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 2008 BMW M3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Engine began suddenly making a very loud knocking sound without any warning, and I drove it straight to sandy sansing BMW service center, where they stated that the vehicle has suffered a catastrophic crank bearing failure. The engine has to be replaced now... Car has been meticulously maintained and always serviced at BMW dealers since it was new... A car with 56K miles on it should not have such an extreme failure in this nature...
After slowing for a yield sign, pressed accelerator and there was a delayed response, followed by sudden acceleration. Bumped truck in front of me during the surge. Car behind me almost rearended me when my car did not accelerate.
2008 BMW M3 w/DCT - I was making a left hand turn and had slowed to maybe 5mph when traffic on the other side had opened enough to make the turn, I pressed on the gas and the car did nothing but continue to roll at about 5mph towards the driveway in the on-coming lanes, where there was another vehicle quickly approaching. After about 3-5 seconds of hesitation the gear engaged and I was able to accelerate into the driveway and narrowly avoid being broadsided by on-coming traffic. Had the hesitation been for any longer, traffic been moving any faster, or there being any less of a gap in traffic, I would have either of been hit, or caused the on-coming drivers to have locked up their brakes possibly causing them to be rear-ended. This transmission hesitation is incredibly unsafe and is always a cause for concern if my significant other drives the vehicle. …
I have a 2008 BMW M3 sedan, built 2/08, which I bought new in July, 2008. It has a dual clutch transmission. The problem is as follows. There is a significant hesitation or delay between stepping on the gas, and getting the car to go, when I have slowed almost to a stop, then want to accelerate. This happens all the time. It is dangerous especially when merging into traffic. In wyoming in late June, 2009, for example, I was coming from a side road onto a main highway. There was no stop sign for me, just a right curve in the road I was on, then merge into oncoming traffic on the main highway. The transmission had shifted into second gear because I had slowed down for the curve. As I turned right and stepped on the gas, nothing, it seemed like for a second or two. …
The problem occurs when you slow down- like for a turn, but do not come to a complete stop. The DCT transmission seems to have trouble figuring out what gear to select because when you step on the gas to accelerate, there is a very significant delay in the onset of power- up to 2-3 seconds. By this time, the driver is usually really digging into the throttle. The transmission finally picks a gear, which results in the car suddenly lurching forward, sometimes invoking the anti-skip control. The danger in this behavior occurs when making a turn into on-coming traffic after slowing down to around 10-15 MPH. After the turn, the car is positioned in the traffic lane, but you have no power to accelerate into the flow of traffic. The oncoming cars are now closing in on your car at a fast rate, and you're basically stuck. …
There is an issue with the m-DCT transmission equipped on my vehicle. The problem occurs when the car is brought to a near stop such as at an intersection, and then pressure is applied to the accelerator to try and pull away quickly. In this case the vehicle will hesitate for a long period of time, potentially leaving the car unresponsive for a few seconds while coasting slowly into the intersection with oncoming traffic bearing down. The manufacturer claims this behavior is normal for the transmission but it is certainly not safe. Additionally, the problem was exacerbated by a prior software update whose intention was to fix other problematic behaviors of the transmission. So the behavior is clearly not germane to the transmission itself, it is instead the result of glitchy software which the manufacturer should rightly be obligated to fix. …
Incident 1 I was making a left turn after the signal and entering into the freeway at 25 MPH, and during the turn, there was a slight inclination in the road like a bump and the car landed on the front right wheel and immediately the I lost steering control and had dsc (dynamic stability control) and brake warning and I was this close to getting rammed by a truck from behind and I hurt my hand during this event because I could hardly steer my car and barely pulled on to the curb of the freeway. How can a BMW be so delicate, it cant handle a bump and if it cannot, then why did I loose steering control ? Incident 2 2 weeks before this incident had a clutch bearing failure, which resulted in the clutch pedal stuck to the floor and did and retrieve, I could not change the gear and almost ran into another accident because the car came to a halt in the middle of the road. …
This is a problem with the m-DCT automated manual transmission in the e92 BMW M3. It is a recurring issue and is a safety issue as well. When traveling at low speeds, say when coasting and when the transmission is in it's d mode (automatic like mode), when you quickly transition from light braking to medium throttle application the vehicle becomes completely unresponsive to the gas pedal input and offers no acceleration. After a delay of a second or so the car will rev a bit, slip the clutch and accelerate strongly. This occurrence is not universal but is common. Any time you make such a transition and require the vehicle to "obey" and accelerate as per your use of the gas pedal the vehicles marked lack of acceleration can be a safety issue. Such obvious cases include lane changes, intersections with a yield or merging into traffic after a turn. …
I have a 2008 BMW M3 equipped with the DCT transmission and my issue is the lag with 2-3 gears, this is my daily commuter car and for some one who is stuck in stop and go traffic for about 2 hours and 45 miles each way I cant not drive my car any more because of this issue. I've become really frustrated by this behavior. It's not at all intermittent -- it happens every time the car drops into 2nd gear when slowing (and not completely stopping). Decelerating to turn corners is an exercise in frustration (especially with passengers in the car) because the car won't accelerate out of the corner right away... And if it does, it does so rapidly, throwing everyone's heads into the headrests. I've tried upshifting to third gear, but there's a lag in that as well if I've already given the car some gas. I've had the first software update performed which has not done much.
I have noticed since the safety recall on the m-DCT gearbox: there is a significant lag or hesitation of at least 2 second between applying pressure to the accelerator and the clutch engaging and giving acceleration to the wheels. This results in a complete loss of power and causes the car to just "coast". This does not happen from a stand-still, but occurs primarily when the car is in motion at virtually all ranges of speed, from rolling stop through standard road speeds of any degree . The problem is acute in "d" mode, but occurs in "s" mode as well in 2nd gear. The result of this is that you can pull out into traffic and rather than increase your acceleration normally, the car will just coast with no power. This is extremely dangerous and I have had several near misses with a chance of a car rear ending me because the gearbox is functioning like this.
Related recalls
Power train › Clutch assembly
BMW is recalling 2,500 my 2008-2009 m3 passenger vehicles with an optional double clutch transmission. The problem involves the double clutch gearbox. In a situation of rapid vehicle deceleration, the transmission software May perform a multistage downshift.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the engine and transmission electronic control unit with updated software free of charge. The recall began on December 3, 2008. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Transmission complaints in other M3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2008 BMW M3?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2008 BMW M3, 45% of the model year's 82 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 BMW M3 transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-595 (clutch assembly, Nov 14, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 BMW M3 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 87% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.