Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 BMW 3 Series owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was preparing to back out of my driveway. The vehicle acted as though it was in "neutral" and did not make any noise or motion. The reverse never showed any signs of trouble. I have been driving the car on a limited basis over the past four months. A short time prior to this, I began to notice a slight vibration in the car while accelerating between the speeds of 25 MPH and 30 MPH driving forward. It was subtle and actually began to go away. I never experienced any unusual stress, noise, or difficulties while going into reverse prior to finding it completely gone today. I feel extremely fortunate that this occurred in my driveway and did not involve an emergency situation. I fear that it could have put me and my family in great bodily harm, had I not been so lucky. …
The car transmission will not go in reverse. The issue happens suddenly with no warning, and acts exactly as if you were in neutral gear. There is a dedicated site called http://www.noreverse.org that documents thousands of cases from BMW owners that have the same problem. BMW north America has acknowledged that its transmissions in vehicles 1999-2003 have this issue, but fails to offer any assistance on this huge safety issue. In November, I pulled out of my driveway normally to drive to work. When I arrive at work and attempted to reverse into the space, the car acted like it was in neutral. The vehicle continues to act this way. All other gears work normal (meaning it drives fine forward), it is just that you cannot engage reverse.
I have a 2000 323ci BMW and all of sudden my reverse stop working for no reason at all. I been up to date with my taking care of it and one day it just stop working, the reverse just doesn't do nothing, I haven't done anything to try to correct it because simply is to much for me the cost for it is 4,000 dollars and I just don't have the money to do it, I feel its not fair what BMW has done, with this problem that BMW 3 Series are suspect on doing. I read online this is a common problem with certain bmws and I'm wondering why BMW hasn't issued a recall since this is a safety issue as well as an identified common problem.
There is a major problem with the reverse on these vehicles. We thought we had a unique problem but it is a obvious that this is a widespread problem. I found 359 complaints on our yr/make/model on this website alone. Also numerous complaints on a website called no reverse.org. Our BMW will not go into reverse. I have learned to park on an incline so I can roll backwards out of a parking space. BMW needs to do a recall. They are loosing faithful customers by not addressing the issue. If there is a class action lawsuit, I want to be a part of it. BMW reps at customer service decline to help so far.
I'm the original owner of a 2000 323i with the automatic transmission. The car is carefully driven and cared for. For the past 7 years, vancouver brian jessel BMW has performed all of the maintenance. It now has 75,000 km. This morning when I went to back my car out of the driveway, it would not go into reverse. It feels like it's in neutral. When I checked on the internet, I was shocked to see how many other BMW owners are experiencing the same problem. It is obvious that the problem is caused by the factory defect on the transmission. BMW should take responsibility to fix the problem at their cost.
My 2000 323 ci BMW "no reverse ". With only 69,000 miles on it properly maintained and serviced, on April 5 2009 the cars reverse gear won't engage ,its like putting it in neutral but is actually in reverse, the car drives forward without any problems. Brought it to BMW dealership and was told I need a new transmission. Transmission failure rates of the above car is very high that they have a special website for such trany failure www.noreverse.org. BMW needs to address these complaints and maybe held responsible for defects of the above transmission.
Tl contact owns a 2000 BMW 325ci. While turning the vehicle on and shifting in reverse the vehicle would not drive in reverse when the accelerator pedal was engaged. She had to push the vehicle out of the parking space so that she could shift into drive gear. The dealer was contacted and stated that they never heard about the failure occurring on these vehicles. She stated that the vehicle would not shift in reverse gear. No repairs were made to the vehicle at this moment. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 106,000.
I own a 2000 BMW 323ci convertible with automatic transmission, with 77,000 miles on it. The vehicle has had one previous owner and has been meticulously cared for and serviced. Last week (9/4/07) the car would not go into reverse. The BMW dealer has told me that the vehicle needs the whole transmission replaced at a cost of $5,000. I did some research on the internet and found that this appears to be a common problem with this vehicle. I cannot afford to pay for this repair.
Automatic transmission on 2000 BMW 323ci with 52,000 miles failed in reverse only. Properly maintained and driven less than 10,000 miles per year. Initial diagnosis cost $327.00, and told estimated cost of replacing transmission was $5500.00. No reason found as to why the transmission failed. Told that if keep driving the car that the entire transmission will eventually fail which was a serious danger on the highway.
2000 BMW 323i no reverse gear...went to BMW dealer and they didn't want to check what's wrong, all they wanted is to change the whole transmission for $5500...I looked on internet and it seems that thousands of people having same issue with this car...hope something can be done and BMW will call our cars for recall...I thing they should repair it at no cost since it is there pure reverse clutch engineering. Thank you
Transmission complaints in other 3 Series years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2000 BMW 3 Series?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2000 BMW 3 Series, 40% of the model year's 88 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (21 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 BMW 3 Series transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2000 BMW 3 Series, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 BMW 3 Series transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.