2000 BMW 323I

I HAVE A 2000 BMW 323I WITH ZERO ACCIDENTS. THERE ARE 88,000 MILES ON IT, AND SUDDENLY THE REVERSE GEAR IS NOT WORKING. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THIS VERY MAKE AND MODEL. I CONTACTED BMW IMMEDIATELY AND NOT ONLY DID THEY SAY THAT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS TRANSMISSION, BUT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO ABOUT MY SITUATION. THIS IS A RIDICULOUS PROBLEM TO HAVE AT ONLY 88,000 MILES. I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT FORMAL NOTICE OF BMW'S DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2000 BMW 323I WITH 93K MILES. MY CAR HAS NEVER MISSED A SERVICING. YESTERDAY, WHILE PARKED, IT WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE. THERE WAS NOT WARNING THAT ANYTHING WAS FAILING. I TOOK IT TO AN AUTHORIZED BMW SPECIALIST, AND THEY TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THEY QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $5,520 TO INSTALL A REBUILT TRANSMISSION FROM BMW. I HAVE READ ONLINE OF HUNDREDS OF VERY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, ESPECIALLY WITH BMW 2000 323I. I AM SEEKING INFORMATION ON THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SETTLED IN NJ IN 10/08, MDL 1922. BMW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY, THE TRANSMISSION WAS BUILT BY GM. THE SAME TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED IN THE CADILLAC. WHEN THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED, GM RECALLED ALL THE CADILLAC'S. BMW SHOULD DO THE SAME THING. A TRANSMISSION NOT GOING IN REVERSE IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE HELP! *TR

MY 2000 BMW 323I AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAD NO REVERSE AT 72,000 MILES. ALL THE OTHER GEARS WORK FINE. THERE WAS NO SIGNS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND COST ME $3000. ITS BEEN 4 YEARS SINCE AND STILL NO RECALL DESPITE THE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND SITUATION. BMW OUTSOURCED THIS TRANSMISSION TO GM WHO USED THE SAME ONE ON THEIR ESCALADES WHICH ALSO FAILED. GM REPLACED THEIR TRANSMISSIONS, BUT THEY WOULDN'T REPLACE BMW'S BECAUSE IT WAS OUTSOURCED....IT WOULD BE REAL NICE IF SOMETHING WAS DONE AND I GET BACK SOME OF THIS MONEY SOME DAY... *TR

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. *TR

MY BMW 323I NO LONGER GOES INTO REVERSE. I READ ONLINE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN BMWS AND I'M WONDERING WHY BMW HASN'T ISSUED A RECALL SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL AS AN IDENTIFIED COMMON PROBLEM. THE WEBSITE I FOUND OTHER COMPLAINTS ON IS: HTTP://WWW.NOREVERSE.ORG/COMPLAINTS.HTML THE PROBLEM PRESENTLY IS CONSTANT - THE CAR JUST HAS NO REVERSE FUNCTION ANY LONGER. I HAVE NOT HAD IT LOOKED AT BY A SHOP AS THEY WANT $550 TO TAKE THE TRANSMISSION OUT TO EVALUATE (AND THAT COST GOES TOWARD EXPENSE OF REPAIR BUT IF THE REPAIR IS UNAFFORDABLE - IT IS TOO RISKY TO HAVE THEM DO THE EVALUATION AND SPEND $550 FOR NOTHING). SO NOW I'M IN A POSITION WHERE I CAN'T EASILY SELL THE CAR EITHER SINCE I CAN'T EXACTLY DETERMINE EASILY WHAT IS WRONG. FROM WHAT I READ IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE D-G CLUTCH DRUM THAT CAUSES THIS PROBLEM AND THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT IS TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION. THIS SAME CAR ABOUT 4-5 YEARS AGO HAD FAULTY WIRES WITH THE FAN WHICH WOULD NOT STOP RUNNING. THIS CAUSED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE AND $5000 WORTH OF DAMAGE. *TR

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. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2000 BMW 323I IN 2004 THAT HAD BEEN MAINTAINED IMMACULATELY. AT 72,000 MILES, THE CAR SIMPLY WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. MY FATHER TOOK THE CAR TO BMW DEALERSHIP CLOSEST TO MY HOME AND THEY SAID IT WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND REPAIRS WERE GOING TO BE ABOUT $5000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. FORTUNATELY, HE IS MECHANICALLY SAVVY, AND FOUND A MECHANIC TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION FOR ABOUT $2000. AFTER READING ONLINE THAT BMW WILL DO NOTHING TO HELP REPLACE/REPAIR THE THOUSANDS OF CARS THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN, I HAVE TO SAY I AM SEVERELY DISAPPOINTED. WHAT ONCE WAS MY "DREAM CAR" HAS TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE. *TR