2002 BMW M3 Engine Problems

I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND THE COUNTLESS OTHERS EXPERIENCING THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL DEFECT IN BMW'S SMG PUMP UNIT. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES WHEN I NOTICED MY CAR IMMEDIATELY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT ME MAKING THAT DECISION. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF CHANGING LANES WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE SMG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I PUT MY HAZARDS ON. THE CAR ABRUPTLY SLOWED AS IT CHOSE TO SHIFT BACK TO 4TH GEAR AS I WAS GOING 65MPH. I TRIED SHIFTING BACK UP TO GEAR SAFELY GET TO THE SHOULDER BUT WITH NO LUCK AS THE VEHICLE WENT BACK INTO NEUTRAL. THE CARS BEHIND ME CAME VERY RAPIDLY AND TWO ALMOST HIT ME AS A RESULT OF THIS PUMP FAILURE. BY THIS TIME I WAS TRAVELING AROUND 40MPH IN A 65+ TRAFFIC ZONE. I FINALLY ROLLED MY CAR DOWN THE SHOULDER TO SAFETY. I REPLACED THE SMG RELAY WITH A SPARE NEW ONE I ALWAYS CARRIED IN THE CAR. I WAITED 10 MINUTES FOR THE VEHICLE TO COOL OFF AS I KNEW THIS WAS THE INFAMOUS SMG PUMP ISSUE. THE CAR STARTED BACK UP WITH NO LIGHT AND DROVE ME ALMOST THE ENTIRE ROUTE BACK HOME. JUST ABOUT A MILE FROM MY HOME, SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS TIME LEAVING ME COMPLETELY STUCK IN A BUSY INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME WERE KIND ENOUGH TO HELP PUSH MY CAR OUT OF THE WAY. I CALLED A FRIEND AND WE PUSHED THE CAR ALL THE WAY BACK TO MY GARAGE. NOW THIS IS JUST THE FIRST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED. IT HAPPENS IN LESS THAN 3 MINUTES OF DRIVING THE CAR JUST WHEN I TRY TO MOVE IT NEVER BREAKING 15MPH. BMWNA IGNORES OUR COMPLAINTS AS THEIR DEALERSHIPS MAKE MONEY HAND OVER FIST WITH THIS $4000 REPAIR. MY COMPLAINT IS NOT WITH THE REPAIR AMOUNT. US M3 OWNERS ARE AWARE OF THE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COSTS FOR OUR HIGHLY SPECIALIZED VEHICLES. HOWEVER, THIS PUMP MALFUNCTION IS A VERY REAL DANGER TO ALL DRIVERS. WE'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN TO VEHICLES WITH ANYWHERE FROM 15K TO 120K MILES ON THEM. BMW NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10598930

Incident

May 1, 2014

Mileage

70,045 mi

THE EXHAUST CAM HUB TABS BREAK OFF ON THE 2000-2008 BMW M3 MODELS. IF CAUGHT WHEN ONLY ONE TAB BREAKS IT CAN BE REPLACED. IF BOTH TABS BREAK COMPLETELY OFF THE ENGINE WILL SEIZE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. BMW NA WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. *JS

NHTSA ID

10452496

Incident

Oct 3, 2011

I HAVE A BMW M3 WHICH HAS AN SMG TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR LOSES POWER TO CHANGE THE GEARS AND MY CAR STARTED TO JERK WHILE ON THE ROAD NEARLY CRASHING INTO ANOTHER CAR. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE SMG PUMPS FOR BMW M3 HAVE ALWAYS A HIGH FAILURE DESIGN FLAW. THE COST TO FIX THAT IS ALSO UNBEARABLE WHICH NEARS THE $5,000 MARK. THERE HAS BEEN FORUMS GOING AROUND THAT THIS IS INDEED A DESIGN FLAW FOR BMW. I ALMOST NEARLY GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT, BUT THANKFULLY I WAS OK. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS I FEEL AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE IN THE BMW COMUNITTEE THAT IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10430221

Incident

Oct 13, 2011

Mileage

123,456 mi

I OWN A 2002 BMW M3. THERE ARE SIX CAMSHAFT BOLTS BEHIND A PLATE COVER. BMW SPECED BOLTS THAT WERE TOO SOFT UNTIL 2004 WHEN THEY CHANGED BOLT SPEC TO A HARDENED STEEL WITH LOCTITE. PRIOR TO THIS THE BOLTS HAD NO LOCTITE. THE ISSUE IS STARTING TO SURFACE ALL OVER THE WEB. THE FAILURE IS THAT THE BOLTS DO NOT STAY SCREWED IN. THEY BACK OUT AND STOP AGAINST THE PLATE COVER. EVENTUALLY THEY SHEAR OFF AND IF THIS HAPPENS IT CAUSES CATASTROPHIC FAILURE TO YOUR ENGINE. IN MY CASE I WAS GOING 15MPH SO THE DAMAGE WAS ONLY $10,000. THE CAR HAMMERED TO A STOP. BMW IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE SUGGESTING OUT OF WARRANTY. MY CONCERN IS THAT I HAVE 60K ON THE CAR WHEN THE ISSUE OCCURRED FIRST. A P0011 CAMSHAFT TIMING FAULT COMES UP. A BMW SERVICE CENTER CLEARED THE FAULT AND REPLACED SOME COILS AND SPARKPLUGS ($663) AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. THREE DAYS LATER THE BOLTS SHEARED. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY "HAD NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE". THEY ALSO SAID BMW HAD ISSUED NO BULLETINS TO ADDRESS THE BOLTS. EVERY INDEPENDENT BMW FACILITY I INTERVIEWED IN PORTLAND WAS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND ALREADY DOING ENGINE REBUILDS FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. I THINK THIS IS GROSS NEGLIGENCE ON BMW'S PART FOR NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE AND DEALING WITH IT. I ALSO THINK THE DEALER IS GUILTY OF CLEARING THE FAULT WITHOUT CHECKING FURTHER. THE BID ON MY WORK IS $10,000 (TWO VALVE HEADS AND A VANOS SYSTEM PLUS 50 HOURS OF LABOR). THIS IS AN ESTIMATE UNTIL THEY PULL THE ENGINE APART MORE. ONLINE YOU CAN SEE ON YOU TUBE MY ISSUE BY WATCHING THIS VIDEO. ON ALL THE FORUMS THERE ARE THREADS TO SEE THE ISSUE. YOU CAN SEE THIS BY A GOOGLE SEARCH OF "BMW CAMSHAFT BOLT SHEARING" HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=R6RDVBHSCFG BOTTOM LINE IS IF THE BOLTS ARE NOT REPLACED EVENTUALLY THEY WILL SHEAR OFF AND CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. THE FASTER THE SPEED OF THE CAR THE WORSE THE DAMAGE. THE PROBLEM IS APPEARING IT SEEMS AFTER 30K AND FOR MANY INCLUDING ME BETWEEN 60-90K. *TR

NHTSA ID

10344604

Incident

Jun 24, 2010

Mileage

64,000 mi

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICEL. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED AT 16000, THE TRANSMISSION (SMG) WAS RE[;ACED AT 20000, NOW THE ENGINE REV HIGH AT IDEL AND SEND STRON VIBRATION TO THE CABIN AND STEERING COLUMN. BMW OF HOUSTON NORTH, A LOCAL DEALER IN HOUSTON, TX, WERE LESS THAN HELPFUL IN TRYING TO SOLVE THE CURRENT PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THAT THEY WANT TO KEEP THE PROBLEMS WITH M3 QUIET. *AK

NHTSA ID

10031136

Incident

Aug 4, 2003

Mileage

15,000 mi

WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. ENGINE WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER ON 9/9/2002. ON 5/27/2003 VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. *AK

NHTSA ID

10022599

Incident

May 27, 2003

CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS ARE STARVED OF ENGINE OIL CAUSING A SERIES OF CHAIN REACTIONS THAT ULTIMATELY BLOWS THE ENGINE, CAUSING ENGINE OIL TO SPILL EVERYWHERE AND FORM THICK CLOUDS OF SMOKE FROM EVAPORATED ENGINE OIL TO COME OUT OF THE CAR, HINDERING THE VIEW OF OTHERS BEHIND, AND CREATING A DANGERIOUSLY SLIPPERY SURFACE. THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF, CAUSING VERY POSSIBLE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS THAT ARE TOO SPECULATIVE AND MANY TO LIST. THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ON VEHICLES PRODUCED WITHIN OCTOBER OF 2001 TO FEBURARY 2002. BMW REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECT REPEATEDLY BLAMES THE CONSUMER. SIMPLY REPLACING THE ENGINE(WHICH IS WHAT BMW DOES) IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, DUE TO INEVITABLE LOSS OF VALUE FROM SUCH A DISASTEROUS FAILURE. FURTHERMORE, MANY HAVE PAYED MORE THAN $60,000 FOR THE CAR, EXCLUDING THE PREMIUM OF $2500-$15000 EXTRA DEPENDING ON DEALERSHIP. BMW ALSO DOES NOT PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH THIS FAILURE PROBLEM WITH ANY FORM OF COMPENSATORY ACTIONS, SUCH AS LOANER CARS FOR PERIODS AS LONG AS 2-6 WEEKS.(THE ESTIMATED TIME IT TAKES TO FIX THE PROBLEM) DT

NHTSA ID

769078

Incident

Oct 27, 2002

BMW HAS HAD A RASH OF ENGINE FAILURES ON THEIR NEW E46 M3'S. THESE FAILURES USUALLY (IM MY CASE AND MANY OTHERS) HAS RESULTED IN THE ENGINE ACTUALLY BLOWING UP. THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS FAILURES THAT COULD HAPPEN. OIL DUMPS ALL OVER THE ROAD, THINGS LOCK UP AND YOU COULD EASILY LOSE CONTROL. FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD AND NO ONE ELSE WAS INVOLVED. BMW HAS BEEN REPLACING THESE MOTORS UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WILL NOT DISCLOSE THE REASON FOR THE FAILURES OR WHAT HAS BEEN FIXED TO INSURE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE SENT REQUEST TO BMW ASKING FOR AND OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO MY PARTICULAR FAILURE AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX IT ON THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM BMW AS OF TODAY. I HAVE RECEIVED E-MAILS FROM OTHER CONCERNED M3 OWNERS STATING THAT REPLACEMENT MOTORS HAVE BEEN KNOW TO FAIL ALSO. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE ANOTHER ENGINE BLOW. I MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY THE NEXT TIME. WHAT WORRIES ME MOST IS THAT BMW SEEMS TO BE IGNORING THE PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT OR KILLED. *TS *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*768014

NHTSA ID

10006959

Incident

Jul 17, 2002

Mileage

5,623 mi

BMW HAS HAD A RASH OF ENGINE FAILURES ON THEIR NEW E46 M3S. THESE FAILURES USUALLY(IN MY CASE AND MANY OTHERS)HAS RESULTED IN THE ENGINE ACTUALLY BLOWING UP. THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS FAILURES THAT COULD HAPPEN. OIL DUMPS ALL OVER THE ROAD, THINGS LOCK UP AND YOU COULD EASILY LOOSE CONTROL. FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD AND NO ONE ELSE WAS INVOLVED. BMW HAS BEEN REPLACING THESE MOTORS UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WILL NOT DISCLOSE THE REASON FOR THE FAILURES OR WHAT HAS BEEN FIXED TO INSURE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE SENT REQUEST TO BMW ASKING FOR AN OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO MY PARTICULAR FAILURE AND WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX IT ON THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM BMW AS OF TODAY. I HAVE RECEIVED E-MAILS FROM OTHER CONCERNED M3 OWNERS STATING THAT REPLACEMENT MOTORS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO FAIL ALSO. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE ANOTHER ENGINE BLOW. I MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY THE NEXT TIME. WHAT WORRIES ME MOST IS THAT BMW SEEMS TO BE IGNORING THE PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT OR KILLED. TS

NHTSA ID

768005

Incident

Jul 17, 2002

REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT NO CHARGE BY DON JACOBS BMW. NO SAFETY DEFEWCT MENTIONED. *AK

NHTSA ID

767428

Incident

Aug 15, 2002

ENGINE DESTROYED BY ROD BEARING FAILURE. *AK

NHTSA ID

767419

Incident

Jan 31, 2002

AS AN OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE I AM CONCERNED BY THE SAFETY, RELIABILITY AND RESALE VALUE ISSUES RAISED BY OVER 80 ENGINE FAILURES. THESE HAVE BEEN CATALOGUED AT URL HTTP://MEMBERS.ROADFLY.COM/JASON/M3ENGINES.HTM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. NLM

NHTSA ID

767173

ENGINE BLEW UP WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. AFTER PULLING OVER CONSUMER FOUND A LOT OF PIECES TO ENGINE ON FLOOR, AND OIL WAS EVERY WHERE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK

NHTSA ID

8007127

Incident

Mar 28, 2002