IllustrationTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. SHE STATED THAT WHEN THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. THE FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED WHILE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY IN ALL OTHER GEARS. THE DEALER HAS NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 61,850.
2000 BMW 323I
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 323I years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
130–25K
2525–50K
5950–75K
8175–100K
86100–150K
34150K+
298 reports with mileage · 103 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 235 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports2 fire reports17 injury reports
Power Train complaints
235 reportsTHE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO PERFORM IN REVERSE. IT SIMPLY ACTED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND UPSETTING TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY WHERE AND WHEN IT DID. I WAS STUCK AND HAD TO HAVE REVERSE TO LEAVE THE LOCATION WHERE I HAD TAKEN MY DAUGHTER. ONLY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF TWO (2) MEN WAS I ABLE TO GET THE…
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THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO PERFORM IN REVERSE. IT SIMPLY ACTED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND UPSETTING TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY WHERE AND WHEN IT DID. I WAS STUCK AND HAD TO HAVE REVERSE TO LEAVE THE LOCATION WHERE I HAD TAKEN MY DAUGHTER. ONLY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF TWO (2) MEN WAS I ABLE TO GET THE CAR WHERE I COULD USE THE FORWARD GEAR TO MOVE AHEAD. THIS MANUAL MANEUVERING OF THIS CAR PUT THE MEN HELPING ME, IT PUT ME, AND IT PUT OTHERS ON THE ROADWAY AT RISK WHILE THIS MANEUVERING WAS BEING DONE AT, OBVIOUSLY, VERY LOW SPEEDS. BMW HAS NOT OFFERED ANY SUBSTANTIAL HELP WITH MY PLIGHT, NOR DO THEY CONFIRM ALL OF THE OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH THE BMW 3 SERIES, 2000 AND LATER. PART OF THE LITANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINT CAN BE FOUND ON THE CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM BLOG SITE. I'M CONFIDENT BMW IS AWARE OF THESE COMPLAINTS. THEY SIMPLY TRY TO LOOK AWAY AND IGNORE US ALL. *TR
COULD NOT BACK UP IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION (NO REVERSE AND NO WARNING). 323I BMW 2000 TRANSMISSION FAILED. *TR
TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE. *TR
MY 2000 BMW 323I ABRUPTLY STOPPED GOING IN REVERSE. LIKE MANY DISSATISFIED 323I OWNERS, I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP ONLY TO FIND OUT IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND MANY OTHER BMW OWNERS ARE DEALING WITH THIS FRUSTRATION. THE COMPLAINTS ARE BEING LOGGED ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAI…
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MY 2000 BMW 323I ABRUPTLY STOPPED GOING IN REVERSE. LIKE MANY DISSATISFIED 323I OWNERS, I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP ONLY TO FIND OUT IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND MANY OTHER BMW OWNERS ARE DEALING WITH THIS FRUSTRATION. THE COMPLAINTS ARE BEING LOGGED ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/BMW_TRANS.HTML *TR
AUTO TRANSMISSION REVERSE FAILED WITH NO WARNING AT 87,000 MILES. BMW SAYS REPLACE TRANSMISSION AT FULL COST. *TR
THE REVERSE GEAR IN MY 2000 BMW 323I HAS FAILED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, IT FAILED TO MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. A LOCAL MECHANIC MADE THE REPAIR. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 29,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000. THE CONSUMER QUE…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323I. WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, IT FAILED TO MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. A LOCAL MECHANIC MADE THE REPAIR. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 29,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000. THE CONSUMER QUESTIONED WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY BMW WILL NOT ADMIT TO THE DEFECT WITH THIS SPECIFIC VEHICLE THAT HAS BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS? UPDATED 08/07/07 *TR
BMW IS NOT ON YOUR LIST OF VEHICLES! TRANSMISSION FAILED ON 2000 323I BMW WITH ONLY 57K. SCANNING ONLINE COMPLAINTS ABOUT 323I TRANSMISSION FAILURES IT SEEMS NHTSA SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THE UNIT BY NOW! *TR
2000 BMW 323I SERIES FAILED TO GO INTO REVERSE. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS INVOLVING THIS YEAR ONLY FOUND ON CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM LEADING ME TO BELIEVE A RECALL WAS APPROPRIATE. ALL INCIDENTS WERE IDENTICAL AND HAPPENED WITH AS LOW AS 30000 MILES. *AK
Official recalls
721V401000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
May 27, 2021
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2001 BMW 3 Series (323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci and 330Ci), 1999-2001 323i, 328i, 330i, 330xi, and 2000 323i, 328i stationwagon vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles are equipped with driver-side air bag inflators that were previously inspected, but not replaced under recall numbers 19V-851, 19V852, or 19V-853. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to explode or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The inflator could explode during air bag deployment, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag inflator with a newly designed inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 12, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
20V018000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Jan 15, 2020
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323iT, 325iT, 325xiT, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, M3 Coupe, 323Cic, 325Cic, 330Cic, and M3 Convertible vehicles equipped with non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN inflators and PSPI passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
19V852000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Nov 26, 2019
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2000 323i and 328i and 2000 323Ci and 328Ci vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These inflators do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy: BMW will mail interim notices informing owners of the safety risk on January 17, 2020. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Dealers will inspect the driver air bag inflators and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. BMW mailed interim notices informing owners of the safety risk on January 17, 2020. The recall began July 27, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
19V853000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Nov 26, 2019
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2001 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i and 2000-2001 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, 323iT, and 325iT vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver air bag as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy: BMW notified owners, and Dealers will replace the driver air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
14V428000 · Air Bags
Jun 11, 2018
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000 323i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sports Wagons; 2000 328i sedans and coupes; 2001-2005 325i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sport Wagons; 2001-2005 325xi sedans and Sports Wagons; 2006 325i coupes and convertibles; 2001-2006 330i sedans, coupes, and convertibles; 2001-2005 330xi sedans; and 2001-2006 M3 coupes and convertibles to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag which may produce excessive internal pressure that could cause the air bag inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure could cause rupturing of the inflator resulting in metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the passenger seat occupant or other occupants.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side frontal air bag, free of charge. An interim notice was mailed to owners in September 2014. A second notice was mailed when an adequate supply of parts became available, on December 1, 2014. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
02V223000 · Air Bags:side/window
Aug 9, 2002
ON CERTAIN 4-DOOR PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM COULD DEPLOY IN CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS, SUCH AS WHEN CONTACTING LARGE POTHOLES OR CURBS AT SUBSTANTIAL SPEEDS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE THE SIDE AIR BAG AND HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM TO DEPLOY WITHOUT AN ACTUAL SIDE CRASH OR IMPACT SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. UNEXPECTED DEPLOYMENT OF THE SIDE AIR BAG COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY IF THE OCCUPANT'S HEAD IS RESTING NEAR THE SIDE AIR BAG.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL RECALIBRATE THE CENTRAL AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH A NON-CRASH DEPLOYMENT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 25, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
00V048000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Feb 17, 2000
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE BRAKE LAMPS IN THESE VEHICLES ARE CONTROLLED BY A SWITCH ACTIVATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS SWITCH COULD FAIL INTERNALLY, CAUSING IT TO REMAIN EITHER IN THE "BRAKE LAMPS OFF" POSITION OR IN THE "BRAKE LAMPS ON" POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS HAPPENS, THE BRAKE LAMPS EITHER WILL NOT OPERATE OR WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED, REGARDLESS OF BRAKE PEDAL POSITION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE EXISTING BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WITH AN IMPROVED SWITCH.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.