2004 BMW 3 Series Powertrain & Transmission Problems

THE VEHICLE (1.6 TURBO) HAS A HESITANCY TO ENGAGE IN ACCELERATION RELATIVE TO PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ONCE ENGAGED, IT IMMEDIATELY JUMPS OUT TO A QUICK, JOLTING AND WHAT FEELS LIKE AN UNCONTROLLABLE START. THIS TYPICALLY HAPPENS AT STOP/START INTERSECTIONS WHERE THE CAR COMES TO A FULL AND COMPLETE STOP. YESTERDAY, (07.20.16) THE VEHICLE CHOKED AND SPUTTERED AND ALMOST STALLED ON A SMALL RISE WHEN TRAFFIC STARTED MOVING THROUGH A JUST-TURNED GREEN LIGHT AT A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION DURING RUSH HOUR. THE TACHOMETER WINDS OUT IN A MANNER DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE SPEEDOMETER READING. THIS DOES NOT MIMIC THE EFFECTS OF A TURBO LAG. RATHER, IT FEELS LIKE THE VEHICLE ISN'T GETTING A TIMELY DELIVERY OF GAS TO THE ENGINE FIRING MECHANISMS (WE WOULD LIKEN IT TO A DIRTY FUEL LINE OR A CLOGGED CARBURETOR ON OLDER CARS), OR THE DUAL CLUTCH SYSTEM IS DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT TO GET IN GEAR WHEN DEMANDED, OR WHATEVER DEVICE THAT INTERPRETS DRIVER COMMANDS (PEDAL PUSHING) TO ENGINE PERFORMANCE ISN'T RESPONDING EFFICIENTLY. THE CAR HAS HAD ONE SHOP VISIT FOR THIS ISSUE AND THE DEALER (WERNER HYUNDAI, TALLAHASSEE) STATED THEY 'RESET THE SOFTWARE." I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THE WEEK OF JULY 25, 2016. UNFORTUNATELY, I ANTICIPATE THIS ISSUE WILL LEAD TO A WRECK, MOST LIKELY FROM 1) BEING HIT FROM BEHIND AS THE CAR TRIES TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT TO ACCELERATE, OR 2) BEING T-BONED AT AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE CAR WON'T ACCELERATE THROUGH A RUSH-HOUR YELLOW LIGHT, OR 3) BEING T-BONED BECAUSE MY CAR LAUNCHED (LITERALLY) OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC (THAT INITIALLY WAS AT A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY) ONCE IT GOT PAST THE CHOKE/SPUTTER/STALL POINT....UPDATED 08/01/16 *BF *TR

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TAKES A LONG TIME TO ENGAGE WHEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE BUT ONCE IT GETS GOING, IT SHIFTS SMOOTHLY. I SPOKE TO A TECHNICIAN AND THERE IS NO KNOWN FIX FOR IT.

MY VEHICLE IS A BMW 325, 2004 AND I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY REVERSE. WHEN I PLACE MY CAR IN REVERSE, IT DOES NOT MOVE. I HAVE READ OF SEVERAL ISSUES PERTAINING TO THIS PROBLEM IN BMW VEHICLES FROM 2000 - 2005. MOREOVER, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT THAT WAS SETTLED IN NJ. I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IF THE NHTSA IS PURSUING AND INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER. *TR

MY CAR WILL NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR ON MY 04 BMW 330CI SMG TRANSMISSION. *TR

I OWNED THE CAR FOR A YEAR BEFORE IT STARTED GIVING ME PROBLEMS. IT FIRST GAVE ME A PROBLEM CHANGING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. IT SLIPS AND WONT GO INTO GEAR. THE MOST DANGEROUS IS WHEN IM TURNING A CORNER AND THE CAR PUTS ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL. AT THIS TIME IT IS NOT DRIVABLE AND I'VE RESEARCHED IT AND IT IS COMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE ISN'T A RECALL. ITS DANGEROUS! I'VE TAKEN IT TO A MECHANIC AND FOR A SECOND OPINION AT BMW. THE COST TO REPAIR MY CAR IS OVER $5,000, IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE NEWER BMW. NOW IM WITHOUT A CAR WAITING TO GET APPROVED FOR ANOTHER LOAN JUST TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. *TR

AN ALMOST FATAL CRASH. CAR WAS BACKED UP FROM GARAGE IN THE MORNING INTO THE STREET, PUT IN D POSITION BUT THERE WERE NO POWER TO THE WHEELS FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10 SECONDS. CAR APPROACHING FROM BEHIND ON THE STREET NEEDED TO SWERVE TO AVOID REAR ENDING MY CAR. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS CONTINUOUSLY WHEN THE CAR IS COLD (SITTING FOR MORE THAN 8 HOURS). THERE IS A DELAY OF ABOUT 10 SECONDS FOR POWER TO ENGAGE IN D POSITION. ACCORDING TO ONLINE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AND BMW DEALER, THIS CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE IS RELATED TO A SOFTWARE ISSUE IN THE TRANSMISSION. A SOFTWARE UPGRADE FIXES THE PROBLEM BUT WHEN APPROACHING BMW FOR THIS CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE, THEY REFUSE TO PROVIDE THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE FOR FREE AND THE DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE $360 TO UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE. *TR

A YEAR AGO, I BROUGHT MY 2004 BMW 325 XI IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. WHEN I PICKED THE CAR UP, THE BMW SHOP EXPLAINED THAT THEY FOUND PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE CV OUTER AXLE BOOTS. BOTH BOOTS WERE SPLIT AND LEAKING GREASE, AND THE AXLES WERE TURNING DRY.. THEY REPLACED BOTH BOOTS UNDER WARRANTY. IN DECEMBER 2010, CAR WAS VIBRATING WHILE RIDING. THEY STATED THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE RIGHT FRONT CV SHAFT (AXLE). THEY DID THIS AND THE VIBRATION STOPPED. NATURALLY, THIS WAS NOT COVERED SINCE MY CERTIFIED CAR WARRANTY EXPIRED IN JULY 2010. I BELIEVE BMW SHOULD HAVE DISCOVERED THE DEFECT TO THE AXLE WHEN THEY FOUND IT RUNNING DRY IN JANUARY. IN DRIVING THE CAR BEFORE THE REPAIR, I BELIEVE BMW PUT ME IN JEOPARDY BY NOT REPAIRING THE AXLE. THIS COULD DEFINITELY BE A HAZARD, RIDING ON A SHAKY DEFECTIVE AXLE. *TR

AT AROUND 20K MILES, THE SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX W/ PADDLE SHIFTERS) ON MY '04 325CI BEGAN EXPERIENCING MANY OF THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT I'VE READ ABOUT REGARDING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. AFTER A COLD NIGHT, THE SMG WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. IT WOULD KEEP "CLUNKING" OVER AND OVER, CONTINUALLY LOUDER, UNTIL I SHIFTED BACK INTO NEUTRAL. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO BMW, WHERE THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANNY. AT 83K MILES, I'M STARTING TO NOTICE SOME OF THE SAME PROBLEMS AGAIN. ADDITIONALLY, WITH BOTH TRANNYS, THE CAR DELAYS ITS ACCELERATION FOR ABOUT A SECOND OR TWO WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM. ON TOP OF THAT, MY ALTERNATOR JUST WENT OUT AFTER A COLD NIGHT. IN MY OPINION, BMW'S (AT LEAST MINE) DO NOT LIKE THE COLD! *TR

TL* 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.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE - I STARTED MY CAR, LET IT WARM UP AND MOVED THE SHIFTER TO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE JERKED (MY GLASSES FLEW OFF MY FACE) AND MADE A ROUGH GRINDING SOUND. I MOVED THE SHIFTER BACK TO PARK AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME GRINDING SENSATION AND NOISE. IT WAS TOWED AND DEALER SAID THAT THE 330CI WAS ONLY USING TWO GEARS DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION. *TR

DT: CONTACT STATES WHILE IN REVERSE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE SERVICE DEALER DID NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEALER STATED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE, BUT THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL CONCERNING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE SERVICE DEALER STATED THAT RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE TWICE ON THIS VEHICLE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPED ON LOW TRAFFIC STOPPED AND MOVED FORWARD, THE CLUTCH DIDN'T ENGAGE PROPERLY AND SMELLED BURNING . DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM . *AK

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. *JB

BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN DEC. TRANSMISSION FAILED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. DEALER TALKED US INTO HAVING A CLUTCH PACK REPLACEMENT AFTER SOFTWARE UPGRADE ATTEMPTS FAILED.*AK NOW THE CAR HAS A NOXIOUS STINKING SMELL EMMINATING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION EXPERT SAYS THE CLUTCH IS SLIPPING AND BURNING INSULATION. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO HIGHWAY WITH THREE PASSENGERS DOWNSHIFTED FOR MORE TORQUE THE ENGINE REVVED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE. BMW DEALER AND BMWNA ARE UNWILLING TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. THEY SAY CAR IS PERFORMING NORMALLY. PLEASE HELP.

I FILED A PETITION FOR A DEFECTS INVESTIGATION AS WELL AS A COMPLAINT ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH A 2004 BMW 325XI WITH A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, RESULTING IN DELAYED ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS "LURCHING" OF THE VEHICLE WHEN ACCELERATING AND/OR BRAKING. VEHICLE WENT BACK FOR REPAIR - AFTER HAD SLIGHT DELAYED ENGAGEMENT AGAIN, PART FELL OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN, LOUD FLAPPING NOISE STARTED IN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD, THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WARNING LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON - 2300 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN OUT OF MY POSSESSION 4 WEEKS OF THE 3 MONTHS. THE VA OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS HAS SUGGESTED PURSUING THE STATE'S LEMON LAW. THE BMWBOARD ON-LINE HAS MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND A PORTION OF MY PETITION (THE ADDENDUM) WAS POSTED, GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT BMW IS VOLUNTARILY RECALLING THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ... I WAS TOLD THAT MIGHT HAPPEN, BUT I AM NOT AWARE THAT IT ACTUALLY HAS HAPPENED. I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT CARS MANUFACTURED AFTER DECEMBER 2003 ARE FREE OF THE DEFECT ... FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING ON THIS AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AND THE BMWBOARD, THAT IS NOT TRUE. BEWARE. IF I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS FILED A PETITION, BUT YOU ARE READING THIS AND YOU ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH YOUR 3 SERIES OR X5, FILE A PETITION, TOO ... THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET SOME ACTION FROM BMW ... THIS IS A POWDER KEG. I BOUGHT THE CAR ON DEC. 15, 2003 AND HAVE HAD PROBLEMS FROM DAY 1. THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY ... I HAVE GIVEN IT TIME; BMW HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM ... WITH A LOT OF INPUT FROM ME ... BECAUSE THEY HAVE TOLD ME BASICALLY THAT I'M IMAGINING THINGS ... I'M NOT ... AND STILL I HAVE A NEW PROBLEM EVERY TIME I GET IN THE CAR. THIS IS WRONG ... PLEASE SPEAK UP. THE DEALERSHIPS SEEM TO BE UNIFORMLY "POOH-POOHING" THE PROBLEM. THAT IS WRONG.

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.

THE BMW 325XIT (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) WHICH I PURCHASED ON 2/5/2004 DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH FORWARD GEAR NOT ENGAGING ON A COLD START. THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 1000 MILES ON IT WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM. TYPICALLY ON A MORNING WHEN I BACK THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE, AND THEN SHIFT THE GEARS FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, THE VEHICLE FAILS TO MOVE FORWARD FOR 3 TO 4 SECONDS UPON RELEASING THE BRAKE. I WOULD HAVE TO PRESS DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL AND WATCH THE ENGINE REVV TO ANYWHERE BETWEEN 3-5K RPM BEFORE THE GEAR WOULD ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE CREEPS FORWARD UNTIL THE GEAR FULLY ENGAGES. THE PROBLEM HAS NO FAR BEEN RATHER CONSISTENT - IT HAPPENS QUITE PREDICTABLY EVERY MORNING. I HAVE NOT HOWEVER NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH GEAR ENGAGEMENT ONCE THE CAR IS ABLE TO START.*AK

I PURCHASED A 330I BMW IN DECEMBER OF 2003. THE CAR HAS LESS THEN 1500 MILES ON IT AND HAS DEVELOPED A HUGE PROBLEM. IN THE MORNINGS WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD, THE ENGINE WILL REV WHEN ITS IN DRIVE AND NOT GO INTO GEAR. IT TAKES QUITE A FEW SECONDS FOR IT TO ENGAGE INTO 'D'. THE CAR WILL ALSO JERK INTO 1ST GEAR AFTER IT FINALLY STARTS TO DRIVE. I HAVE JUST TAKEN MY BRAND NEW BMW INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR TEST ON IT AND UNBELIEVABLE TO MY EARS.....I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THEM SAYING THE WHOLE ENGINE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED...."THERE IS SOME KIND OF FLAW".....AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET AND FINDING OUT THAT THE BMW 3 SERIES HAS MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM..I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF AND VERY UPSET. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL BY BMW. THIS WAS MY FIRST BMW...AND AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE...MAY BE MY LAST...IF NOTHING IS DONE IN THE FUTURE TO CORRECT THIS OBVIOUS TRANSMISSION FLAW! *NM

I OWN A 2004 BMW 330CI. DRIVING IN REVERSE OUT OF MY GARAGE AND DRIVEWAY FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, THEN SHIFTING TO DRIVE WHEN I REACH THE STREET, THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE UNTIL ABOUT 3-10 SECONDS. THE CAR WILL ROLL FREELY DURING THIS TIME AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. I HAVE NOT HAD AN INCIDENT OR CRASH, BUT FEAR IT IS A POSSIBILITY IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR ON A HILL OR IF A CAR WERE TO APPROACH AND I COULDN'T GET OUT OF THE WAY. I CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP CONCERNING THIS AND THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT, DESPITE NUMEROUS REPORTS I HAVE READ ONLINE FROM OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

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. *NM