NHTSA Complaint #10413619 — 2000 BMW 323I

WITH NO WARNING,NO INDICATION ON DASH, NO PREVIOUS PROBLEM, CAR WOULD NOT BACK UP, FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY AND NOT IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION. 2000 323I AUTOMATIC TRANS 100000+ MI DEALER SERVICED SINCE NEW, "LIFETIME FLUID" NO WAY TO CHECK FLUID LEVEL, DEALER SAYS"FLUID LOW CLUTCHES BURNED" ??? LIFETIME FLUID . I SUSPECT AND WILL CHECK TO FIND BROKEN CLUTCH DRUM SO COMMON TO THIS TRANS AS INDICATED IN THE MANY WEBSITES DEDICATED TO THIS TRANS LITERALLY, HUNDREDS PERHAPS THOUSANDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ARE ON LINE HOW MANY NOT REPORTED? THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT AS WELL AS AN OBVIOUS ENGINEERING FAILURE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OWNERS FAILURE TO SERVICE THIS VEHICLE OR CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL- IN FACT -THE OWNER HAS NO WAY TO CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL. WHY HAS NHTSA NOT FORCED THE MANUFACTURER TO ADDRESS THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY DEFECT ? ARE WE WAITING FOR ANOTHER "' PINTO" SERIES OF DISASTERS? *KB