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BMW X3 07-09 Automatic Transmission Problems

16 messages,  Last post on Feb 02, 2012 at 6:23 PM

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What is this discussion about? BMW X3, BMW 3 Series, Car Buying, SUV

Messages Page 2 of 3

#3 of 16 Sample of complaints about the AT to the NHTSA by pp2009pp

Sep 13, 2009 (11:14 pm)

All caps are from the site. These are all filed under the 2007 although there are some 2008s in here.
 
"2007 BMW X3 (BUILD DATE 09/06) TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS (DEADLY). VEHICLE SURGES, LAGS, HESITATES, CAN'T FIND GEAR, RED LINES, FAILS TO RESPOND TO ACCELERATOR. FIRST THREE SERVICE DEPARTMENT VISITS, NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO REPAIR. 4TH VISIT = SOFTWARE UPGRADE. PROBLEM NOT FIXED. *TR
 
"THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOES NOT APPROPRIATELY RESPOND TO DRIVER INPUT, VARIOUSLY DISPLAYING HESITATION OF UP TO 3 SECONDS, ABRUPT UPSHIFTS AND DOWNSHIFTS, AND OCCASIONAL STALLS. IT IS SO UNPREDICTABLE THAT ONE AVOIDS PULLING INTO TRAFFIC, OR TURNING LEFT ACROSS INCOMING TRAFFIC. NOT AN ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE. THIS IS A BMW X3 2008 MODEL. *TR"
 
"VEHICLE TRANSMISSION HESITATES TO SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND, MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC. VEHICLE ALSO HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, CAUSING IT TO ROLL FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKE IS RELEASED."
 
2007 BMW X3 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING TO BMW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE SPRING OF 2007. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MORE THAN A MONTH (TOTAL FROM NUMEROUS VISITS). AT A STOP LIGHT THE TRANSMISSION WILL OCCASIONALLY SURGE & IF NOT FOR FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE THAT SURGE WOULD THROW ME INTO THE CAR AHEAD. IT HAS SURGED WHEN PARKING ALMOST RAMMING ME INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING. I ALMOST WENT THROUGH A FILE CABINET AND INTO THE WALL IN MY GARAGE YESTERDAY. HESITATES WHEN CHANGING LANES & THROUGH INTERSECTIONS. I'VE ALMOST BEEN HIT NUMEROUS TIMES. ALMOST RAMMED FROM THE REAR AT 70MPH ON THE FREEWAY WHEN TRANSMISSION HESITATED & WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. THE ENGINE WILL REV AND THE TRANSMISSION WON'T KICK IN FOR A FEW SECONDS. THEN THE CAR TAKES OFF LIKE A ROCKET. THIS VEHICLE WITH THIS PARTICULAR TRANSMISSION IS DANGEROUS. I'VE BEEN TRYING INCESSANTLY TO GET BMW TO HELP ME FOR WELL OVER A YEAR. ALL LEVELS SAY THEY WILL HELP BUT IT NEVER HAPPENS SHORT OF A TRANSMISSION REPROGRAMMING WHICH DOESN'T ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM...AND THEY KNOW IT. BMW STATES THE "VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED". WHAT A STUNNING ADMISSION! THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND QUITE EASY TO VERIFY. SERVICE MANAGERS ADMIT THE PROBLEM TOO...AND BMW IS SAYING THEY DESIGNED THE VEHICLE THIS WAY??? WHO HAS TO DIE IN AN ACCIDENT BEFORE THIS IS TAKEN CARE OF? BMW HAD A REGIONAL TECH ENGINEER EVALUATE MY VEHICLE. HE SAYS IT'S "OPERATING AS DESIGNED". HE ALSO SAID THERE ARE NO 'FAULTS'. A SERVICE MGR ONCE TOLD ME THAT 'FAULTS' DON'T ALWAYS REGISTER IN THE COMPUTER SO HAVING 'NO FAULTS' ISN'T UNUSUAL. BY THE WAY, BMW HAD ME TAKE THE CAR IN TO GET REPROGRAMMED SHORTLY "BEFORE" THAT REGIONAL TECH DID HIS EVALUATION. YES, THEY REPROGRAMMED IT "THEN" SENT HIM IN! NOTHING WAS FOUND? GO FIGURE! WHAT COULD I DO? IT'S A LEASED VEHICLE. I COULDN'T JUST SELL IT OR TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER. WHY DO THEY REFUSE TO HELP ME WHEN IT WOULD COST NEXT TO NOTHING. THEY LOVE MY $$$. *TR

#4 of 16 Operating as designed? by pp2009pp

Sep 13, 2009 (11:27 pm)

So the BMW design team designed in a ride this rocky and bouncy and hard shifting for what reason?
 
They designed in a gear shift that is this slow to accelerate for what reason? They designed in a gear shift that downshifts so hard it is as if the brakes were deployed for what reason?
 
What possible reason would these be designed in? Why would people want this rocky a ride at low speeds over normal roads? Do people want their things to jump up into the air or their coffee to spill everywhere? Is there a purpose that this kind of thing serves?
 
Is there some kind of a trade off between having such a rocky ride and something else that is desirable? If so, what do you get when you have to put up with this ride?
 
The hard down shifting and loss of speed, the stuttering acceleration, the sudden surge of acceleration, the delay in acceleration are design features for what purpose? What function do they serve? They are not for comfort, handling, safety, reliability but just the reverse so what was the design idea behind them?
 
Operating as designed? What?
 
Do they actually mean to say: operating at some minimal standard we want our customers to accept and shut up about in a new $40K+ automobile?

#5 of 16 ZF GHP19 another BMW/GM transmission failure by pp2009pp

Sep 20, 2009 (8:59 am)

From the NHTSA site. This failure appears to be in different cars in different model years. IIRC one post I read said that there were 140 complaints on the site regarding this issue but I haven't verified that.
 
Here is a sample of the problem. The $2K repair cost appears to be on the low side.
 
"2001 BMW 330I, 88,500 MILES. REVERSE FAILED COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CAR HAS THE ZF5HP19 TRANSMISSION WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE THE COMMON PROBLEM OF THE D-G CLUTCH DRUM FAILING. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED WITH NO SYMPTOMS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. MY MECHANIC REPLACED THE REVERSE DRUM AT A COST OF $2116.34. I HAVE A COPY OF THE SERVICE ORDER AND HAVE IN MY POSSESSION THE FAILED PART. *TR

#6 of 16 Re: ZF GHP19 another BMW/GM transmission failure [pp2009pp] by roadburner

Sep 20, 2009 (10:50 am)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Sep 20, 2009 8:59 am)
Welcome to last week. The well known reverse failure affects the ZF5HP19. It is not a GM transmission and has nothing to do with the shifting issues which affect some later X3s.

#7 of 16 Good point Roadie. Worth exploring by pp2009pp

Sep 20, 2009 (10:58 am)

Same symptoms, different problems, different transmissions, still BMWs.
 
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=706809
 
"Here is why that's important: Automatic 323's are known to lose the reverse drum, that's a fact. Automatic 328s can lose reverse as well, that's a fact. But what's the crazy fact is that 328's with GM transmissions might not have actually lost the reverse drum! GM and ZF trannies both lose reverse gear but they do it in different ways. The drum failure is the common failure on the ZF transmissions. The symptoms of the 5L40E (GM tranny) are identical, you place the car in reverse and it revs up like in neutral and does not move. And that's the point of this thread. To show you what to do if you have a steptronic GM transmission.
 
So GM trannies might not have lost the reverse drum? Then what is the problem you ask? There are things called solenoids in the pan of a transmission that control pressure allowing the transmission to engage gears. We all know that automatic transmissions in E46s are hydraulically driven correct? Well one of those solenoids can go bad, and guess which one? The reverse solenoid. The name which you should call it as is the "TCC and PWM solenoid"
 
What happens: At any rate, what happens is when the car is cold, ect, this reverse solenoid has a mesh screen on it and build up can get on the screen causing it to not be able to control the pressure to the reverse gear. This in turn is when people notice the infamous "no-reverse." Thus, people with GM transmissions wont be able to engage reverse gear and they think that their reverse drum is to blame. This is not the case!"

#8 of 16 Re: Good point Roadie. Worth exploring [pp2009pp] by roadburner

Sep 20, 2009 (12:13 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Sep 20, 2009 10:58 am)
More proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

#9 of 16 Drive it gently? Delicate BMWs? What? by pp2009pp

Sep 23, 2009 (10:26 am)

So here is an article talking about the no reverse problems in the ZF and GM transmissions in various BMW models. It goes on then to say this:
 
"If you have an autobox, drive it gently. That would be my advice. If you are buying a BMW, consider a 5- or 6-speed instead of an automatic, particularly if you are buying a car without an extended warranty. If you have a newer automatic, consider an extended BMW warranty (not a 3rd party warranty, they are nearly worthless)."
 
Since when did the hard-driving BMW become something only to be driven gently because BMW can't figure out how to make or OEM a proper automatic transmission?
 
Rugged X5s and X3s that you have to pamper?
 
What?
 
 

#11 of 16 Re: Sample of complaints about the AT to the NHTSA [pp2009pp] by rlgarry

Feb 22, 2011 (7:21 pm)

Replying to: pp2009pp (Sep 13, 2009 11:14 pm)
Since I have a 2007 BMW X3 with all the same problems mentioned that I bought certified pre-owned, what are the legal ramifications of these problems? Do I have any recourse with BMW? The original factory warranty expires in April 2011 so I am trying to do anything I can before then. More importantly, it is very concerning that my car is unsafe to drive. If anyone has had success with this issue or can advise me, I would greatly appreciate it.

#12 of 16 BMW X3 Automatic Transmission Problems Still Exist by pp2009pp

Mar 02, 2011 (12:50 am)


 
Our next car will be a Toyota or a Honda or maybe a Ford. I don't know but this BMW is so full of weird glitches that it is unnerving.
 
Every new wrinkle is an anxiety-inducer. WTH? Really, does anyone need this kind of aggravation for a CAR?
 
Who sources transmissions for BMW? Who designs the suspension?

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