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 2001 BMW 330I submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 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
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
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
NOTHING LED TO THE PROBLEM BUT MY BMW REVERSE STOPPED WORKING. LAST FALL THE TRANSMISSION WAS FLUSHED PER RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE. NO REVERSE HAS STOPPED WORKING. *TR
NOTHING HAPPENED LEADING UP TO MY TRANSMISSION WON'T GO INTO REVERSE. IT JUST FAILED AND WON'T ENGAGE. FOUND OUT THIS HAPPENS VERY FREQUENTLY ON BMW TRANSMISSION. *LN
CAR'S TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ENGAGE REVERSE GEAR. ELECTRICAL DETECTS REVERSE GEAR, REVERSE LIGHTS, BACKUP SENSORS AND MIRRORS FUNCTIONAL, TRANSMISSION WILL NOT REVERSE, ACTS AS IF CAR IS IN NEUTRAL. NOTICED ONLINE IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. COST OF REPAIRS: OVER $5,000. PRICE PAID FOR VEHICLE IN PERFECT CONDITION: $9,000. MILEAGE, 105K. *TR
ON MONDAY MAY 3RD, 2010, I STARTED MY 2001 BMW 330I AND SELECTED THE REVERSE GEAR ON THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, THE CAR DID NOT MOVE IN THE REVERSE GEAR, IT DRIVES FORWARD WITH NO PROBLEMS. I HAVE READ SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS AND POSTINGS ON THE WEB. IS THERE A CLASS ACTION SUIT FILED AGAINST BMW AS IT SEEMS THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT DESIGNED PROPERLY AND SUBSTANDARD SPECIFICATIONS WERE USED IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSMISSION, A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE CAR TO BE INSPECTED AND REPAIRED ON MONDAY MAY 17TH , 2010 I AM SURE THE COST AND EXTENT WILL BE EVIDENT AT THAT TIME. AS I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE REVERSE IS FAILURE OF THE D CLUTCH DRUM , BECAUSE THE SNAP RING COMES OFF OF THE DRUM , AFTER THAT WHAT HAPPENS IS DIFFERENT ON EACH TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A POOR INFERIOR DESIGN, AND BMW IS AWARE OF IT. THEY HAVE REDESIGNED THE CLUTCH DRUM ,TO MOVE THE SNAP RING AWAY FROM THE DRUM'S EDGE AND CONSTRUCTED THE DRUM OF STRONGER MATERIAL AND AN INCREASED OF THE DRUMS THICKNESS. THE REDESIGNED AND IMPROVED MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE FROM BMW AND THE REPAIR COST MAY EXCEED THE CURRENT VALUE OF SOME OF THE BMW MODELS AFFECTED. IT'S THE COST IN TIME AND DOLLARS TO ME OF A POOR AND KNOWING INFERIOR DESIGN AND MATERIAL APPLICATION, A WILLFUL DECISION ON BMW'S PART AS WAS THE DESIGN AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION FOR THEIR COIL SUSPENSION SPRINGS. *TR
BMW 330I TRANSMISSIONS REVERSE WENT OUT CHECKING INTERNET SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WAS COMING HOME PUT AUTO IN REVERSE TO PARK IN DRIVE NO REVERSE OUT OF THE BLUE NEED YOUR HELP! *TR
WHILE BACKING UP, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY JUMPED OUT OF REVERSE AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. REVERSE COULD NO LONGER BE ENGAGED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REMOVED AND EXAMINED. THE REVERSE CLUTCH DRUM HAD SHEARED AND PHYSICALLY FAILED. COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REBUILD REQUIRED. *TR
2001 330I BMW ,81000 MILES NO WARNING LOST REVERSE, WHILE ON A DOWNWARD SLOPE TRYING TO BACK INTO A PARKING SPACE,ALMOST HIT THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF ME, HAD TO HAVE 3 VALET GUYS PUSH ME INTO THE PARKING SPACE. *TR THEN THE NEXT DAY MY HUSBAND TOOK IT OUT AT FIRST IT WENT INTO REVERSE SO HE DROVE IT PARKED TRIED TO BACK UP THE CAR NO REVERSE, SOMEONE PUSHED THE CAR BACK FOR HIM IT HIT ANOTHER CAR AND DAMAGED THE HEADLIGHT AND DENTED IT.
I HAVE A BMW 2001 3330I. THE CAR HAS 120,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR ONE YEAR, PURCHASED USED WITH 106,000 MILES. I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE REVERSE GEAR DISENGAGED. THE REVERSE GEAR HAS NOT WORKED SINCE, APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS. THE OTHER GEARS WORK FINE. THE CAR HAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *TR
2001 BMW 330I NO REVERSE. *TR
2001 BMW 330I, 88,500 MILES. REVERSE FAILED COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CAR HAS THE ZF5HP19 TRANSMISSION WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE THE COMMON PROBLEM OF THE D-G CLUTCH DRUM FAILING. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED WITH NO SYMPTOMS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. MY MECHANIC REPLACED THE REVERSE DRUM AT A COST OF $2116.34. I HAVE A COPY OF THE SERVICE ORDER AND HAVE IN MY POSSESSION THE FAILED PART. *TR
I JUST BOUGHT MY 2001 330I BMW TWO MONTHS AGO WITH 103,000 MILES ON IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE DEALER SAYS I NEED A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER. THEY WANT $2000 TO PUT A NEW ONE IN. I THEN LOOKED AROUND HERE AND SAW THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. ALSO I HAD TO CHANGE TWO OF THE WINDOW REGULATORS. - ANOTHER COMMON PROBLEM WITH BMW. IS BMW DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? WHY DOES BMW MAKE THE PUBLIC PAY FOR THE PROBLEMS THEY MADE? *TR
DESIGN FLAW IN TRANSMISSION, SPECIFICALLY THE TORQUE CONVERTER, ON 2000-2002 E46. REQUIRING REBUILDING AND OR REPLACING TORQUE CONVERTER. BMW IS AWARE OF PROBLEMS AND IS WIDESPREAD. *TR
WHEN VEHICLE IS DRIVEN IN FIRST GEAR AT LOW SPEEDS IT WILL OVERHEAT AND COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER.*AK
WHEN VEHICLE IS DRIVEN IN FIRST GEAR AT LOW SPEEDS VEHICLE WILL OVERHEAT AND SHUTDOWN WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER HAS NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*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
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