1999 BMW 3 Series power train problems

“" BMW [XXX] [NO-REVERSE] TRANSMISSION"-HELLO, I'M A 17 MALE STUDENT WHO WORKS A PART TIME JOB, EVER SINCE I WAS A KID I HAVE DREAMED ON HAVING A BMW FOR MY FIRST CAR,AND DO I SAVED MY MONEY SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD. I BOUGHT MY CAR IN MAY AND WAS EXTREMELY HAPPY! BUT JUST THE OTHER DAY I WAS STUCK AT SCHOOL BECAUSE MY CAR WON'T REVERSE? ALSO LAST WEEK THERE WAS A ROAD BLOCK BY THE POLICE AND SO I HAD TO REVERSE TO GO BACK BUT OF COURSE MY LUCK,THE REVERSE ISSUE STARTED TO HAPPEN IN THAT SITUATION, HAD TO GET A TOWING TRUCK TO HELP ME OUT.. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED AND SO I CALLED A COUPLE OF MECHANICS AND BMW AND THE COST ON FIXING THIS ISSUE COST AS MUCH.AS THE CAR!! AND I AM ONLY 17 WITH NOT SO MUCH MONEY DUE TO SPENDING IT ON "THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE".. LOOK AT THIS SITE "HTTP://WWW.NOREVERSE.ORG/COMPLAINTS_2009Q3.HTML" MANY PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE I DON'T THINK I HAVE TO PAY $5000 ON A WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSION IF I WASN'T WARNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE BY BMW! THE CAR WAS NOT EVEN WORTH THAT MUCH AND AGAIN I'M ONLY 17 AND WORK A PART TIMED JOB.. THIS IS MY ONLY RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION, I AM AFRAID ON FUTURE ACCIDENTS AND PROBLEMS IF I DON'T FIX THIS…”

“BMW 323I 1999 I PURCHASED THIS BMW TODAY. UPON ARRIVING HOME I SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, NOTHING HAPPENED. SHUT OFF VEHICLE WITH SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AS STATED IN MANUAL NO CHANGE. VEHICLE WAS TEST DRIVEN ALL DAY FROM MEETING UP OF SELLER TO LENDING INSTITUTION. UPON ARRIVAL AT HOME VEHICLE WOULD NO SHIFT INTO REVERSE. *JS”

“MY 1999 NMW 328I WONT GO INTO REVERSE ON OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS IN A DARK PARKING AREA ALONE. THE CAR GAVE ME NO WARNING. I HAD DRIVEN THE CAR ALL THE DAY AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I GOT INTO THE CAR LATER TO GO HOME AND IT WOULDN'T GO INTO REVERSE. I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR SO THAT I COULD GO INTO DRIVE WHICH WORKS FINE. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE BMW PLACE AT 10,000 MILES TO GET TRANSMISSION SERVICED AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO NEED BECAUSE IT WAS A LIFETIME TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE BMW PLACE IN TALLAHASSEE FLORIDA CAPITAL EURO CHECKED THE CAR. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR ALMOST A MONTH AND THE PROBLEM WOULDN'T HAPPEN FOR THEM SO THEY COULDN'T TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I TOOK THE CAR HOME AND IT WAS FINE FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND STARTED AGAIN. IT DOESN'T DO IT OFTEN BUT IM SCARED TO DRIVE IT FAR OR TO MUCH SO IM LIMITED TO WHERE I CAN GO BECAUSE I CANT AFFORD A NEW TRANSMISSION RIGHT NOW AND MY CAR IS PAID FOR. *TR”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BMW 323I. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE GEAR SHIFT SLIPPED INTO REVERSE ON ITS OWN AND THE RPMS INCREASED. THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR LIGHTS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH AND STATED SHE LOOKED AT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL TO SEE WHAT GEAR THE VEHICLE WAS IN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.”

“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. *TR”

“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. *TR”