2003 BMW M3 Transmission Problems

BMW M3'S WITH SMG TRANSMISSION 2002-2006. ON HOT DAYS THE TRANSMISSION WITH "POP" OUT OF GEAR AND INTO NEUTRAL FOR ABOUT 15-30 SECONDS BEFORE REENGAGING INTO THE APPROPRIATE GEAR. THIS JUST LEAVES THE CAR HELPLESS COASTING DOWN THE STREET.THIS HAS HAPPENED EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST WEEK AND TODAY THIS HAPPENED TO ME WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A BUSY INTERSECTION AND AN ONCOMING VEHICLE HAD TO "BRAKE N SWERVE" TO AVOID T-BONING ME. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT US BMW OWNERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET BMW TO ACKNOWLEDGE FOR YEARS BUT THEY ACT LIKE ITS NOT A PROBLEM. THEY DON'T PROPERLY TROUBLESHOOT THE ISSUE AND JUST THROW PARTS AT IT HOPING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOUR CAR WAS AT THE DEALER FOR 3 WEEKS AND $3200 LATER(AVERAGE FOR THIS ISSUE) YOUR BLOCKING TRAFFIC DOWNTOWN COMING HOME IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE TO ME. I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE FEDERAL GVT ON THIS A OF YET. IF YOU WERE TO DO AN INTERNET SEARCH OF " M3 SMG OUT OF GEAR" OR "SMG NEUTRAL FAIL" YOU WOULD LITERALLY FIND 100'S UPON 100'S OF THREADS ON THIS ISSUE.PLEASE HELP. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE. HOPEFULLY THERE ARE OTHERS THAN MYSELF WHO TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO FILE A REPORT LIKE THIS INSTEAD OF WORRYING IF OUR 60K CAR IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN AND CAUSE A TRAFFIC JAM OR ACCIDENT IF THE TEMP IS ABOVE 95 DEGREES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10408587

Incident

Jun 15, 2011

Mileage

61,000 mi

1. I LIVE IN LANCASTER, CA AND WHEN THE SUMMER COMES AROUND IT GETS REALLY HOT REALLY QUICK. MY BMW M3 2003 WHICH HAPPENS TO BE AN SMG KEEPS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT CAUSES MY TRANSMISSION TO FUNCTION IMPROPERLY BY SHIFTING TO "NEUTRAL" AUTOMATICALLY. TODAY, ON MY WAY BACK FROM WORK I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT WHEN MY TRANSMISSION CHANGE AUTOMATICALLY FROM 3RD GEAR INTO NEUTRAL ALMOST CAUSING THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME TO CRASH ONTO MY VEHICLE. 2. THE SMG LIGHT KEEPS TURNING ON. I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE "HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT (HCU) WITH PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR" WHICH IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. I NOTICE THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS USUALLY DURING THE HOT WEATHER SINCE IT ALSO HAPPENED TO ME LAST YEAR AROUND THE SAME TIME. MY BMW MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS WOULD COST ME ON OR ABOUT $3,000 WITH PARTS AND LABOR. I GOT ONLINE AS SOON AS I GOT HOME TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AS I AM, FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER BMW M3 SMG E46 (2001-2006) OWNERS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT'S CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT SINCE THIS IS THE ONLY VEHICLE I HAVE, I FEEL MY LIFE AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS ARE AT HIGH RISK IF MY TRANSMISSION CHANGES FROM ANY GEAR INTO NEUTRAL WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT TO OCCUR. 3. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS MALFUNCTION. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ AND DISCOVER ONLINE, BMW NORTH AMERICA KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND WANTS ALL BMW M3 SMG E46 OWNERS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HCU WHICH AS STATED BEFORE COST ON OR ABOUT $3,000 WITH PARTS AND LABOR. THIS WILL ONLY FIX THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY SINCE THE PROBLEM WILL PERSIST AS THE WEATHER CONTINUES BEING ABOVE 85-90 FAHRENHEIT. I DON'T BELIEVE IS FAIR FOR ALL BMW M3 SMG E46 OWNERS TO PAY SUCH AMOUNT WHEN CLEARLY WON'T FIX SUCH PROBLEM. IT WOULD BE FAIR IF BMW TOOK CHARGE AND RECALL THIS ISSUE THAT IS PUTTING EVERY CITIZEN IN DANGER DUE TO THEIR MISTAKE IN THE HCU FOR ALL BMW M3 SMG E46 VEHICLES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10407049

Incident

Jun 15, 2011

Mileage

65,952 mi

AS YOU REMEMBER, WE ALL SPENT ABOUT SIX MONTHS THIS PAST SUMMER FIGURING OUT WHY OUR E46 M3 SMG'S WERE RANDOMLY THROWING ON THE TRANSMISSION CHECK LIGHT AND RANDOMLY CYCLING INTO NEUTRAL FOR AROUND 6-15 SECONDS, DISPLAYING A CONSTANT "0" DURING AN UP OR DOWNSHIFT IN HOT AND/OR HUMID WEATHER. WE DETERMINED AFTER PLENTY OF RESEARCH AND PHYSICALLY REMOVING THE SMG'S HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT(HCU), AND COMPARING HARD-TO-FIND BLUEPRINTS OF THE UNIT WHAT THE MALFUNCTION WAS. THE PROBLEM WAS THE HCU'S HYDRAULIC FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR, WHICH WOULD GO BAD DUE TO A THIN-LAYERED RESISTOR INSIDE THE SENSOR THAT WOULD MICROSCOPICALLY BEND AND CONTRACT OVER TIME IN AVID HEAT/HUMIDITY SITUATIONS, AND SEND FALSE DATA TO THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT, GIVING IT THE ILLUSION THAT THE HCU WAS OVERHEATING AND NEEDED TO BE SHUT DOWN. TO THIS DAY, I AM STILL PUZZLED AS TO WHY BMW WOULD PROGRAM THE CONTROL MODULE TO DO SUCH A THING, KNOWING IT WOULD TEMPORARILY MAME THE CAR'S ABILITY TO ACCELERATE AND/OR MAINTAIN SPEED, AND THUS ENDANGER IT'S OCCUPANTS AND THE SAFETY OF OTHER MOTORISTS AROUND IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10404438

Incident

Jun 1, 2011

Mileage

78,960 mi

1. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WHERE I LIVE REACHED AROUND 95'F AND ABOVE MY TRANSMISSION ON MY VEHICLE DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WOULD SHIFT TO NEUTRAL AUTOMATICALLY RESULTING IN LOSS OF ACCELERATION. I ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. 2. EVER SINCE THE TEMPERATURE GOT HOT HERE IN AZ, MY TRANSMISSION LIGHT HAS BEEN ON AND THE CAR KEEPS GOING INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING FOR ABOUT 6-15 SECONDS BEFORE RE-ENGAGING. IT HAS HAPPENED EVERYDAY FOR THE PAST 4 DAYS, TWICE WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT AN INTERSECTION, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS. MANY TIMES WHILE TRAVELING STRAIGHT. CONSEQUENCES IS THAT MY SAFETY IS IN DANGER THE NEXT TIME MY CAR IS NOT IN GEAR AND SOMEONE COLLIDES INTO MY CAR. VERY SCARED OF MY SAFETY AND MY OCCUPANTS. 3. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS FAILURE. BMW NA KNOWS OF THIS ISSUE, IT IS DUE TO A FAULTY HYDRAULIC PUMP TEMP SENSOR THAT WAS MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY RESULTING IN THE SENSOR READING AN ERROR IN THE TEMP AND SHUTTING DOWN THE SMG TRANSMISSION BECAUSE IT THINKS THAT THE HYDRAULIC FLUIDS ARE OVERHEATING(WHICH IS NOT THE CASE). THEY WANT BMW M3 SMG OWNERS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HYDRAULIC SENSOR HCU UNIT. WHICH COSTS AROUND $3000.00 TO REPLACE IN PARTS AND LABOR. BUT THE PROBLEM WAS THE HCU'S HYDRAULIC FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR. IT'S A FAIRLY CHEAP PART TO REPLACE, BUT BMW IS NOT ADMITTING IT. HERE IS LINK TO A DISCUSSION ON SOME BMW FORUMS REGARDING THIS ISSUE: HTTP://BMWCCA.ORG/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=4417. *TR

NHTSA ID

10403886

Incident

May 31, 2011

Mileage

84,839 mi

I OWN A 2003 BMW M3 EQUIPPED WITH A SMG(SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX). WITHIN A MONTH OF OWNERSHIP, THE CAR STARTED EXHIBITING A SYMPTOM THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. DURING ACCELERATION IN 1ST GEAR FROM STANDSTILL, IF THE CAR TRAVELS OVER A BUMP OR POTHOLES, THE CAR BEGINS TO BEHAVE IN A JERKY, STOP AND GO MOTION. IF I KEPT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE MORE VIOLENT THE STOP AND GO MOTION WOULD BECOME. THE ONLY WAY TO RECOVER IS TO RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL UNTIL THE CAR SLOWS DOWN OR THE TACH GOES BELOW 1500 RPM. WHEN ACCELERATING OVER SMOOTH SURFACES, THE PROBLEM WILL NOT OCCUR. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM WILL ALWAYS OCCUR WHILE ACCELERATING THE CAR IN 1ST GEAR OVER BUMPY ROADS THAT ALLOWS THE BACK TIRES TO MOMENTARILY LOSE TRACTION. A DRIVEWAY ENTRANCE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BUMP THAT WOULD CAUSE THIS PROBLEM TO OCCUR. I BELIEVE YOU CAN SEE THE POTENTIAL DANGER WHEN THIS HAPPENS. CROSSING THE STREET IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SHOULD THIS FAILURE OCCUR. MY CAR NOW HAS APPROX. 5000 MILES AND ON JULY, 2005 I BROUGHT IT IN TO ERHARD BMW OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI. I DEMONSTRATED THE PROBLEM TO THEIR TECHNICIAN AND HE AGREED THIS SYMPTOM WAS REAL AND ALWAYS REPRODUCIBLE. AFTER KEEPING MY CAR FOR OVER A WEEK, THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED TO TELL ME THAT BMW SAID THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION. I CALMLY TOOK MY CAR BACK BUT TOLD HIM OF MY DISSATISFACTION OF THE SERVICE. I WORK IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AND I BELIEVE I'M KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT IS NORMAL OPERATION AND WHAT IS NOT. IF BMW HAD KNOWN THAT THE M3 WITH SMG EXHIBITED THIS DEFECT, THEY WOULD HAVE EVER LAUNCHED THIS VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I APPRECIATE IF NHTSA COULD INVESTIGATE THIS FURTHER. I DON'T WANT BMW TO DISREGARD THEIR RESPONSIBILITY JUST TO KEEP THEIR NAME AND REPUTATION INTACT. I WILL GLADY ALLOW MY CAR AS EVIDENCE TO THIS INVESTIGATION IF NEEDED. I JUST WANT BMW TO BE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND WORK IN TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. *NM

NHTSA ID

10142026

Incident

Jul 5, 2005

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2003 M3 EQUIPPED WITH THE SMG-II TRANSMISSION [XXX]. FOR THE PAST YEAR (SINCE THE CAR ACCRUED ABOUT 11,000 MILES), THE CAR HAS, WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY, FAILED TO MAKE THE SHIFT FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR UNDER HARD ACCELERATION. INSTEAD, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE FREE-REVS OFTEN PAST RED-LINE. THE RESULT IS THAT THE CAR LOSES ACCELERATION (DRAMATICALLY IF THE FUEL IS CUT-OFF WHEN THE RED-LINE IS PASSED), BUT BECAUSE THE DRIVER'S FOOT IS ON THE GAS, THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE. THIS RECENTLY NEARLY CAUSED ME TO BE REAR-ENDED. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHEN ACCELERATING TO MERGE INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, AN UNANNOUNCED LOSS OF FORWARD MOMENTUM IS VERY DANGEROUS. BMW HAS REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION (TWICE), WHICH HAS FAILED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MY DEALER HAS SUBMITTED A PUMA TO BMW ENGINEERS (TWICE) WITHOUT A RESPONSE. THE MOST RECENT SUBMITTAL WAS ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, WHICH COINCIDED WITH ANOTHER PUMA SUBMITTAL FROM ANOTHER DEALER ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM AWARE OF AT LEAST THREE OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. (ONE OF THEM IS ON HIS FOURTH TRANSMISSION AND STILL HAS THE MALFUNCTION.) BMW, HOWEVER, HAS NOT TAKEN ADEQUATE STEPS TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM, ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN OR OTHERWISE ADDRESSED THE SAFETY ISSUE. MY INQUIRY TO CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS ALSO UNHELPFUL. AT THE END OF AUGUST, I SENT A LETTER DESCRIBING THIS PROBLEM WITH RETURN RECEIPT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL OF BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. I HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE NOR HAS ANY ATTEMPT BEEN MADE BY BMW TO CONTACT ME. MY ATTEMPTS TO REACH ANY PART OF BMW OTHER THAN CUSTOMER SERVICE HAVE ALSO FAILED. *JB UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

10136186

Incident

Aug 10, 2004

Mileage

11,000 mi

LTR CONCERNING A DEFECT OF THE SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEAR TRANSMISSION ON THE LEASED 2003 BMW M3. *BF THE VEHICLE LURCHES MOVING ONLY AN INCH AT A TIME. THE LURCHING FORWARD HAPPENS WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP POSITION. PROBLEM EXISTS WHEN THE VEHICLE GOES FROM FIRST GEAR TO SECOND. *TC *JB

NHTSA ID

10105574

Incident

Dec 1, 2004

BMW M3 2003 WITH SMG TRANSMISSION SURGES BADLY IN FIRST GEAR OCCASIONALLY WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE. THIS IS QUITE DISCONCERTING WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AND THE AUTO WON'T ACCELLERATE PROPERLY.

NHTSA ID

10028346

Incident

Mar 25, 2003

Mileage

25 mi

WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH, THE OWNER BEGAN TO MERGE FOR AN EXIT. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED NOT RESPOND TO THE CLUTCH OR SHIFTING OF THE GEARS. THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED IN SECOND GEAR FROM THAT POINT UNTIL DRIVEN HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH NOTIFIED THE CONSUMER THAT THE CLUTCH WORE OUT AND OVER-HEATED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TS

NHTSA ID

8024148

Incident

Dec 8, 2002