10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 99,566 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323I. The contact stated that the transmission would not shift into reverse. On one occasion, the failure occurred and caused a fender bender with another vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact spoke with an unknown BMW dealer and an independent mechanic. The mechanic informed the contact that the reverse drum failed due to defective metal. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced because the parts were no longer available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 180,000.
- Bend, OR, USA
The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323ci. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle became stuck in third gear. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and then to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was locked and needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired for a transmission failure in 2003 by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 191,000.
- Qail Valley, CA, USA
The reverse gear is not working. I cannot reverse... this occurred with no warning and for no apparent reason.
- Fresno, CA, USA
The vehicle does not go in reverse. It work intermittently randomly. I notice the complaints on line in www.noreverse.org. thank you for your help
- Houston, TX, USA
The vehicle has a hard time reversing, I can command it to reverse but sometimes nothing happens like it is in neutral, the car is a 2000 and only has 96K miles. This past month I have spoken with BMW about the issue. I let them know I feel it poses a safety risk but they said they cannot help me. Even though it is clearly a mfg. Defect. Just hoping to have an advocate to help me. The car is stationary on a street.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
The car got stuck in the driveway. No reverse. Forward still working.
- Fremont, CA, USA
The car will not go in reverse
- Orlando, FL, USA
Got in car first thing in the morning put it in reverse and nothing happened. It was like it was in neutral. Then car rolled backwards as it was on a slight incline applied breaks and put car in drive and all the forward gears worked fine, tried reverse again and same thing happened didn't move no matter how much throttle was applied. There was no indication/warning that there was a problem, before this the transmission worked great no problems at all.this is a very serious problem as it happens without warning it could seriously injure or kill someone.
- Santa Rosa, CA, USA
The automatic transmission will not power the car in reverse. Forward gears all work normally. This was a sudden failure and after searching on the web, it appears this is a frequent failure of this GM supplied transmission in post 3/2000 bmws with automatic transmissions.
- San Francisco, CA, USA
Well documented no reverse issue for BMW GM transmission D-clutch fracture.
- Scottsville, VA, USA
I just got home and tried to put my 2000 BMW 323I in reverse to park but nothing happened! it was as if the car was in neutral! I am very upset as I have just recently purchased this vehicle. Something needs to be done as I am not the only one who is having this problem. This is a big safety issue that needs to be fixed!
- Stafford, VA, USA
Bought my 2000 BMW 323I brand new, I'm the first and only owner. I have had it only dealer serviced with all records kept. At 67K miles the reverse went out. Dealer told me it was the transmission. Being that it would be in the thousands to fix I continued driving it with no reverse. Meaning I push it. I contacted BMW on several occasions and I was told it was regular wear and tear on the car that caused it. Yet there are thousands of people out there who have reported the same problem on online forums. Shame on BMW for not taking responsibility for this problem.
- Pasadena, CA, USA
The car has 86,000 miles I am original owner and it will no longer engage in reverse! only solution is a new transmission which costs more than book value of car.
- Carle Place, NY, USA
My BMW is one of possible thousands that received a defective transmission made by zf. The reverse drive D hub breaks leaving pieces rattling around inside the transmission and no reverse. Check www.noreverse.org to see a few that have registered their BMW's with comments. Repair cost range from $1800 - $5000 or more depending on particular dealerships and recommendations. I find difficult to believe that BMW has not offered anything in response to this issue that's plaguing so many of their cars with very high repair bills. BMW promoted these cars with "lifetime-no service" transmissions.
- Morehead City, NC, USA
I was preparing to back out of my driveway. The vehicle acted as though it was in "neutral" and did not make any noise or motion. The reverse never showed any signs of trouble. I have been driving the car on a limited basis over the past four months. A short time prior to this, I began to notice a slight vibration in the car while accelerating between the speeds of 25 mph and 30 mph driving forward. It was subtle and actually began to go away. I never experienced any unusual stress, noise, or difficulties while going into reverse prior to finding it completely gone today. I feel extremely fortunate that this occurred in my driveway and did not involve an emergency situation. I fear that it could have put me and my family in great bodily harm, had I not been so lucky. I fear for what this may cost to repair or even evaluate, since many online have expressed a similar situation resulting in thousands of dollars worth of repairs.
- Port Orchard, WA, USA
My BMW 323I abruptly lost the ability to reverse on Saturday, August 3, 2013. The problem is apparently very common to BMW 3-series vehicles that were produced during the late 1990's and early 2000's. there is even a website devoted to it (noreverse.org). BMW should consider doing a recall in order to correct this problem.
- Burlingame, CA, USA
The transmission will not go in reverse. There are so many BMW's with this problem.
- Charleston, SC, USA
Car just stopped going into reverse. This is a issue that is common in many other 2000 3 series.
- Columbia, SC, USA
The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323ci. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 145,000.
- Stone Mountain , GA, USA
- Sparks, NV, USA