NHTSA Complaint #10322190 — 2000 BMW 323I

WHEN LEAVING WORK, MY CAR FAILED TO GO INTO REVERSE SO I COULD PULL OUT. I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OUT AND TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MAKE OF CAR. HE TOLD ME THAT I WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHICH I CAN NOT AFFORD TOP DO. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR AND MAKING SURE THAT I CAN ALWAYS PULL FORWARD OUT OF PARKING SPOTS I CAN SOMETIMES GET THE REVERSE TRANSMISSION TO ENGAGE AND WORK PROPERLY. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY AND THEN EVENTUALLY THE SME PROBLEM WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ONLINE (NOREVERSE.ORG) AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS (2000 BMW 323I) AND THAT BMW IS AWARE OF THIS AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY. THE TRANSMISSIONS IN THESE CARS IS PROVIDED BY GM, AND IS INSTALLED IN CADILLACS AS WELL FOR WHICH A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR BMW. I FEEL THIS IS A POTENTIALLY MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE . MY CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND THE FACT THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN WITH 75,000 MILES AND HAVING TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IS APPALLING!