2006 BMW 3 Series Powertrain & Transmission Problems

OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET LEAKED ON TO ALTERNATOR CAUSING THE ALTERNATOR TO OVER HEAT AND MELT INTERNAL COMPONENTS WHICH CAUSING LACK OF POWER AND MULTIPLE FALSE CHECK ENGINE CODES TO COME ON AND SMOKE CLOUDED MY VIEW WHILE DRIVING SO VERY COMMON PROBLEM IS THE HEATER CORE LEAKING TOO

AIR BAG. WARNING SENSOR,ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS WARNING,POWER STEERING LEAKING,BRAKES CLUMPING,BLOWER HEATER MOTOR AND MODULE HAD TO REPLACE.

WHEN I PUSH THE BRAKE FOR A COMPLETE STOP, IT WILL STOP BUT MILISECONDS AFTER THAT I WILL GET JUMPY. IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR SOMEONE THAT IS NOT USED TO THE VEHICLE, IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS ABOUT TO HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT. IT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR WHEN I AM GOING TO PARK MY VEHICLE.

OIL KEEP LEAKING OUT OF TRAINING. IT WAS FIXED TWICE SO FAR. BACK BRAKE LINE KEEPS BREAKING WHEN YOU DRIVE IN SNOW.

VEHICLE ROLLED ON FLAT SURFACE WHILE IN PARK. *TR

TRANSMISSION OIL LEAK. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE LEFT LANE, TRYING TO PASS A CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE. AFTER GETTING IN FRONT OF THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE, I TRIED TO ACCELERATE SO I COULD RE-ENTER THE MIDDLE LANE, BUT THE CAR ACTED AS IF IT SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE ENGINE GROWLED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. IT KEPT DRIVING, BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, DESPITE ME STEPPING HARDER ON THE GAS. THIS WAS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AS THERE WAS A CAR IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME, WHICH COULD HAVE REAR ENDED ME AT OVER 60MPH, AND THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE THAT I WAS TRYING TO PASS COULD HAVE ALSO HIT ME ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR. IN RESEARCHING THIS, MANY BMW OWNERS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS, AND YET BMW HAS NOT ISSUED AN INVESTIGATION OR RECALL: HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/BMW_TRANS.HTML THERE ARE 650 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AT THE ABOVE LINK. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS LIKE THIS UNDER 75K MILES. *TR

CAR ONLY HAS 63,000 MILES. THE ALUMINUM BOLTS FOR THE VALVE COVER AND THE HEAD BOLTS SHEARED OFF WHILE DRIVING. STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND CAR STARTS TO SHAKE, CHECK ENGINE SIGN LIGHTS, OIL SIGN LIGHTS, ONCE I GAVE IT GAS. OIL IS LEAKING FROM CAR. CAR IS TOWED AND MECHANIC SHOWS ME DAMAGE. BROKEN ALUMINUM BOLTS FELL INSIDE OF ENGINE. BOLT IS WEDGED BETWEEN TIMING CHAIN AND GEAR. THE ENGINE IS DESTROYED. KNOWN DEFECT FOR 2006 MODELS, BUT BMW NORTH AMERICA WILL NOT COVER DAMAGE. HAVE CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA THREE TIMES NOW. BMW SWITCHED BOLT TYPE IN FOLLOWING YEARS. OTHERS REPORTING SAME PROBLEM. SAFETY HAZARD. WHAT IF I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WHEN MY CAR STOPPED? CAR WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. BMW NEEDS TO ADMIT TO THEIR MISTAKE AND COVER THE DAMAGES. A RECALL SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE FOR THE BOLTS. JUST RIDICULOUS THAT A COMPANY KNOWN FOR QUALITY WILL DO THIS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. I HOPE THE DOT TAKES IT UPON THEMSELVES TO HOLD BMW ACCOUNTABLE. OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT [XXX]. LOOKING FOR A POTENTIAL RESOLUTION. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION PAN. THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING A TICKING SOUND AND JERKED WHEN IT WAS SHIFTED INTO PARK. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION PAN AND FILTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED; THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE PAN WAS MADE OF PLASTIC AND HAD A TENDENCY TO BECOME WARPED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM ABOVE THE PAN FROM THE ENGINE AS WELL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 62,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000.

PROBLEM WITH PASSENGERS SIDE MIRROR NOT RESETTING AND THE CAR JERKS WHEN PRESSING ON GAS PEDAL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 10 MPH IN TRAFFIC ON FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 2008, AT 5 P.M., IN HOUSTON,WHEN MY 2006 BMW 325I BEGAN SMOKING IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND BURST INTO FLAMES BY THE TIME I GOT IT PARKED. I FIRST NOTICED THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND THEN SMOKE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN FILLING THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOTALED BY THE TIME THE HFD ARRIVED. THE CAR WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AND HAD NO RECENT SERVICE OR PROBLEMS. IT HAD NO PREVIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. THE AC JUST BEGAN BLOWING WARM AIR, AND SMOKE STARTED POURING INTO THE COMPARTMENT FROM ABOVE AND BELOW THE DASHBOARD - NOT FROM THE AC. THE CAR WAS RUNNING FINE UNTIL IT BURST INTO FLAMES. IT HAD TO BE A MECHANICAL DEFECT OR AN ELECTRICAL SHORT OF SOME KIND. *TR

TWICE IN 6 WEEKS I HAVE LOST THROTTLE RESPONSE OF THE CAR AT 70+ MPH ON HIGHWAYS. THIS IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR AND I HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BOTH TIMES AVOIDING CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS. THE CAR BEHAVES AS IF IT HAS RUN OUT OF GAS BUT THERE WAS AT LEAST 1/4 OF A TANK OF GAS. BMW REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP THE FIRST TIME IN LATE MARCH. IT IS CURRENTLY IN THE BMW SHOP NOW. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.*AK

WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP THE ENGINE LURCHES BADLY 1-3 TIMES BEFORE IT BEGINS TO ACTUALLY ACCELERATE. THIS HAS OCCURRED EVER SINCE PURCHASE IN 11/06. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON HUNDREDS OF OCCASIONS AND HAS NEARLY CAUSE ME MANY ACCIDENTS BY GETTING REAR-ENDED BY CARS AND SEMI'S. I LIKE ON A SIDE STREET NEXT TO A HIGHWAY AND WHEN I TRY TO PULL OUT ONTO THE HIGHWAY QUICKLY THE CAR LURCHES SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE ACTUALLY CATCHING AND MOVING. I'VE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEAL WHO SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. HOWEVER I'VE CHECKED ON A WEBSITE (TOPIX.COM) AND THEIR ARE MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, WHICH BMW DENIES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS!!!! *TR

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2006 BMW 330 XI WITH A MANUAL GEAR SHIFT. THE DESIGN OF THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS IS SUCH THAT ONE CAN ACCIDENTALLY STEP ON BOTH THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND THE ARM OF THE BREAK PEDAL WHILE DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH, THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO STOP SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. IT HAS OCCURRED TO ME WHEN CROSSING INTERSECTIONS AND MOST RECENTLY, WHILE MY WIFE WAS MERGING INTO EXPRESSWAY TRAFFIC, THIS IS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE CAR WAS REVIEWED BY THE DEALER AND I SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE FROM BMW, THEY INSIST THAT THIS IS THE WAY THE CAR WAS DESIGNED AND THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ALSO, WHEN YOU DEPRESS THE CLUTCH WITH THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FOOT, THE END OF YOUR TOE CAN SLIDE BETWEEN THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE ARMS, THIS INTERFERES WITH THE ACTION OF THE BREAK PEDAL. MY WIFE AN I ARE EXPERIENCED STICK SHIFT DRIVERS, WE HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL STICK SHIFT CARS FOR 40 YEARS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENS TO US; WE HAVE HAD FOUR CLOSE CALLS IN A MONTH. *NM