Automatic Transmission Problems of BMW 325

My 2003 325i BMW has a defect in the transmission which caused it to, without warning, lose its ability to go into reverse. I was returning to philadelphia from nyc several days ago. I pulled over for gas. When I put the car into reverse, the transmission acted like it is in neutral. The engine would rev but was not engaged. The car has only 70k miles on it. The problem is widespread in owners of early 2000 Bmws and results from a reverse drum that is poorly manufactured and not sufficiently thick around the edges. Apparently, BMW corrected the manufacturing problem in 2003. It never shared info about the issue with prospective owners, in effect selling cars under false pretense. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2003 BMW 325 🔎.

In a matter of two hours my 325i was running fine to not going in reverse at all. I have been researching this problem and it seems to be happening in a lot of cars my year and type. This is a safety hazard because there is no warning, one minute you can back up next it is just stalled in reverse. BMW needs to stand up and see that their product has a defect and potentially can cause injuries. The dealership I called said it's is the transmission, let's set up an appt and bring it in. It still goes no problem at all in drive. Someone please help!!!!.

See all problems of the 2002 BMW 325 🔎.

2001 325 I transmission problem - will not reverse , after looking into it is a well know problem with that model and year . I am on unemployment and now cannot look for work due to this problem. I know that there was a class action lawsuit filled against BMW in NJ , and was won ! I would like to have my BMW fix because this is a problem that BMW is well known about and did nothing to fix it ! please help!.

See all problems of the 2001 BMW 325 🔎.

BMW 2002 325i with 135k miles on it reverse gear does not work. I started my car let it idle for 3-5 minutes since the temperature outside was cold. I shifted into reverse gear, and nothing happened. I had just parked the car approximately 2 hours earlier. There was no indication prior to this incident that there was a problem with the transmission. On the next morning I called the local BMW dealership and explained what had happened. They stated that I needed to replace the transmission. How can you determine that from a phone conversation, I wondered. I pushed the car out of my garage and proceeded to a mechanic. When I completed my dialogue of what had occurred he responded that I was number 4 for him this year. A replacement transmission cost between $3k - $5k. I returned home and began my unofficial internet research. . . I am not alone and BMW of na is doing nothing to address the manufacturer's defect. I consider this a safety issue. Suppose I was 100s of miles away or if I was in a position where I need to use reverse to get out of harms way and it did not work. As other BMW owners have stated, at least my chevy or Ford used to tell me that it was sick and needed some attention. BMW has no maintenance requirement for this transmission. I am assuming that they think it is replace upon failure. Unacceptable, the part that failed is called the drum. A band breaks and the reverse gear is broken. They have modified the materials in the newer drums to alleviate the problem . That tells me that they are aware that the material they installed in my vehicle was inadequate. I have not repaired the vehicle at this time still shopping around for options. This is a safety issue and a recall is warranted.

2001 BMW 325i with no warning lights or previous signs lost its reverse gear with no warning for my college age student at a dead end road.

BMW 325 2002 under 100k miles with transmission problem. Jmk springfield BMW said hey could fix for $500 I agreed to go ahead. After the work completion they called me back to tell me problem still exists but they still charged me $540. They say I need to pay another $700 to try the next 'gear selection switch change' suggestion. And if that fails they'll change the gear box for $5k. I think this should be a recall. Gearbox should not fail on ultimate driving machine under 100k miles.

2001 BMW 325ci automatic, will not work in reverse, but works forward. Apparently, this is so widespread a safety issue that entire websites are dedicated to it exclusively, and I can't imagine (other than greed) by BMW isn't recalling these transmissions to take care of them.

I went to start my vehicle in the morning and it started and then turned back off on its own. This happened about 3 times,before it stayed on. I then drove the vehicle about 40 miles and the transmissions started to thump. The vehicle only has 100k miles. I kept up on all its maintenance. I took the vehicle to the dealership and the transmission light and check engine light both came on. I was informed it would cost 6,500 to repair my transmission.

2001 325i BMW will not go into reverse gear.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW 325xi. The contact stated the vehicle would not shift into drive in cold temperatures. When she was able to shift into drive and depress the accelerator pedal, there was a momentary delay and the vehicle would abnormally jerk forward before accelerating. The dealer advised that the failure was normal. The contact took the vehicle to a local repair facility for diagnostic testing but no failure codes were produced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000 and the current mileage was approximately 70,000.

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My 2001 BMW 325i lost reverse suddenly and unexpectedly this past November. The car had 64,000 miles on it and is in perfect condition. BMW northwest wanted to $5,200 originally to fix the problem but I was able to talk them down to 4,000. Either way this was a BMW problem not a consumer problem and BMW should have paid to have this fixed. Very frustrating experience and I would love to be compensated for my dumb investment of a BMW 325i.

My 2001 BMW 325 ci convertible stopped going in reverse today unexpectedly. It only as 59000 miles on it. This is rediculous. The car barely has any miles on it. The car is very well maintained.

2001 BMW 325ci; transmission is leaking. Dealer says transmission must be replaced. Vehicle abruptly stopped on freeway. I note that 1999 BMW models had transmission leakage problem.

Vehicle thrusts forward despite the brake pedal being depressed. Consumer had to press both feet to keep vehicle from jumping into the intersection. Also, consumer had to shift gear from drive to neutral.

I bought BMW 325xi 2004 on 03/04 and I noticed that it has problem with cold start. In the morning, when I put the car in "d", it doesn't move and then suddenly lurches with a jerk. First I thought, its just because its a new car but when I didn't drive it for 3 days and started it, it was worse. It wouldn't move at all for like a minute and then suddenly lurched forward with a jerk almost hitting the car in front of me. I took the car to the dealership and they told me that all 3 series manufactured between 03-03 to 11-03 have this problem and it is due to the transmission . What I don't understand is if there is a recall on that. They didn't tell me about this problem at all whereas now I read the message boards and there have been a lot of similar complaints. I wonder what my options are? I bought the car because there was a special deal on this car. May be the deal was because of this issue.

On cold starts vehicle does not move when transmission put in drive. It delays for 10 to 15 seconds to one minute. I was told by dealer that it has a defective part and they are currently replacing the transmission. Vehicle has 2000 miles on it. Also had problem with the steptronic transmission. Vehicle will not allow you to manually shift the gear when you select manual for the clutchless shift. It simply gets stuck and then shifts on its own. Dealer had not heard of this problem. Now I am driving 1 2004 x5 as a loaner from the dealer and it too has the same problem with the steptronic transmission when you select manual. I can shorten the delay by increasing the engine speed. The vehicle will then creeps forward until the transmission is fully engaged.

My 2002 BMW 325ci engine stalled as I was slowing down to exit the freeway. The dash lights lit up and my engine shutoff. As I was rolling to a stop (good thing no one was in front or behind me), I put the car into neutral and restarted the engine. The engine started back up and I was able to continue to drive. I have an automatic transmission with steptronic. This has happened one other time a few months back when leaving a gas station where I needed to come to a stop and pressed the brake and the engine turned off. I didn't think of it as a problem then but coming off the freeway at 65mph to braking and the engine shutting down now that's a problem. I have also noticed that when I put the car into reverse, that it take about 3-5 seconds for the gear to engage from park or drive. My car is currently at the dealer since yesterday; crevier BMW is talking with BMW na in new jersey about possible fixes for the transmission. I have a service loaner in the meantime.

My new car will not accelerate when I give it gas. Contacted my dealer and they said it was "normal for a break in period". The car hit 2 - 3,000 rpms without moving. Very scary. This has happened several times usually after not driving the car for several hours. The car has less than 2k miles and was purchased in December. The BMW message boards are filled with other victims of this known defect. Dealer said I have nothing to worry about and that the car is under warranty. This is ridiculous for a $45,000+ car to be unsafe. Will you please do something to alert other drivers before someone is killed. Thank you.

The steptronic transmission will not engauge in "d" for several minutes after sitting overnight. BMW replaced the transmission at 1100 miles and at 300 miles the "new" transmission is doing the same thing. The car goes in "r" and potentially could leave you in traffic without the ability to move out of the way.

Petition for defect investigation of the 2004 BMW 325xi due to hesitation in shifting of the automatic transmission when vehicle is in motion especially when accelerating after a full stop. When the consumer shifted from reverse to drive it experienced delays of from one half minute to two minutes before the transmission shifted into drive then the vehicle would move forward.

Automatic transmission on 2003 325i jerks when downshifts while braking. A laud thud can be heard on lower speeds.

The vehicle slipped into steptronic gear when being shifted into reverse, forcing the vehicle to accelerate suddenly.

While driving 55 to 60 mph consumer smelt something burning in vehicle. Consumer pulled vehicle off the road and turned off engine engine light came on. Consumer looked at owner's manual, and manuel stated to pull vehicle off the road. There was a malfunction in transmission system at 172 miles. Contacted dealer, and dealer stated light came on showing transmission malfunctioned.

2001 BMW 325cic fails to go into reverse gear. Consequence is the prospect of up to $5-6000 in repairs to replace.