Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 BMW 325I submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WENT TO GO INTO REVERSE AFTER COMING HOME FROM A SHOPPING SPREE AND THE CAR SIMPLY WOULD NOT REVERSE. AFTER A FEW DAYS IT FINALLY WENT INTO REVERSE. ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON AND THERE ARE TRANSMISSION CODES ON THE INDICATOR FROM THIS. CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS ON THE 325 I BMW. *TR
MY 2003 325I BMW HAS A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED IT TO, WITHOUT WARNING, LOSE ITS ABILITY TO GO INTO REVERSE. I WAS RETURNING TO PHILADELPHIA FROM NYC SEVERAL DAYS AGO. I PULLED OVER FOR GAS. WHEN I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE, THE TRANSMISSION ACTED LIKE IT IS IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT WAS NOT ENGAGED. THE CAR HAS ONLY 70K MILES ON IT. THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD IN OWNERS OF EARLY 2000 BMWS AND RESULTS FROM A REVERSE DRUM THAT IS POORLY MANUFACTURED AND NOT SUFFICIENTLY THICK AROUND THE EDGES. APPARENTLY, BMW CORRECTED THE MANUFACTURING PROBLEM IN 2003. IT NEVER SHARED INFO ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH PROSPECTIVE OWNERS, IN EFFECT SELLING CARS UNDER FALSE PRETENSE. PLEASE VISIT WWW.NOREVERSE.ORG AND YOU WILL SEE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE DRIVER MAY BE IN A DANGEROUS POSITION AND NEED TO REVERSE FOR GET OUT OF HARM'S WAY. BMW SHOULD HAVE RECALLED ALL OF THESE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS. I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THE CAR AND SO IT IS SIMPLY SITTING ON MY STREET. *TR
I WENT TO START MY VEHICLE IN THE MORNING AND IT STARTED AND THEN TURNED BACK OFF ON ITS OWN. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 3 TIMES,BEFORE IT STAYED ON. I THEN DROVE THE VEHICLE ABOUT 40 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSIONS STARTED TO THUMP. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 100K MILES. I KEPT UP ON ALL ITS MAINTENANCE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BOTH CAME ON. I WAS INFORMED IT WOULD COST 6,500 TO REPAIR MY TRANSMISSION. *TR
I HAVE A FORMERLY PRISTINE BMW 325I 2003 WITH 70KMI THAT HAD A SUDDEN, CATASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE FOR UNIDENTIFIABLE REASONS WHILE BEING DRIVEN NEAR SACRAMENTO. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A BMW DEALER IN SACRAMENTO WHO CLAIMED THEY HAD "NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT", YET CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM HAS OVER 20 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY, THOUGH WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE A USED TRANSMISSION, THE DEALER REFUSED TO INSTALL ANYTHING OTHER THAN A BRAND NEW UNIT AT THE COST OF $6,000. CLEARLY THERE IS SOMETHING DEFECTIVE IN THESE TRANSMISSIONS. IT APPEARS THAT BMW OF NORTH AMERICAN HAS REFUSED TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY. *TR
DEFECTIVE 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION AT 17,000 MILES. *JB
VEHICLE THRUSTS FORWARD DESPITE THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. *MR CONSUMER HAD TO PRESS BOTH FEET TO KEEP VEHICLE FROM JUMPING INTO THE INTERSECTION. ALSO, CONSUMER HAD TO SHIFT GEAR FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL. *LA
2003 BOUGHT BRAND NEW. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE IN THE MORNINGS. AFTER PARKING CAR IN GARAGE OVERNIGHT, THE CAR IS PUT WENT INTO REVERSE AND BACKED OUT WITHOUT STEPPING ON THE GAS (DRIVEWAY IS SLOPED). AFTER SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, THE CAR LAGS ANYWHERE FROM 3 TO 10 SECONDS BEFORE THERE IS ANY POWER TO DRIVE. THIS IS SPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN THERE IS TRAFFIC.*AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON 2003 325I JERKS WHEN DOWNSHIFTS WHILE BRAKING. A LAUD THUD CAN BE HEARD ON LOWER SPEEDS.
1. TRANSMISSION: AFTER TRANSMISSION REPAIR, CONSTANT HARD DOWNSHIFTING OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WHEN COMING TO A STOP IN D AND S D MODES. VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD WHEN DECELERATING BETWEEN SPEEDS OF 42 TO 35 MPH (USUALLY WHEN DRIVEN BEFORE WITH SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MILES AN HOUR). ALSO, AFTER TRANSMISSION REPAIR, CONSTANT LOUD THUMPING NOISE WHEN COMING TO A STOP 2. ENGINE:INTERMITTENT LOUD ENGINE REVVING AND IMMEDIATE TORQUE LOSS OCCURRING WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP.INTERMITTENT DELAYED ENGINE START OF UP TO 3 SECONDS AFTER TURNING KEY IN IGNITION .INTERMITTENT PRM IDLE FLUCTUATION RESULTING IN VEHICLE SHUDDERING 3. BRAKES:LOUD BREAK SQUEAKING WHEN COMING TO A STOP 4. FUEL TANK / FUEL PUMP:AFTER DEFECTIVE FUEL TANK/PUMP REPLACEMENT, RECURRENCE OF LOUD WHINING NOISE ( CONFIRMED WITH BMW OF NORTH AMERICA) 5. CD PLAYER: INTERMITTENT BUILT-IN BUSINESS CD PLAYER SKIPPING 6.STEERING WHEEL: STEERING WHEEL CREAKING WHEN TURNING.*AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .