NHTSA Complaint #10196146 — 2000 BMW 3 SERIES

A WEEK AND A HALF AGO I TOOK THE WELL MAINTAINED 2000 323CI BMW TO DEALER FOR THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE, COSTING OVER $700.00 FOR NORMAL? SERVICING. A DAY AFTER THE SERVICE I HAD TO RETURN THE CAR AS I HAD FOUND WASHER FLUID POOLED UNDER THE VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE. I WAS TOLD THE WASHER PUMP FAILED, I THEN PAID AN ADDITIONAL $100.00 TO HAVE IT FIXED. A WEEK LATER I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO GO DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND HEARD A LOUD ?BANG. THE CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN REVERSE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TODAY THEY INFORMED ME THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, WHICH WOULD COST OVER $5,000.00 FOR REPAIR. I WAS JUST THANKFUL THAT THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN ON THE ROAD. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH STATED THAT BMW WAS AWARE THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION PLACED IN CERTAIN BMW VEHICLES, SPECIFICALLY A TRANSMISSION USED IN THE 3 SERIES MADE BY GM. I THEN WENT ON LINE TO CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM AND NOTED HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 3 SERIES TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND BMW OF FAILING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. BLOG ENTRIES EXPRESSED THE OBVIOUS FRUSTRATION, ENORMOUS COSTS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF FILING A CLASS ACTION SUIT BECAUSE THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION WAS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. OBVIOUSLY MY COMPLAINT WA S TWO-FOLD: 1. THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MECHANISM HAD A RISK FACTOR IN SAFETY IN THAT THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSIONS USED, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO GO OUT WHILE OPERATING ,AND THE ONLY OTHER REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION THAT CAN BE PUT IN WAS THE SAME TYPE WHICH MIGHT SUGGEST THE SAME INCIDENT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN . 2.) THE COST/REPAIR FACTOR WAS UNEXPECTED AND RIDICULOUS BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT A DRIVER OR SERVICE NEGLECT PROBLEM BUT ONE OF DESIGN. WAS THIS A MATTER FOR RECALL AND OR CLASS ACTION SUIT? *AK