2000 BMW 3 Series

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON 2000 BMW 323CI WITH 52,000 MILES FAILED IN REVERSE ONLY. PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND DRIVEN LESS THAN 10,000 MILES PER YEAR. INITIAL DIAGNOSIS COST $327.00, AND TOLD ESTIMATED COST OF REPLACING TRANSMISSION WAS $5500.00. NO REASON FOUND AS TO WHY THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. TOLD THAT IF KEEP DRIVING THE CAR THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL WHICH WAS A SERIOUS DANGER ON THE HIGHWAY.*AK

A WEEK AND A HALF AGO I TOOK THE WELL MAINTAINED 2000 323CI BMW TO DEALER FOR THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE, COSTING OVER $700.00 FOR NORMAL? SERVICING. A DAY AFTER THE SERVICE I HAD TO RETURN THE CAR AS I HAD FOUND WASHER FLUID POOLED UNDER THE VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE. I WAS TOLD THE WASHER PUMP FAILED, I THEN PAID AN ADDITIONAL $100.00 TO HAVE IT FIXED. A WEEK LATER I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO GO DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND HEARD A LOUD ?BANG. THE CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN REVERSE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TODAY THEY INFORMED ME THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, WHICH WOULD COST OVER $5,000.00 FOR REPAIR. I WAS JUST THANKFUL THAT THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN ON THE ROAD. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH STATED THAT BMW WAS AWARE THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION PLACED IN CERTAIN BMW VEHICLES, SPECIFICALLY A TRANSMISSION USED IN THE 3 SERIES MADE BY GM. I THEN WENT ON LINE TO CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM AND NOTED HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 3 SERIES TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND BMW OF FAILING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. BLOG ENTRIES EXPRESSED THE OBVIOUS FRUSTRATION, ENORMOUS COSTS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF FILING A CLASS ACTION SUIT BECAUSE THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION WAS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. OBVIOUSLY MY COMPLAINT WA S TWO-FOLD: 1. THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MECHANISM HAD A RISK FACTOR IN SAFETY IN THAT THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSIONS USED, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO GO OUT WHILE OPERATING ,AND THE ONLY OTHER REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION THAT CAN BE PUT IN WAS THE SAME TYPE WHICH MIGHT SUGGEST THE SAME INCIDENT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN . 2.) THE COST/REPAIR FACTOR WAS UNEXPECTED AND RIDICULOUS BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT A DRIVER OR SERVICE NEGLECT PROBLEM BUT ONE OF DESIGN. WAS THIS A MATTER FOR RECALL AND OR CLASS ACTION SUIT? *AK

I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2000 323I WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE CAR IS CAREFULLY DRIVEN AND CARED FOR. FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS, VANCOUVER BRIAN JESSEL BMW HAS PERFORMED ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE. IT NOW HAS 75,000 KM. THIS MORNING WHEN I WENT TO BACK MY CAR OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. IT FEELS LIKE IT'S IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I CHECKED ON THE INTERNET, I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MANY OTHER BMW OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY THE FACTORY DEFECT ON THE TRANSMISSION. BMW SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT THEIR COST. *TR