Automatic Transmission Problems of BMW 323 - part 1

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?.

See all problems of the 2000 BMW 323 🔎.

Just yesterday my reverse went out on my wife's 2000 BMW 323i without warning. After doing a bit of research I am shocked to find that this is a common problem for BMW's of this era. This car only has 62,000 miles on it and has been cared for extremely well. I was also shocked by the amount of complaints associated with this problem and that BMW chooses to do nothing about it in the form of a recall. I have been a proud BMW owner and was a huge fan of the product. Lexus/Infiniti here I come. Let's hope that BMW does the right thing and helps those of us suffering from a sub-standard product.

The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323ci(na). The contact stated the gear shift selector would not shift into reverse. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

BMW 323i 2000 at 55tou miles suddenly it will not reverse to my garage. I research the internet and found out there hundreds of people complaining of no reverse in their BMW. I called the BMW executive office in new jersey (201-307-4000) but not willing to do anything. I also mentioned hundreds of unhappy people on the website but still will not give assistance. With many BMW owners complaining no reverse on their car this should been recalled because of defective transmission. Here is the website of unhappy BMW owner's. . . . Read more...

I purchased a 2000 BMW 323i on Tuesday March 14 from a private owner who had meticulous records of maintanence and vehicle only had 97k miles. Two days later, the "reverse" went out but the other gears were fine. I took the car to a mechanic and said that I would be needing a new transmission. The BMW dealer is going to charge me $7000 to fix. I have only owned the car for 2 days and now is not drivable. I went online to search if this was a commom problem and was astonished to see hundreds if not thousands of complaints about the same exact problem for the same make and model vehicle. Bmwna is not doing anything about this. This is clearly a trasmission defect and should be recalled.

2000 BMW 323i transmission just stopped going into reverse. Forward gears work fine.

My 2000 323i BMW won't go into reverse.

I own a 2000 323i w/140k miles. I pulled into a convenience store (head in). Upon leaving, I put my car into reverse and nothing happened. I thought maybe I accidentally put it in neutral, but no. So I put it back into park, turned the car off and removed the key. I tried again with the same result. It would not go into reverse. Drive worked just fine. There was no warning whatsoever. No lights, sounds, or indication that anything was wrong. I am really ticked off. I had to get pushed back and then I could drive off. Recall please.

I have a 2000 BMW 323ci and the reverse gear stopped working all of a sudden. Sometimes it comes back and starts working again, but then it stops working again. I went to a transmission shop and they said it would cost about $3000. BMW said they did not know about this problem and that I needed a new transmission. Please help!.

Reverse stops working without warning.

We brought our daughter a 2000 323i BMW, a few weeks after purchasing the car the car will not shift into reverse. This was a gift and our daughter was so happy, we spent a good amount of money on this car, it is in excellent condition, only has 50k miles and was garage kept and was never drove in the winter, and now it is sitting in the garage and cant be driven. I would like to become a member of a class action, this is a issue that has been going on for years,a dn BMW needs to recall the cars and fix the problem. Our daughter is so disappointed she cant drive her car. The BMW dealer that looked at the car said it was going to be 4800. 00 for the transmission and they can not guaranteed that the new transmission will not do the same thing, and I don't want to have it fixed and it do it again and have to keep repairing the car. I know after all of this I will never buy another BMW. If anyone knows a classaction suit please email me at [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My daughter has an 2000 BMW 323i, she got into it to go to class and it will not go in reverse. I know this is not new, just that the NHTSA and BMW are acting as though it has never happened before. It is shocking how many times this has been reported and nothing is being done about it.

Owner of a 1999 BMW 323i and the reverse gear failed. It occurs intermittently and continues. No action or accountability is being taken by BMW to correct the problem. This is a safety concern for owners faced with this situation.

See all problems of the 1999 BMW 323 🔎.

My 2000 BMW 323i at times will not go into reverse. My car has approximately 155,000 miles. I did take it for repair and was given an estimate of about $5000 to replace my transmission. With all the complaints that I have seen with this particular problem with these cars BMW should definitely do a recall and offer to replace these faulty transmissions.

Sporadically and without warning since I have owned the car, new, the reverse gear fails in my 1999 BMW 323i. In addition, the car seems to, intermittently and without warning, rapidly accelerate on its own. When the car accelerates, I have to apply all the pressure I can to the brake pedal, and even with that I can feel the acceleration for a few minutes before it stops. As for the reverse gear failure, I have to shift to each gear once or twice before I can get the car into reverse, and/or I just have to take the key out of the ignition and wait for a while before trying again, and/or I have to shift to and from reverse to drive several times while in a parking lot, street, etc. , holding up drivers behind me. In 11 years, no mechanic has ever been able to determine why the car has these issues, and most mechanics have been unable to duplicate the problems while driving the car. Thus, nothing has been repaired and the issues remain.

I have a 2000 323i BMW with about 120k miles. I have never had a problem with the transmission before. I had driven about 40 miles on the highway and then pulled into a parking lot. I parked my car and when I tried to reverse to straighten my parking my car would not reverse. When I put it in reverse the car idled like it was in neutral. Luckily I had a friend nearby that could steer my car while I pushed it out of the parking spot. The forward gears work so I was able to go forward. Now the reverse works off and on, but I am afraid that it is going to go for good soon. I have been unable to fix the failure yet because I don't know exactly what is causing the problem (atf fluid, transmission, etc. ).

I went out to leave the office and started the car put it in reverse. . . Nothing. It sounds like it is in neutral. Had the car diagnosed. . . The transmission is a5s325z. Must be replaced.

BMW 323 cic convertible simply stopped going in reverse this afternoon.

Suddenly and without warning, reverse gear on my 2000 BMW 323i would not work - no noise, no warning. Forwards gears all work fine.

2000 BMW 323i transmission will not go in reverse.

I own a 2000 BMW 323i. Today the transmission stopped going into reverse. There was no prior warning, no prior failures, no slipping, etc. I got to work, attempted to back into a parking spot, and the engine just revved - no movement. Looks like a common problem. The repair will require a new transmission and the dealership quoted me $7000. I'm glad I didn't get into a traffic situation that required me to back up to save my life or someone else's. I called the dealership in roanoke va, they said there is no recalls and I called BMW of north America and they sad the same. 800-831-1117.

I own a 1999 323i BMW. The car will not go into reverse. 1. ) the car's transmission worked fine. Then without warning or indication after parking the transmission would not go into reverse. 2. )the transmission will not go into reverse. This problem comes and goes. The car cannot reverse. 3. ) no corrective action has been taken yet, I am just not driving it - too dangerous.

2000 BMW 323i, automatic transmission, reverse just stopped working, I have read all the complaints on 2000 BMW with no reverse and I cannot afford to spend over $5000 to repair it. The transmission is a 5l40e manufactured by gm for BMW. There is a weakness in the reverse clutch housing apparently it is machined to thin for a snap ring groove and it eventually breaks. The new clutch housing is modified to be thicker so someone is aware of the issue but BMW refuses to take responsibility for this engineering failure.

I have a 2000 BMW 323i, got no reverse. I was on the middle of a busy street when my reverse didn't work!!!!. . . . I had to keep going forward, I would have crashed if it wasn't for a good samaritan who slammed his brakes behind me and helped me push my car into position so I can drive forward.

I have a 2000 BMW 323i. On February 2010, one morning I work up to go to work. I tried to back my car put from my drive way but my car did not want to reverse. The car just stayed like if it was on neutral. I gave it some gas and all I head was just the engine revving, but the car would not reverse. My dad later looked in to it and found out that when the car drove forward it had no issues what so ever. It was only when the car reversed. I looked in to repairs for this issue and every where I go I get quoted in the range of 4000-6000 for a new transition. I am a college student I don't have the money to repair this issues. Specially after I found out that thousands of other BMW owners have the same issue. I strongly believe that a recall should be made for these transmissions. It is very dangerous and not safe at all. I rarely try to drive my car but in many occasions I have no choice. In one occasion where I was on a down hill street I was stuck because my car would not reverse. I had to call a tow truck to help me. I strongly encourage you to look at other testimonies from other BMW drivers on the website of noreverse. Org I hope that you really look in to this issue. I am really disappointed that BMW has not taken the responsibility to take care of this matter. I hope you can help me.

Started my BMW 323i 2000 one day (132,000 miles on it) and it wouldn't go in reverse. Drives forward ok, but will not go in reverse. Brought it to the BMW dealer and they want $7000 to replace the transmission.

I own a 2000 BMW 323i with 160,000 miles on it. I just purchased the vehicle 1 1/2 ago. Since my purchase I have had several issues with it . First the alternator went-cost 520. 00, then leak in radiator, replaced several hoses plus repairs $ 500. 00 and now on 01-29-2010, I was doing errands , came out turned my car on , put the car in reverse and noticed that it wouldn't , it just acted like it was in neutral. . . . Now I towed car and called several repair shops cost in the range of $2500-6000 for either rebuilt, new or from a salvaged car yard. I had no indication, no noise or sound out of the ordinary. The car did drive forward. I need help.

2000 BMW 318i will not go in reverse. Bought new in 2000 from long beach BMW in long beach CA.

2000 323ci has 94,000 on the dot (less than 10k per year put on it), all maintenance done as required/scheduled. Yesterday, 12/05/09, I drove the car all day without any indication of a problem and last night I got in the car, put it in reverse, and it tried to back up then acted like it was in neutral. Managed to get the car out of the parking spot and it drove forward just fine. I got the car home, attempted to back up again and it tried to back up 2 or 3 times then acted like it was in neutral again! repairs will be between $2000-$5000 for a car that was immaculately kept. Apparently this is a known concern by BMW and they refuse to offer assistance to vehicle owners.

2000 BMW 323ci transmission just stopped going into reverse. Forward gears work fine. Vehicle has less than 75000 miles.

Sudden loss of reverse gear.

My 2000 BMW 323ci no longer shifts into 'reverse". Almost 93,000 miles.

My 1999 BMW 323i would occasionally not engage in reverse. This happened initially without warning. After driving the car around for awhile, low and behold, reverse would engage. The dealer told me that the shift plate was not aligned and the car was thinking it was in neutral. After having that replaced at $700, the next day, same problem. Then the dealer said that it has to be that the transmission was gone. After having the transmission rebuilt at $2000, low and behold, 2 days later, the same exact thing starting happening. The car is in excellent condition and well maintained with 132,000. All of this started to happen on 10/22/2009. BMW needs to recall the vehicle because this has happened with several owners.

No reverse in 2000 BMW 323i with 92k miles. Reverse went out suddenly with no prior problems or warnings. BMW dealer says hasn't been an issue. The dealers solution is to replace transmission completely, approx. $5,500. From looking at the number of complaints on the web concerning this issue, it seems BMW should recall this problem. I was fortunate enough to be in my garage when it quit working, but that would not have been the case just a few hours prior.

Hello I bought a 200 BMW 323i and the car was working perfectly fine. After one week the car wont go in reverse. This is a very common failure of the transmission in 3 series and the deal wants $5000 for a new tranny or to rebuild it which is crazy considering I just bought the car.