Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| DP04001 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 02/03/2004 | 05/27/2004 | DELAYED TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT | ||
| Ms. claire m. tieder of reston, va, submitted a defect petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) by letter dated january 11, 2004, requesting a defect investigation be conducted into delayed transmission engagement on model year 2004 bmw xi vehicles.bmw's response to nhtsa's information request indicated that certain bmw 3-series vehicles equipped with the gm5 transmission may exhibited a forward 'park' to 'drive' engagement delay from2 to 30 seconds.however, the condition can occur only during a vehicle cold start, after the vehicle has been at rest for more than eight hours.drivers experiencing the delay have learned to take precautionary and compensatory measures.bwm will replace affected transmissions exhibiting the delay, after the condition has been verified, with an improved unit.no alleged crashes, injuries, or fatalities have been reported to either bmw or nhtsa relating to this issue.based on analysis of nhtsa's consumer complaints and bmw's data, the petition is denied.for details, see federal register, vol. 69, no. 91 (may 11, 2004). | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/26/2011 | 90400 | ||
| My car will not shift into gear on my 04 bmw 330ci smg transmission | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/29/2007 | 1 | 04/28/2004 | |
| 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 | |||
| 03/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 12/18/2003 | 0 | 06/12/2003 | |
| When vehicle is cold (typically in the morning) while reversing out of the driveway, once the car is then shifted from reverse into drive there is a very noticeable delay in the time it takes for the car to actually engage into drive (5 to 7 seconds or so). dealer found an internal failure and replaced the transmission. dealer stated that at least 12 other 3-series bmw's had a failed transmission and required replacement. owners should contact their dealer. i feel this should be a recall. | |||
| 11/01/2003 | 3000 | 1 | 08/01/2003 |
| Automatic transmission problem of bmw 2004 330ci. after cold start transmission engaged with significant delay (~5 sec.) . *ak | |||
| 02/14/2004 | 1000 | 20 | 11/28/2003 |
| Car has delay when shifting from reverse to forward on cold starts. car downshift hard under braking. car revs high on quick acceleration.*ak | |||
| 02/14/2004 | 1100 | 25 | 11/28/2003 |
| Transmission does not ingage in forward direction for 30 seconds when car is cold.*ak | |||
| 02/18/2004 | 3000 | 90 | 08/08/2004 |
| 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. | |||
| 12/16/2003 | 20 | 11/20/2003 | |
| Brand new 2004 car. automatic transmission - usually happens once a day in the early morning. cold start, when shifting the car into drive, it takes a few seconds for d to engage and must rev up to 2000-4000 rpm to go forward. very dangerous when starting on steep roads because the car will slip backwards for a few seconds. it first occur on my new car around 400 miles and has occur many times, on and off, for the past few months. it has happened to many other owners with 2003 and 2004 bmw automatic transmissions. no real solutions from dealerships or bmw company.*ak | |||