Automatic Transmission Problems of BMW 323 - part 2

BMW 323 owners have reported 173 problems related to automatic transmission (under the power train category). The most recently reported issues are listed below.

36 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 10/14/2009

I owned BMW 2000 323i with 79,000 miles and reverse suddenly stopped working. I went online and found that a lot of people are complaining with the same problem as mine. Please look into this.

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37 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 10/12/2009

I own a 2000 BMW 323i and have encountered the infamous "no reverse" issue as has been experienced and reported by many folks now (see. . Read more...

38 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 09/30/2009

Reverse gear intermittently goes out in the vehicle causing unsafe driving conditions. This is a widespread problem caused by an engineering defect that BMW refuses to acknowledge.

39 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 09/15/2009

I got into my 2000 BMW 323i, and put the car into reverse but the did nothing but idle. I've bought the car used about 6 months ago with 92k mi, and I now has 100k. The car clearly has been maintenance meticulously and there was no warning of any kind prior to this.

40 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 09/14/2009

BMW 323 lost reverse without warning! without warning, my 3000 BMW 323i with 62,300 miles had no reverse. Car was taken to a transmission garage. Problem was identified as a broken reverse drum that shed metallic parts throughout the transmission requiring a overhaul. Cost $2800.

41 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 09/10/2009

When putting vehicle into reverse, there is no power. Engine revs as if in neutral. Forward gears seem fine. Internet search revealed this is a common problem with the transmission. This happened without warning. No warning indicators. Estimated cost of replacement of the defective transmission is $6k.

42 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 08/26/2009

I had dropped my wife off at work after lunch and was backing out of a parking stall. I put the car in reverse, let off the brake and was watching for cars behind me. I went to give it a little gas to continue backing up and it revved up as if it was in neutral. I stopped, put the car in neutral, then back in reverse and still nothing. No gear or nothing. I drove home in drive just fine. I put it in the garage. I have tested it since and it does nothing in reverse, but drives just fine in drive.

43 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 08/20/2009

No reverse in 2000 BMW 323i with 70k miles. Reverse went out suddenly with no prior problems or warnings. Fortunately, I just arrived home and tried to park my car in reverse into my garage when I noticed the reverse acted like it was in neutral. Took to auto body shop $3300. 00 to replace transmission completely. Mechanic promised the car shouldn't have that problem ever again after replacing the transmission.

44 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 07/23/2009

BMW 2000 323i. The reverse went out with no warning. What the heck? how does this happen in mass with no recall from BMW. How have they gotten away with this in the USA?.

45 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 06/28/2009

I purchased a 2000 BMW 323i from carmax in hartford CT. When I purchased the vech it had a little less than 47,000 miles. On Sunday 6-28-09 I attempted to back the vech out of a parking space but to my surprise my vehicle would not move, the reverse gear stopped working. Afterwards I contacted the dealer to voice my concern, to no avail they were rude and not helpful at all. I then conducted some research on line and to no avail I found hundreds of complaints about the 3 series BMW model. I am shocked that BMW could make such a faulty product. Please look into this. Thanks in advance.

46 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 05/09/2009

The reverse on my 2000 BMW 323ci went out yesterday. The 1st 2nd and 3rd forward gears all work perfect but the reverse gear won't engage.

47 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 04/20/2009

2000 year model BMW 323i reverse went out at 79,000 miles. No warning, drive still operates fine. No help from BMW. I have had numerous vehicles over 33 years of driving and only one failed before 100,000 miles, a Dodge grand caravan and Dodge took care of it. This is sad - there should be recourse. I am not asking for a free replacement since the vehicle is 9 years old but there should be some type of support from BMW. This is supposed to be a sealed unit with "german engineering" no wonder they lost the war.

48 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 04/20/2009

I own a 2000 BMW 323ci for a little over a year now and I've had to put about $6,000. 00 in repairs into it but all in small problems. Last week, with no warning my car would not go into reverse. I went online to see how much a transmission would cost and to my surprise I found thousands of people with the exact same problem and in all cases BMW never admits to a faulty part and a recall on there transmission. I have always taken my car to the BMW dealer and have gotten my work done there but not this time. It would cost me nearly $8,000. 00 to fix it there.

49 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2001 BMW 323

Failure Date: 04/12/2009

For no reason the reverse went out on my 2001 BMW 323i. I took it into the repair shop and they told me that I needed a new transmission because of an electrical glitch that is occurring in thousands of BMW's for no reason other than the steptronic transmission that BMW put in the cars in defective. Why won't BMW recall this to fix the problem. The car is in perfect condition and I cannot afford the $3700 the repair shop wants to fix a defective transmission.

See all problems of the 2001 BMW 323 🔎.

50 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 04/06/2009

My 2000 BMW 323i has had numerous problems since I purchased it back in January of 2001. I have now replaced 6 or 7 window regulators, the sunroof, the radiator, the cv boots and now the entire transmission needs to be replaced to the tune of $5,151. Oh and did I mention that this car only has 67,000 miles on it??!! apparently the problems with the window regulators and the transmission is a rampant issue with this car and after many complaints, BMW refuses to acknowledge or address the problem. They should not be allowed to get away with this type of negligence.

51 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 04/02/2009

"no reverse" BMW transmission zf shp19.

52 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 03/31/2009

The car won't back up at all in the reverse gear. All the forward gears work great, but the reverse gear is pretty much like a neutral gear. The car just revs without any movement.

53 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 03/25/2009

I have a BMW 323i that I bought new back in 2000. This has been a secondary car that I have taken very good care of. Recently, at 43,000 miles as I was trying to reverse, the car just idled as if it were in neutral. Once I pushed it out of the parking space it would drive forward only. No warning whatsoever on the dash. Upon further review of this issue I found a website called noreverse. Org. Apparently this is a very frequent occurrence with this car that BMW doesn't want to acknowledge. I took my car to the dealer and they told me that because the car is beyond warranty they can't help me. I told them about the complaint website and they told me that they had never heard of it. I can't believe they aren't willing to make this right. This is a defective part without a doubt.

54 Automatic Transmission problem of the 1999 BMW 323

Failure Date: 03/23/2009

I drive a 1999 BMW 323i, today the reverse stopped working for no reason at all. Drove fine this morning, I pulled into a store to run an errand and when I came out the reverse was no longer working. I now read this is a common issue with this model but that BMW refuses to acknowledge this, this is unfortunate as I've always liked Bmws but now I'm stuck with a car that is unsafe and expensive to repair.

See all problems of the 1999 BMW 323 🔎.

55 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 03/09/2009

I proceeded into a parking lot area. I came to a complete stop in front of the open parking spot and began to back into position when I determined that my vehicle would not operate in reverse. I parked the vehicle, turned the vehicle off, turned the vehicle back on and it would still not go in reverse. The vehicle operates normally in forward drive condition. Upon research of this matter, multiple complaints regarding this issue have been previously discussed.

56 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 02/22/2009

I purchased a 2000 used BMW 323i with the sports package and steptronic. The reverse went out at 132k miles last night. I have seen a great deal of complaints and would like to recommend a recall. . Read more...

57 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 02/21/2009

I have a 2000 BMW 323i with 132k miles on it. Like everyone else who's reported this issue, my reverse gear suddenly stopped working when I was trying to back out of my parking spot. No dash warning lights or any other audible indicators of failure. It was like the car was in neutral when I tried to go into reverse. Drive works just fine, but I am very disappointed in this sudden failure of the transmission.

58 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 02/15/2009

Well known, yet unacknowledged problem with BMW 3 series' transmissions. The problem began with a failure to engage in reverse. The solution is total replacement of the transmission with a cost of over $5000.

59 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 02/14/2009

My 2000 BMW 323i (95,000 miles) would not shift into reverse. Took it to BMW dealership to find out what the problem was. The dealership said it was the transmission and it would have to be replaced, costing $6000. Did some research on the internet and was surprise to find out that the reverse gear failure is a common problem with the BMW cars during my year. Read thousands of complaints from BMW customers with the same reverse failure problem. The company, BMW, is aware that this is a common problem, possibly a defect, and offers no alternate solution other than to replace the entire transmission at a very costly price when the only problem is the reverse gear and everything else works fine. Knowing that I am not the only one suffering with this expensive problem I feel that the BMW should stand by the quality of their product. It does not make sense to purchase a new transmission, as this is our only recourse according to the dealership, when the reverse failure will more than likely happen again! thank you very much.

60 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 02/08/2009

The reverse gear of my 2000 BMW 323i wagon will engage only with no acceleration. Other gears work fine. Trying to accelerate while in reverse gear just revs the engine. Repair shop has told me that my reverse drum needs to be replaced which will require over 17 hours of transmission work - about $2500. I only have 82,000 miles on this car.

61 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 01/10/2009

When leaving work, my car failed to go into reverse so I could pull out. I had to push the car out and took it to my mechanic who told me that this was a very common problem for this make of car. He told me that I would probably need to replace the transmission which I can not afford top do. After driving the car and making sure that I can always pull forward out of parking spots I can sometimes get the reverse transmission to engage and work properly. This seems to happen randomly and then eventually the sme problem will happen again. I have researched this online (noreverse. Org) and found that this is a very common problem with these cars (2000 BMW 323i) and that BMW is aware of this and takes no responsibility. The transmissions in these cars is provided by gm, and is installed in cadillacs as well for which a recall has been issued. No recall has been issued for BMW. I feel this is a potentially major safety issue . My car has always been properly maintained and the fact that this could happen with 75,000 miles and having to replace the transmission is appalling!.

62 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 01/10/2009

Hello- I have a 2000 BMW 323ci. Recently, the reverse function simply failed to respond. There was no event that led up to this failure. I have read numerous (hundreds) of articles/comments on the net of other individuals experiences difficulties with the reverse function of this model car - related to the zf5hp19 transmission build. There must be some help to be provided for what is obviously a recall-worthy malfunction. Please help. Andr㉠bearfield.

63 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 01/02/2009

The transmission on my 2000 BMW 323i seemed to be going out so I took it to my mechanic for maintenance but after 3 weeks it seemed to have the same problem. I looked it up and it seems that BMW cars have the same issue. I don't have 6000 dollars laying around to get a new trans. Now im afraid that mine would go out soon. And im wondering why BMW is not taking responsibility for their product, no recall?, no help?, what's going on?, I need answers.

64 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 12/14/2008

I have a 2000 323i BMW and my reverse gear just randomly gave up. I cannot use the accelerator when reversing. I have seen several complaints and this is a costly issue. There should be a recall on these BMW's looks like the 1999 and 2000 models.

65 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 12/14/2008

2000 BMW 323i zf 5hp19 transmission, will not go into reverse all of a sudden. Nothing else to say. Very big problem amongst BMW 323i.

66 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 12/12/2008

Backing into parking spot found that I could not go into reverse. Was stuck in the middle of a street! just got told that they need to replace the entire transmission for $6000. BMW no reverse problem.

67 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 11/18/2008

The reverse gear on my 2000 323i BMW stopped working. It goes into neutral instead. All the other gears work except reverse. I only have 65,000 miles on the car and have been told I may need a new transmission. A new transmission at 65,000 miles is ridiculous. I called BMW of north America and my dealership. They say they have never heard about this, yet if you do a simple web search on BMW reverse transmission problems, it is a very common one. I do not think it's fair to pay for a "lemon" transmission.

68 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 11/10/2008

Last week my car quit going in reverse leaving me stranded. This car has 100,000 miles and has been extremely well maintained as I have been the original owner. This is apparently a common problem with 99/00 Bmws and the zf automatic transmissions. The transmission has to be completely rebuilt at a cost of over $3000. The fact that this is such a common failure and can put individuals at risk is unconscionable. Imagine a transmission going out during a u-turn where reverse is needed to safely move from oncoming traffic?.

69 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 11/07/2008

1. I attempted to put my car in reverse in a parking lot that was completely flat. 2. The BMW 323i refused to go into the reverse gear, instead changing the car into the neutral gear. This is repeated every time I attempt to reverse. I must now push my car out of parking spots and avoid situations that would get me stuck. 3. I chose to replace the transmission with a rebuilt transmission. Otherwise I could have had the transmission rebuilt, replacing the broken clutch drum with a new clutch drum.

70 Automatic Transmission problem of the 2000 BMW 323

Failure Date: 11/04/2008

BMW 2000 year 323 does not go in reverse. Global imports BMW in atlanta says that the repair will cost $5800. This is a know defect by BMW but they will not recall this defective car or repair this transmission.



323 Service Bulletins
323 Safety Recalls