact called the dealer about the failure and they offered no assistance. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 205,721

REAR SUBFRAME BODY HAS SEPARATED FROM SUBFRAME MOUNTING SUPPORT. THE CHASSIS IS NO LONGER PROPERLY ATTACHED TO THE FRAME. THE TIED DOWN BOLTS HAVE SHEARED OFF. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE BRAKE LAMPS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 00V048000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 280,201.

AFTER HAVING THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS REPLACED AND A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT COMPLETED AT A BMW SERVICE DEALERSHIP IN TYLER, TX, APPARENTLY THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEERING COLUMN) FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC), BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH ON A DRY HIGHWAY USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN THIS SENSOR FAILED, ALL THREE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL CEASED TO WORK. ACCORDING TO THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO RE-CALIBRATE THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR AFTER AN ALIGNMENT IS COMPLETED. ADDITIONALLY, PER THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY ARE REPLACING STEERING ANGLE SENSORS IN A VARIETY OF BMW AUTOMOBILES AT "3 TO 4 PER WEEK". ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR IS BETWEEN $500 - $1000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOWS FAILED TO CLOSE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE REPAIRS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

I WAS UNAWARE OF THE PREVIOUS DEFECT NOTICES ABOUT THE FRAME / BODY HAVING A WEAK SPOT AND WAS DRIVING AT 40 MPH WHEN MY REAR SHOCK AND THE PART THAT HOLDS THE SHOCK IN PLACE WENT THROUGH THE METAL FRAME RIPPING THE METAL AWAY AND ALLOWING THE SHOCK TO PUNCTURE THROUGH THE FRAME JUST BELOW THE TRUNK AREA AND THE CAR WAS THEN INOPERABLE. I WAS QUOTED A PRICE FOR REPAIR OF 6500 AND WAS INFORMED OF THE 2005/2006 LAWSUIT WHERE BMW WAS SUED FOR THIS DEFECT AND REPAIRED SOME CARS FOR A YEAR AFTER THE LAWSUIT ENDED BUT THIS WAS PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN I CONTACTED BMW OF NO AMERICA HEADQUARTERS, THEY ASKED ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE NEAREST BMW DEALER AND HAVE THEM DO A DIAGNOSIS WHICH I IMMEDIATELY DID AND THAT COST WAS OVER $10K OF WHICH BMW OFFERED TO PAY ONLY 20%. I THEN TOOK IT TO ANOTHER BMW MECHANIC WHO REPAIRED IT FOR $3000 AND BMW WILL NOT PAY ANY PART OF THE BILL BECAUSE IT WAS NOT DONE AT A DEALERSHIP, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW BMW CAN GET AWAY WITH A DEFECT LIKE THIS AND SO MANY CARS AFFECTED BY IT AND NOT HAVE TO REPAIR IT AT THEIR COST? IT IS THEIR DEFECT. *TR

THE DOORS DO NOT UNLOCK IF THEY ARE PARKED IN THE SUN IN TEMP. IN EXCESS OF 80-85 DEGREES. THE DOOR CENTRAL LOCKING DOES NOT WORK WITH EITHER THE KEYS (TWICE CLICKS TO UNLOCK ALL THE DOORS). ONCE THE DRIVERS SIDE IS OPENED IT TAKES 1/2 HOUR OF AIR CONDITIONING BLAST TO HAVE THE SYSTEM COOL DOWN AND ALLOW THE UNLOCKING WITH THE BUTTON OR THE REMOTE. *TR

AFTER HAVING THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS REPLACED AND A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT COMPLETED AT A BMW SERVICE DEALERSHIP IN TYLER, TX, APPARENTLY THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEERING COLUMN) FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC), BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH ON A DRY HIGHWAY USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN THIS SENSOR FAILED, ALL THREE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL CEASED TO WORK. ACCORDING TO THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO RE-CALIBRATE THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR AFTER AN ALIGNMENT IS COMPLETED. ADDITIONALLY, PER THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY ARE REPLACING STEERING ANGLE SENSORS IN A VARIETY OF BMW AUTOMOBILES AT "3 TO 4 PER WEEK". ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR IS BETWEEN $500 - $1000. *TR

BOUGHT MY 2000 BMW 323I BRAND NEW, I'M THE FIRST AND ONLY OWNER. I HAVE HAD IT ONLY DEALER SERVICED WITH ALL RECORDS KEPT. AT 67K MILES THE REVERSE WENT OUT. DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. BEING THAT IT WOULD BE IN THE THOUSANDS TO FIX I CONTINUED DRIVING IT WITH NO REVERSE. MEANING I PUSH IT. I CONTACTED BMW ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS REGULAR WEAR AND TEAR ON THE CAR THAT CAUSED IT. YET THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM ON ONLINE FORUMS. SHAME ON BMW FOR NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN HE NOTICED THAT A FIRE HAD ERUPTED FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD NOT IDENTIFY WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DESTROYED. THE CONTACT DID NOT CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 270,000.

MRS BELT TENSIONER DRIVER FAULT. ONLINE FORUMS SUGGEST A UNIVERSAL WIRE DEFECT WHERE THE WIRING IS PINCHED AND BREAKS FROM MOVING THE SEAT. *TR

DT: THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE STRUCK A POT HOLE THAT RESULTED IN DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH SIDES AIRBAGS, AND THE DRIVER'S HEAD RESTRAINT. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP, WHO REPLACED THE AIRBAGS. AFTERWARDS, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE WHICH RESULTED IN DEPLOYMENT OF THE SAME AIRBAGS. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. *AK

I HAVE A BMW 323 CI AND I WAS MAKING A RUN TO THE STORE AND I COME BACK OUT AND TRY TO REVERSE AND MY CAR DIDN'T MOVE ANYWHERE BUT THE RPM'S WERE GOING, SO I LOST MY REVERSE GEAR. *TR

DRIVERS DOOR WAS IMPACTED AT APPROX. 50 MPH AND NEITHER SIDE AIRBAG OR SIDE CURTAIN DEPLOYED RESULTING IN A VERY SERIOUS LEFT HIP FRACTURE, COLLAPSED LUNG AND NUMEROUS LACERATIONS. *NM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE TRAVELED OVER A POT HOLE AND THE SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED HAPHAZARDLY. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 02V223000 (AIR BAGS: SIDE WINDOW) BUT WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE RECALL WAS CLOSED AND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 198,000. UPDATED 12/21/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THAT UPON HITTING THE POT HOLE CHUNKS WERE TAKEN OUT OF BOTH LEFT SIDE ALLOY WHEELS. ALSO THE TWO LEFT SIDE TIRES WERE BLOWN OUT. UPDATED 1/7/2013 *JS

FIRESTONE FIREHAWK GT TIRE FAILED UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM INTERIOR SIDEWALL. TIRE WAS LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD AND HAD LOGGED FEWER THAN 20,000 MILES. TIRE DAMAGE OCCURRED ON SHORT TRIP (<5 MILES) AND DRIVER RECOGNIZED THAT THE TIRE WAS DAMAGED BEFORE DRIVING THE CAR AGAIN. ACCORDINGLY, THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR INJURY. *TR

AFTER HAVING THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS REPLACED AND A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT COMPLETED AT A BMW SERVICE DEALERSHIP IN TYLER, TX, APPARENTLY THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEERING COLUMN) FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC), BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH ON A DRY HIGHWAY USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN THIS SENSOR FAILED, ALL THREE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL CEASED TO WORK. ACCORDING TO THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO RE-CALIBRATE THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR AFTER AN ALIGNMENT IS COMPLETED. ADDITIONALLY, PER THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY ARE REPLACING STEERING ANGLE SENSORS IN A VARIETY OF BMW AUTOMOBILES AT "3 TO 4 PER WEEK". ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR IS BETWEEN $500 - $1000. *TR

CAR TYPE - 2000 BMW 323CI MILES WHEN PURCHASED NEW - 23 MILES WHEN FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED 29,725 MILES SEPT 13TH, 2002 MILES WHEN SERVICE CALL OPENED 31,018 - OCTOBER 23, 2002 I NOTICED A SWOOSHING NOISE CLOSE TO MY STEERING COLUMN AND SUBSEQUENTLY TURNING MY CAR BECAME MORE DIFFICULT. THIS LEAD TO SUBSTANTIAL GRINDING/WINDING NOISE WHEN I TURNED THE VEHICLE. POWER STEERING THEN WENT OUT ALTOGETHER AND VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST BMW SERVICE CENTER (SAN ANTONIO, TX 180 MILES AWAY). BMW CENTER- SAN ANTONIO REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS UNDER WARRANTY. THIS ISSUES HAS REOCCURED FOUR TIMES, APPROXIMATELY 1 ONCE A YEAR AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 24TH. THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE WRITE UP. NOW FROM THE REOCCURING DAMAGE, I HAVE TO REPLACE OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS AT MY EXPENSE - $1846, SINCE MY CAR'S WARRANTY IS EXPIRED. PLEASE HELP. JOE UGARTE . *NM

I HAVE A 2000 BMW 323I THE CAR SUDDENLY DE ACCELERATE IN HIGHWAY SPEED THIS ALREADY HAPPENS TWICE THE CAR IS ALREADY IN THE SERVICE TWICE AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR COST $800. THIS MONTH HAPPEN AGAIN WHILE DRIVING BACK FROM WORK IN THE FREEWAY THE CAR SUDDENLY DE ACCELERATE AND ALMOST GOT INTO A ACCIDENT. I CHECK ONLINE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING PROBLEM IN THIS CAR. NEED HELP. *TR

A YEAR AGO, MY GAS GAUGE SENSOR WENT OUT. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 100,000 MILES ON IT. TODAY, MY 2000 BMW 323I HAS 111,000 MILES ON IT AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT DRIVE IN ANY GEAR WITHOUT A GRINDING SOUND. I ALMOST GOT KILLED BY A CAR BEHIND ME BECAUSE I COULD SUDDENLY NOT ACCELERATE AT A STOP LIGHT AND I HAD TO GET OUT TO PUSH THE VEHICLE TO SAFETY. WITHIN THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE CAR WOULD DRIVE, BUT ONLY WHEN IT WAS WARM. NOW IT IS COMPLETELY INOP. THIS CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED! IT WOULD COST ME OVER $4000 TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION AND I STILL OVER $6000 ON THE CAR. DESPITE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE 2000 BMW 323I TRANSMISSION FAILURE, BMW REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING. I CURRENTLY HAVE NO OPERABLE VEHICLE AND I STILL HAVE TO MAINTAIN MY AUTO LOAN PAYMENTS AND FIND ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION TO WORK. I HAVE SPENT OVER $3500 IN ADDITIONAL REPAIRS TO THIS VEHICLE ON BRAKES, NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER SENSORS, TRAILING ARM, BALL BEARINGS, ETC. *TR

2000 BMW 323I BRAKES MADE A WEIRD NOISE AND WHEN IN A COLLISION THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *KB *JB THE AIR CONDITION MADE A NOISE. UPDATED 12/27/06. *JB